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Joe DeMarco #14
House Privilege
Fifteen-year-old Cassie Russell, the only daughter of a mega-rich Boston couple, is the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed her parents. She’s also the goddaughter of the newly elected Speaker of the House, John Mahoney, and Mahoney becomes her legal guardian. Normally, Mahoney would send his kind-hearted wife to deal with his new ward, but she’s unavailable so he dispatches his fixer, Joe DeMarco, to make sure the girl’s okay. DeMarco’s job is only to put things into a holding pattern until Mrs. Mahoney is able to step in and take charge—but DeMarco unintentionally flips over a rock and out from under it crawls a lawyer, the one managing Cassie’s vast estate. DeMarco learns the lawyer has been embezzling from the estate and may have killed Cassie’s parents.
What should have been a simple assignment unleashes murderous plots involving a Boston mob boss and his Irish thugs, and quickly escalates. DeMarco ends up chasing the scheming lawyer halfway around the world to save Cassie and ensure that justice is done. And, this being DeMarco, the legal niceties are mostly ignored.
House Privilege is one of the best installments yet in Edgar Award–nominee Mike Lawson’s long running series.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2020
183 people are currently reading
1160 people want to read
About the author
Mike Lawson
27 books446 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
May 31, 2022
Great read. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and don’t know why he is not more widely known. His stories are as solid as any major bestseller and worth a look if you haven’t already tried him.
He writes in third person, (mostly distant third), the old style, of “telling,” the story (instead of showing) which in these books works fine for me. There is one main character named DeMarco in all his books. DeMarco is a “bagman,” a “fixer” for a congressman. This kind of setup, as you can imagine, leaves open all sorts interesting and dynamic story lines. Lawson also uses a multitude of other characters constantly shifting points of view to tell the story. I was never confused. But I usually prefer writing that lends itself more to the fictive dream.
This novel starts out with a solid plot. Lawson keeps adding layer after layer of conflict with interesting characters constantly moving the story forward.
With his second book rating so high for me I have gone out and purchased several others and tossed them on the stack.
David Putnam Author of The Bruno Johnson series.
He writes in third person, (mostly distant third), the old style, of “telling,” the story (instead of showing) which in these books works fine for me. There is one main character named DeMarco in all his books. DeMarco is a “bagman,” a “fixer” for a congressman. This kind of setup, as you can imagine, leaves open all sorts interesting and dynamic story lines. Lawson also uses a multitude of other characters constantly shifting points of view to tell the story. I was never confused. But I usually prefer writing that lends itself more to the fictive dream.
This novel starts out with a solid plot. Lawson keeps adding layer after layer of conflict with interesting characters constantly moving the story forward.
With his second book rating so high for me I have gone out and purchased several others and tossed them on the stack.
David Putnam Author of The Bruno Johnson series.
June 16, 2020
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Mike Lawson, and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
A great fan of Mike Lawson’s work, I could not wait to get into this book, which features the great protagonist, Joe DeMarco. After slipping out of some troubling legal issues, Joe DeMarco is ready to work again. That being said, he’s not sure if he still has a job, as Speaker of the US House of Representatives, John Mahoney, has asked that he keep his distance during the congressional elections. After Mahoney wins his Boston seat again, DeMarco is brought back into the fold, the fact that he was revealed as a ‘bagman’ of no interest to Mahoney. DeMarco is given a very delicate task by his boss, serve as a proxy guardian to Cassie Russell, the goddaughter to Mahoney, at least until Mrs. Mahoney can return from a trip. Cassie’s parents were killed in a plane crash and the teenage girl is now the recipient to a sizeable, multi-billion dollar trust. Mahoney wants DeMarco to keep an eye on her and ensure everything is running smoothly with the trust for a couple of days. DeMarco begins his inquiries, only to get an odd feeling about the Russell lawyer and trust overseer, Erin Kelly. It would seem that Kelly feels she has control of it all and needs no assistance from DeMarco. After speaking to Cassie and the hired help, DeMarco is pushed in the direction that Kelly may not be all that she seems, which is only further solidified when an accountant who was performing an audit turns up dead in a convenience store shooting. Kelly is the niece of Boston mob boss, Mike Kelly, a man with few scruples when it comes to how he runs his business. When DeMarco feels that Erin may have been responsible for the plane crash, he takes his investigation into high gear and pushes some buttons to get a reaction. Meanwhile, Erin Kelly has turned to her uncle to kill Cassie and DeMarco, as they seem to be onto something they should not know. What follows is a game of cat and mouse that will see DeMarco up against ruthless killers and a woman whose greed for money trumps any sensible bone in her body. Lawson does well painting a vivid picture with this novel, sure to impress series fans. Recommended to those who love a good crime thriller, as well as the reader who has followed the progress of Joe DeMarco and Mike Lawson from the early days.
