House Reckoning

In Lawson’s enjoyable ninth Joe DeMarco thriller (after 2013’s House Odds), the Congressional fix-it man steps out of the Washington, D.C., political mud to focus on a personal quest: tracking down the man who murdered his father decades ago. DeMarco has long known that his father, Gino, worked for a violent mobster in New York City. Now a dying mobster who knew Gino reveals that a corrupt cop, whose career has since blossomed, was the killer. DeMarco, much to the displeasure of his boss, sleazy Congressman John Mahoney, sets out to avenge his father’s murder. To further complicate his quest, his target is about to assume a high-level government job in Washington. A well-balanced plot reveals the intriguing backstory of the likable DeMarco, who knows that handling life’s problems is often a matter of compromise. Agent: David Gernert, Gernert Company. (July)