House Revenge

Originality, intelligence, and humor lift Lawson’s excellent 11th Joe DeMarco thriller (after 2015’s House Rivals). House Minority Leader John Mahoney, formerly the Speaker of the House, is meeting with constituents in his Boston office. Feisty Elinore Dobbs grabs his wandering attention with her story of being harassed out of her apartment so that developer Sean Callahan can erect an elegant new complex catering to the ultra-wealthy. Mahoney sees political hay to be made, besides being genuinely outraged, and assigns the job of saving Dobbs to his number-one fixer, Joe DeMarco. In sorting out Dobbs’s difficulties, DeMarco tangles with two of Callahan’s goons, twin brothers Ray and Roy McNulty; Javier Castro, a former Mexican drug lord who’s gone legit; and Castro’s lovely assassin, Maria Vasquez. As DeMarco outthinks and outfights the various vicious killers and proves his worth to Mahoney once again, he provides all the fun and action that Lawson’s fans have come to expect. Agent: David Gernert, Gernert Company. (July)