There’s nothing like a little Boston politicking mixed with the flavour of some mob justice to turn a book into something the reader is not able to put down. Lawson has done well with this, his fourteenth novel in the series. Joe DeMarco is still the gritty character he’s always been, with some wonderful pizzazz and a down to earth nature. He cannot hide from the past his father brought to Boston, but DeMarco is not one to sit idly by and let that shape him. Working with John Mahoney is never dull and this case is another example of that. The reader is able to see a softer and more parental side to Joe DeMarco, though no one can expect things to fall into place immediately. Others within the book find a way to make a mark and resonate throughout the narrative. This may not have all the grit one expects in a Lawson thriller, but there are certainly some brilliant parts and the characters surely shape that throughout. The story was strong and worked well throughout the different settings and situations that occur. The story never loses the momentum it has, while the criminal element keeps the reader guessing what will come next. Likely one of the best DeMarco thrillers I have read to date, the novel kept me intrigued until the final page turn.
Kudos, Mr. Lawson, for a great addition to the series I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for DeMarco.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
A great fan of Mike Lawson’s work, I could not wait to get into this book, which features the great protagonist, Joe DeMarco. After slipping out of some troubling legal issues, Joe DeMarco is ready to work again. That being said, he’s not sure if he still has a job, as Speaker of the US House of Representatives, John Mahoney, has asked that he keep his distance during the congressional elections. After Mahoney wins his Boston seat again, DeMarco is brought back into the fold, the fact that he was revealed as a ‘bagman’ of no interest to Mahoney. DeMarco is given a very delicate task by his boss, serve as a proxy guardian to Cassie Russell, the goddaughter to Mahoney, at least until Mrs. Mahoney can return from a trip. Cassie’s parents were killed in a plane crash and the teenage girl is now the recipient to a sizeable, multi-billion dollar trust. Mahoney wants DeMarco to keep an eye on her and ensure everything is running smoothly with the trust for a couple of days. DeMarco begins his inquiries, only to get an odd feeling about the Russell lawyer and trust overseer, Erin Kelly. It would seem that Kelly feels she has control of it all and needs no assistance from DeMarco. After speaking to Cassie and the hired help, DeMarco is pushed in the direction that Kelly may not be all that she seems, which is only further solidified when an accountant who was performing an audit turns up dead in a convenience store shooting. Kelly is the niece of Boston mob boss, Mike Kelly, a man with few scruples when it comes to how he runs his business. When DeMarco feels that Erin may have been responsible for the plane crash, he takes his investigation into high gear and pushes some buttons to get a reaction. Meanwhile, Erin Kelly has turned to her uncle to kill Cassie and DeMarco, as they seem to be onto something they should not know. What follows is a game of cat and mouse that will see DeMarco up against ruthless killers and a woman whose greed for money trumps any sensible bone in her body. Lawson does well painting a vivid picture with this novel, sure to impress series fans. Recommended to those who love a good crime thriller, as well as the reader who has followed the progress of Joe DeMarco and Mike Lawson from the early days.
