This smart Washington thriller, by the author of In Her Defense,
stars Philip Barkley, a Justice Department lawyer who for a combination of personal and political reasons has fallen out of the loop and is in a form of rehab involving heavy dependence on prescription drugs. When he is asked to look into the mysterious disappearance of Martin Green, an aide on the Intelligence Committee run by Sen. Warren Young, an aspirant to the presidency, it's because it is assumed he will merely go through the motions; Young's committee doesn't want any trouble. As Barkley starts work, however, backed by an ambitious young woman FBI agent, things begin to look stranger and stranger. Was Green really a spy? What role does Barkley's ex-wife, now married to Green, play in the disappearance? And what link does Green have to the apparent suicide of a Hungarian Jewish refugee in New York 40 years earlier—which he was ostensibly investigating when he vanished? Barkley enlists the help of Joseph McSorley, an elderly retired New York cop who investigated the refugee's death at the time, and together they embark on what McSorley, an inveterate romantic, likes to think of as "a quest"—which soon puts their lives in danger. It takes a while for Barkley to come into focus as a hero, but McSorley is a great character from the moment he appears, and the windup carries its share of surprises. Horn has a breezy style and enlivens his tale with rueful humor; this is a pleasantly untaxing beach read. (Aug.)
Forecast:Readers who welcome a light touch applied to themes more often treated in a heavy-breathing way will welcome Horn's second appearance. Major ad/promo; 4-city author tour.
