Out of Order

Political drama and star-crossed romance mix with the suspenseful action of a legal thriller and family mystery as MacDougal tackles murder, espionage, kidnapping, statutory rape and corrupt political campaigns in this followup to Angle of Impact. Beautiful newlywed lawyer Campbell Alexander fears her murky past will come to light when her husband, Doug, is named his party's (it's called the Party, with no further political ID) surprise candidate for a Delaware congressional seat, backed by formidable, deep-pocketed Senator Ash Ramsey. Cam fails to convince Doug to stay out of the political spotlight and winds up fearfully playing the loyal, supportive wife under the whip of campaign strategist and D.C. femme fatale Meredith Winters. When Sen. Ramsey's son Trey is snatched off the street, Cam is hired to find the kidnapper, who turns out to be the boy's biological father, Steve, who was tricked into giving up his son years before. A series of brutal murders linked to Cam's long-missing mother gives the secretive lawyer more crimes to worry about. As ambitious Doug descends into dirty politics and her marriage falls apart, Cam falls for Steve. Eventually, Cam's childhood secret is unearthed by one of Doug's enemies, who has secrets of his own, leading to political mayhem; the ensuing maneuvering and courtroom action are flawlessly nasty, while illicit sexual affairs provide welcome, if sometimes sappily dialogued, balance to the murderous gore. Fans of romantic suspense will relish the labyrinthine plot and the dramatic scenes of Cam and Meredith waging battle in the heart of the men's club, outsmarting the boys most of the time. (Aug.)