There’s nothing like a little Boston politicking mixed with the flavour of some mob justice to turn a book into something the reader is not able to put down. Lawson has done well with this, his fourteenth novel in the series. Joe DeMarco is still the gritty character he’s always been, with some wonderful pizzazz and a down to earth nature. He cannot hide from the past his father brought to Boston, but DeMarco is not one to sit idly by and let that shape him. Working with John Mahoney is never dull and this case is another example of that. The reader is able to see a softer and more parental side to Joe DeMarco, though no one can expect things to fall into place immediately. Others within the book find a way to make a mark and resonate throughout the narrative. This may not have all the grit one expects in a Lawson thriller, but there are certainly some brilliant parts and the characters surely shape that throughout. The story was strong and worked well throughout the different settings and situations that occur. The story never loses the momentum it has, while the criminal element keeps the reader guessing what will come next. Likely one of the best DeMarco thrillers I have read to date, the novel kept me intrigued until the final page turn.
Kudos, Mr. Lawson, for a great addition to the series I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for DeMarco.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
April 14, 2021
I’ve read most of this series and this book is one of the best. If you don’t already know, Joe DeMarco, you can still read this one and be very well entertained, but there is an extra measure to be gained from reading the books in order.
Who is DeMarco? Let’s just take a long paragraph from this book:
"DeMarco had worked for John Mahoney for years—but he’d never been a member of Mahoney’s staff. There was no paper trail or organizational chart showing he was connected to Mahoney in any way. The reason for this was because Mahoney wanted deniability in case DeMarco was ever caught doing some of the things he did. DeMarco was Mahoney’s bagman, the one Mahoney used to collect campaign contributions that some nitpickers might construe as bribes. He was also the one Mahoney called upon when he had some knotty problem that might require crossing that thin line separating criminal acts from legal ones. To provide the necessary political cover, Mahoney placed DeMarco in an office in the subbasement of the Capitol and gave him the title Counsel Pro Tem for Liaison Affairs. The title was meaningless and intended only to obscure DeMarco’s actual duties. DeMarco was also placed in a civil service position, something Mahoney had the clout to make happen as he’d been the Speaker at the time. This meant that the taxpayers paid DeMarco’s salary and not John Mahoney, and DeMarco became a GS-13 civil servant, entitled to paid vacations, health benefits, and a pension. His official duties, according to the paperwork on file with the Office of Personnel Management, were to provide legal services to members of Congress on an ad hoc basis. This job description was a total fabrication, as DeMarco didn’t serve anyone other than Mahoney and he was a lawyer who had never practiced law. But for years everything worked as Mahoney had intended: Joe DeMarco functioned as Mahoney’s off-the-books troubleshooter and John Mahoney had the deniability he needed in case DeMarco ever ran afoul of the law."
DeMarco is not as sharp as Ellery Queen or Sherlock Holmes. His default setting is “lazy.” But once he is committed to a case, he is dogged and determined and not without some skills. This story gives plenty of opportunity for DeMarco to show his virtues and faults. I can’t remember another that takes him this far away from D.C. It involves a teenager now fabulously rich because of the tragic death of her parents.
The plot is fairly up to date as the Dems have just regained the majority in the House of Representatives and Mahoney is likely to be Speaker again. He and his wife happen to be the godparents of the girl and Mahoney sits on the board of the trust set up for her future welfare.
"The trust was like a giant scoop of ice cream and the amount she stole was the little bit that melted and ran down the side of the cone."
There is “white-collar crime” and “red hands crime” and Lawson does a great job of giving his characters more depth than is usual in a thriller. I hope this is the promise for future Joe DeMarco novels. 4.5*
[Did I forget to mention humor?]
"“My name’s DeMarco,” DeMarco said. “I represent Congressman John Mahoney. Do you know who he is?”
