The Operator

by Mike Lawson

"Darkly satisfying . . . This long-running series still has plenty of gas in the tank."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
It’s fixer versus fixer, and only one can win
Washington DC troubleshooter Joe DeMarco is pitted against a tech billionaire’s merciless fixer in the latest pulse-pounding thriller from Edgar, Barry, and Shamus Award finalist Mike Lawson

Joe DeMarco is a capable man. He works as a fixer for John Mahoney, the former Speaker of the House (though DeMarco prefers the term “troubleshooter”). He’s the one Mahoney calls upon when there’s a situation that requires creative problem solving.

Carla Andretti—a cutthroat lawyer at one of the world’s top firms—is a fixer too. On behalf of the ultra-wealthy tech-mogul Leo Cage, Carla helps her boss conquer whatever he desires, even if she too must bend the law to make it happen.

When one of Leo’s schemes begins to crumble, it threatens to expose them both on a massive scale, forcing Carla to do what she does fix the situation. In order to keep her and Leo’s names clean, she’ll have to go after the people responsible for the unraveling. The only problem? Joe DeMarco’s onto her—and he knows all too well the tricks of the trade.

Audible Audio

Expected publication February 16, 2027

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Pen name: M.A Lawson

Michael Lawson was raised in Pueblo, Colorado and attended college at Seattle University, receiving a degree in engineering. On leaving college he went to work for the US Navy as a nuclear engineer, spending approximately thirty years working for the Navy's nuclear power program. Some of this time was spent in Washington D.C. but most was spent at a large naval shipyard in Bremerton, Washington.

At the shipyard he managed a number of different organizations related to overhauling nuclear powered submarines, cruisers, and aircraft carriers, ending up as a member of the government’s Senior Executive Service

To date he has published 12 books starring Joe DeMarco, a fixer for a corrupt politician and three books in his Kay Hamilton series under the name of M. A. Lawson: He has won the Friend of Mystery Award twice and is a five time nominee for the Barry Award.

He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Reviews

[Thomas Trang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to Grove Atlantic for the ARC.

I’ve read a few of these Joe DeMarco books now and they’re always entertaining. Written with the usual thrills and spills of the Washington DC political fixer type of novel, but with a bit of an edge. Action, skulduggery, and even a little romance. It’s not meant to be a lyrical masterpiece, and the prose can be very functional and infodumpy at points, but the appeal of this genre is the procedural element a lot of the time.

Not quite a guilty pleasure, mostly because I never feel guilty about reading a book for pleasure (unless it was Mein Kampf I guess).

This one might be my favourite so far. It’s very twisty and zeitgeisty - biz/tech mogul from Rhodesia and the politics of the Middle East wrapped up in a conspiracy and assassination -and the story does begin to get more and more ludicrous towards the end, but in 2026 the real geopolitical landscape is nuts, so who really knows what qualifies as “far fetched”.

Several POVs here and everything is clean, the action and story are never confusing. I could see this working as a limited series on Netflix actually.

After a few of these books, I got the sense here - at least in the opening chapters - that the author has grown more cynical about DC, politics, and the game. Totally understandable these days.

If you’re a fan of political thriller fiction with some character, the Mike Lawson novels are perfect to scratch that itch. You can jump in at any point; each one is a standalone book.

[Nick Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The CIA pass on a tip to the Israelis which results in a drone strike on someone Israel are very much after. Except the target is wrong and there is significant collateral damage. The CIA section chief is fired and the Israelis are heavily embarrassed.
John Mahoney is Minority Leader of the US House of Representatives and owes a debt to the father of the sacked CIA chief, so he sends his fixer and bagman, Joe DeMarco, to find out what’s going on. DeMarco would rather be playing golf, not babysitting a drunken and resentful ex Spook, but as they dig into things it looks like something significant may be in play.
I love the author’s novels, a niche and brilliant style and characters that have real personalities. Here we have a blend of politics (the bad guy is a multi billionaire South African tech bro) and the intelligence services. DeMarco slightly blunders through things (often being the voice of caution you never hear in thrillers) and he may be lazy, but he isn’t stupid.

Mike Lawson never fails to impress with his books, this is as good as you could hope for.

Massively grateful to NetGalley for a review copy.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was strange that “The Operator” was listed as a Joe DeMarco Thriller rather than tell what number the book was in the series. Then I read the book. Oh, it was because Joe wasn’t a part of most of the book. Which is a bit tough when this is the first book I have read in the series.

The novel was a lot of fun with some great action to it. The characters were interesting and the writing was really good. My only complaint is the author inserting their politics in the novel. It doesn’t matter if I agree or disagree with the views on politics. Let us just relax and enjoy the book and escape from the constant bombardment of politics in our lives. Steven Konkoly has been a master at this. Just write a thriller that involves politics without preaching. It’s really not that hard.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an ARC for an unbiased review.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting thriller.
Joe DeMarco is a fixer.. When the Senator he works for sends him to see an old friend who needs a favor, DeMarco agrees to go to see if he can help the Senator's friend out.
It seems the Senator's friend's son has managed to get himself fired from his CIA job over a covert open that went wrong, based on information he shared. Only it wasn't bad information, it was actually an elaborate ruse with Israeli government sanctioned killings taking place.
Now the son is out to prove it was a set up and get revenge for the entire job and hus,dad BB sets a sitter yo make sure he doesn't get himself killed.
And DeMarco is that sitter.
Great suspense with non stop action and intrigue.
Vividly defined characters in a story that runs right along.
5 stars all the way.

[Howard Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is a compelling read about the CIA and Israel cooperating in an attack against a known enemy. Through a series of exciting events and circumstances, the disgraced CIA official and “the operator” are thrown together in an attempt to uncover the identity of those responsible. Along the way, there are murders and fantastic detective skills at play on the way to a completely satisfying conclusion. There are also references to a familiar unnamed president (by me and the author) in Chapter 35. This book is recommended for all who enjoy this genre and I thank NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication.

[Doug Yonce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book started slowly since Joe didn’t appear until later, and Joe DeMarco drives the story. He’s Congressman Maloney’s “fixer” and he may have met his match as he confronts international intrigue as well as another expert fixer. The battle of plans and tricks is a new situation for DeMarco, and it’s interesting to see how things work out. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and voluntarily provided an honest review.

[Carolyn]

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic | Atlantic Crime for the ARC.

A briskly paced political thriller pairing DeMarco with a disgraced CIA officer chasing his own vindication, wrapped around a covert US-Israeli operation gone (deliberately) wrong. Slower to start for some, but suspenseful, twisty, and satisfying by the end — a solid entry for genre fans.