“Of course, I know. I watch the news. And if I wasn’t a convicted felon I would have voted for him.”
DeMarco would have to remember to pass on to Mahoney how he’d been endorsed by a gangster. "
Who is DeMarco? Let’s just take a long paragraph from this book:
"DeMarco had worked for John Mahoney for years—but he’d never been a member of Mahoney’s staff. There was no paper trail or organizational chart showing he was connected to Mahoney in any way. The reason for this was because Mahoney wanted deniability in case DeMarco was ever caught doing some of the things he did. DeMarco was Mahoney’s bagman, the one Mahoney used to collect campaign contributions that some nitpickers might construe as bribes. He was also the one Mahoney called upon when he had some knotty problem that might require crossing that thin line separating criminal acts from legal ones. To provide the necessary political cover, Mahoney placed DeMarco in an office in the subbasement of the Capitol and gave him the title Counsel Pro Tem for Liaison Affairs. The title was meaningless and intended only to obscure DeMarco’s actual duties. DeMarco was also placed in a civil service position, something Mahoney had the clout to make happen as he’d been the Speaker at the time. This meant that the taxpayers paid DeMarco’s salary and not John Mahoney, and DeMarco became a GS-13 civil servant, entitled to paid vacations, health benefits, and a pension. His official duties, according to the paperwork on file with the Office of Personnel Management, were to provide legal services to members of Congress on an ad hoc basis. This job description was a total fabrication, as DeMarco didn’t serve anyone other than Mahoney and he was a lawyer who had never practiced law. But for years everything worked as Mahoney had intended: Joe DeMarco functioned as Mahoney’s off-the-books troubleshooter and John Mahoney had the deniability he needed in case DeMarco ever ran afoul of the law."
DeMarco is not as sharp as Ellery Queen or Sherlock Holmes. His default setting is “lazy.” But once he is committed to a case, he is dogged and determined and not without some skills. This story gives plenty of opportunity for DeMarco to show his virtues and faults. I can’t remember another that takes him this far away from D.C. It involves a teenager now fabulously rich because of the tragic death of her parents.
The plot is fairly up to date as the Dems have just regained the majority in the House of Representatives and Mahoney is likely to be Speaker again. He and his wife happen to be the godparents of the girl and Mahoney sits on the board of the trust set up for her future welfare.
"The trust was like a giant scoop of ice cream and the amount she stole was the little bit that melted and ran down the side of the cone."
There is “white-collar crime” and “red hands crime” and Lawson does a great job of giving his characters more depth than is usual in a thriller. I hope this is the promise for future Joe DeMarco novels. 4.5*
[Did I forget to mention humor?]
"“My name’s DeMarco,” DeMarco said. “I represent Congressman John Mahoney. Do you know who he is?”
“Of course, I know. I watch the news. And if I wasn’t a convicted felon I would have voted for him.”
DeMarco would have to remember to pass on to Mahoney how he’d been endorsed by a gangster. "
March 1, 2020
One of the best things about reading is stumbling across a series you didn't know existed.
One of the worst things about reading is stumbling across a series you didn't know existed.
I would say House Privilege falls into both of those categories for me. The first, because I do enjoy books like this, where a fixer works (mostly) behind the scenes to do things to support an Important Person, whether that Important Person is a politician, a big business/union leader, an athlete, and so on. The second, because it means that I don't know the canon of that fixer: their history, their strengths or weaknesses, and how successful they've been in the past to fix something for their employer. As this is number fourteen in a series, I'd be inclined to guess that Joe DeMarco is fairly successful.
House Privilege opens with DeMarco returning to Washington, DC, after his equivalent of a mob no-show job was discovered with the political winds having changed the US government, and his Democrat boss John Mahoney lost his role as Speaker of the House. Those winds have changed again, and Mahoney is poised to reclaim the gavel and, by extension, return DeMarco to his post as Mahoney's personal fixer. His first job seems relatively easy: check up on Cassie Russell, the only survivor of a small plane crash that killed her billionaire parents and that left Mahoney as her legal guardian, as Mahoney's wife is out west, seeing to a terminally ill friend.
DeMarco dutifully heads to Boston, where he meets the girl and the Russell's housekeeper, and finds Cassie thinks she will just stay in her parent's home and doesn't understand that isn't quite how it's going to work. But he doesn't disabuse her of that thought, and heads out to meet the manager of the Russell's trust, Erin Kelly, who appears to be capable enough, and when DeMarco asks her about a few things, has ready answers for how to handle them. He leaves, fairly confident that other than the girl's ideas about where she will live, everything is fine.
Spoilers ahead....
Overall, it's a good, fast read, and fun, too, if you enjoy stories about fixers that involve capers. While this is a book deep into the series character DeMarco, it can be read as a standalone, as enough information is given on DeMarco to know who he is and what he does. There's only one infodump, and it's a bit of a required one, to describe the no-show job Mahoney had created to stash DeMarco so he would be around to do whatever things Mahoney needed him to do.
I liked this quite a bit and will be going back to the beginning to read more about Joe DeMarco.
A solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for the advance copy.
One of the worst things about reading is stumbling across a series you didn't know existed.
I would say House Privilege falls into both of those categories for me. The first, because I do enjoy books like this, where a fixer works (mostly) behind the scenes to do things to support an Important Person, whether that Important Person is a politician, a big business/union leader, an athlete, and so on. The second, because it means that I don't know the canon of that fixer: their history, their strengths or weaknesses, and how successful they've been in the past to fix something for their employer. As this is number fourteen in a series, I'd be inclined to guess that Joe DeMarco is fairly successful.
House Privilege opens with DeMarco returning to Washington, DC, after his equivalent of a mob no-show job was discovered with the political winds having changed the US government, and his Democrat boss John Mahoney lost his role as Speaker of the House. Those winds have changed again, and Mahoney is poised to reclaim the gavel and, by extension, return DeMarco to his post as Mahoney's personal fixer. His first job seems relatively easy: check up on Cassie Russell, the only survivor of a small plane crash that killed her billionaire parents and that left Mahoney as her legal guardian, as Mahoney's wife is out west, seeing to a terminally ill friend.
DeMarco dutifully heads to Boston, where he meets the girl and the Russell's housekeeper, and finds Cassie thinks she will just stay in her parent's home and doesn't understand that isn't quite how it's going to work. But he doesn't disabuse her of that thought, and heads out to meet the manager of the Russell's trust, Erin Kelly, who appears to be capable enough, and when DeMarco asks her about a few things, has ready answers for how to handle them. He leaves, fairly confident that other than the girl's ideas about where she will live, everything is fine.
Spoilers ahead....
Overall, it's a good, fast read, and fun, too, if you enjoy stories about fixers that involve capers. While this is a book deep into the series character DeMarco, it can be read as a standalone, as enough information is given on DeMarco to know who he is and what he does. There's only one infodump, and it's a bit of a required one, to describe the no-show job Mahoney had created to stash DeMarco so he would be around to do whatever things Mahoney needed him to do.
I liked this quite a bit and will be going back to the beginning to read more about Joe DeMarco.
A solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for the advance copy.
November 21, 2022
3.5 Quick read, and def kept me interested, but it read a bit like an abridged version of a more developed story.
December 8, 2020
Oh this was good. Mahoney has a godchild and he sends and Joe. I really enjoyed this one it just flowed off the pages for me. I enjoyed all the secondary characters. The way they think, the criminal element in these books are always so fascinating, well written, sometimes funny and sometimes brutal. The catch was slick, fun, and interesting as it always is in the DeMarco series. So now the hard part happens, after reading 14 straight DeMarco books I now have to sit around and wait for Lawson to write another one. Get on with it!
July 25, 2020
My first Joe DeMarco book and I really liked it. It didn’t seem to matter that I started with the 14th book in the series. I don’t think it mattered much as most of the characters were new and back stories on the ones that weren’t didn’t really matter. I’m going to have to back in the series and read more about Joe DeMarco.
June 26, 2020
First of all I have to thank #IngramPublisherServices , #AtlanticMonthlyPress and#Edelweiss for giving me this Arc of House Privilege by Mike Lawson it's the latest in the series about fixer Joe DeMarco. This is a really good story and I have to say I am sorry that I actually haven't read anyone of these before but I have to rectify that. This is very well written with great characters and a twist that really surprised me. Highly recommended.
May 6, 2020
Some books which are described as “unputdownable,” are in fact nothing of the kind. “House Privilege,” however, Mike Lawson’s latest Joe DeMarco thriller, is not one of those books. I raced through it, eager to see what was going to happen next. It is one thing after another, the action never lets up. I stayed up much too late reading it.
Joe DeMarco is the “fixer” for the former and now incoming Speaker of the House of Representatives. In his role working for Speaker Mahoney Joe is used to doing all sorts of odd, and sometimes barely legal things. I don’t like spoilers, so I am not going to say anything about the plot save that it is excellent and most interesting. We see the POV of several characters, not just DeMarco, which moves the action along.
I have loved every DeMarco book I have read, and “House Privilege” is no different. It is such a good book. If you like thrillers, Mike Lawson should be at the top of your reading list. You cannot do better.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions are my own.
Joe DeMarco is the “fixer” for the former and now incoming Speaker of the House of Representatives. In his role working for Speaker Mahoney Joe is used to doing all sorts of odd, and sometimes barely legal things. I don’t like spoilers, so I am not going to say anything about the plot save that it is excellent and most interesting. We see the POV of several characters, not just DeMarco, which moves the action along.
I have loved every DeMarco book I have read, and “House Privilege” is no different. It is such a good book. If you like thrillers, Mike Lawson should be at the top of your reading list. You cannot do better.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions are my own.
November 20, 2020
Other reviewers say you can read this as a stand alone but I've read all the Joe DeMarco's and enjoyed each and every one. Joe's like an old friend. There's no mystery here, you know who the baddie is from the GR blurb and you know Joe will prevail but there is lots of thrills and suspense as Mike Lawson delivers another great story.
August 24, 2020
This one was an impulse download from netgalley, but it had me from start to finish. Really enjoyed the fast pacing and the characters. Glad I stepped outside my norms. All opinions are my own, book provided by Netgalley and publisher for those opinions. #netgalley
September 19, 2020
At the halfway point I was going to give this book 3-Stars but the second half was much better and, hence, a 4-Star rating.
August 22, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can see Demarco becoming a must follow character
July 16, 2020
Joe DeMarco is an “off -the-books” troubleshooter who takes on a whole lot more than he should. Problem is he has a moral compass, another problem is that it doesn’t always point true north, that needles tend to fluctuate with the circumstance and situation. Another problem is that he is the fixer for a heavyweight politico who has few morals, a “fickle relationship with the truth”, and loyalty which is a “narrow one-way street.” Not very likable characters and they don’t improve with the story. Not much to love there. I kept wondering what Joe DeMarco was doing with this guy and why. Then there is the stereotypical Boston Irish Mobster who is truly a monster of the first degree. And also, a rotten, diabolical, corrupt lawyer who is related to the monster mobster. Evil people abound.
While the story is fast paced, clever and interesting I just never felt completely engrossed. I had no problem putting the book down and attribute that to so many dislikable people between the pages. I really need a half star to add to the other three.
Thank you NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for a copy.
While the story is fast paced, clever and interesting I just never felt completely engrossed. I had no problem putting the book down and attribute that to so many dislikable people between the pages. I really need a half star to add to the other three.
Thank you NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for a copy.
April 26, 2021
So after dealing with the implications of being charged with murder and being outed as Mahoney's fixer Joe DeMarco returns. The Democrats have won back the house and Mahoney should be back as speaker but will Joe get his job back? The answer appears to be yes early on as Joe is sent by Mahoney to babysit a young billionaire whose parents have just died and Mahoney will be her guardian. Once Joe gets there it turns out that the parents may not have died in a plane accident and he finds himself in the middle of it dealing with Boston mobsters. Ok read.
January 17, 2020
This is the first Joe Demarco novel I have read. i was happy to learn that the author has a series of novels featuring this character.
Joe's employer, John Mahoney, was recently re-elected to the House of Representatives where his majority. As Mahoney is waiting to be re-elected Speaker of the House, he wants to keep Demarco, usually his fixer, out of the public eye. Demarco has been charged with murder and only released after the real murderer confessed.
Mahoney has just become the legal guardian of young Cassie Russell in Boston, whose rich parents had been killed in a plane crash while returning from a weekend at their cottage. Kathy was injured but survived. Normally Mahoney would ask his wife to take care of this situation but she is occupied with a dying friend. So he sends Joe to Boston instead. While there Joe discovers that Cassie is recuperating ok. She wants to go back to the cabin to grieve her parents. Before leaving Joe is told by Cassie's Nanny and the housekeeper that the father had suspected something was amiss with the family trust and he had been visited by an accountant who told him that the manager of the trust appeared to be stealing money. But the audit was not yet complete.
Joe drives Cassie up to the cabin. He is followed by chance by a Pat McGuire, lieutenant to Mike Kelly, boss of the Irish mafia in Boston. Pat has been tasked to kill Cassie. While Cassie is sunning in a picnic area one day, Pat attempts to drown her. But Cassie is saved by two kids who are in the area to make out. McGuire makes his escape. But they can ID him.
When Joe becomes aware of this he notifies the police in Boston to be on the lookout for McGuire returning to the city. The kids have identified him from photos of the Irish lads associated with Mike Kelly. Pat is arrested and jailed. Mike gets Pat to agree to keep his mouth shut provided Mike takes care of Pat's mother for the rest of her life.
Meanwhile DeMarco, in Mahoney's name, convenes a meeting of the management committee for the Russell Trust and gets approval for the audit to be continued and bolstered. The auditors turn up at Erin Kelly's office, seize control and turf her. That evening after the auditors after left Erin accesses the accounts from home and transfers one hundred million dollars to offshore banks and onward to Switzerland under false names. The following morning using a false passport she flies to London and then using another passport flies onward to parts unknown.
The final segment of the novel involves Demarco's pursuit of Erin Kelly, and when/if he locates her how to get her back to the US to face justice.
An enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC for review.
Joe's employer, John Mahoney, was recently re-elected to the House of Representatives where his majority. As Mahoney is waiting to be re-elected Speaker of the House, he wants to keep Demarco, usually his fixer, out of the public eye. Demarco has been charged with murder and only released after the real murderer confessed.
Mahoney has just become the legal guardian of young Cassie Russell in Boston, whose rich parents had been killed in a plane crash while returning from a weekend at their cottage. Kathy was injured but survived. Normally Mahoney would ask his wife to take care of this situation but she is occupied with a dying friend. So he sends Joe to Boston instead. While there Joe discovers that Cassie is recuperating ok. She wants to go back to the cabin to grieve her parents. Before leaving Joe is told by Cassie's Nanny and the housekeeper that the father had suspected something was amiss with the family trust and he had been visited by an accountant who told him that the manager of the trust appeared to be stealing money. But the audit was not yet complete.
Joe drives Cassie up to the cabin. He is followed by chance by a Pat McGuire, lieutenant to Mike Kelly, boss of the Irish mafia in Boston. Pat has been tasked to kill Cassie. While Cassie is sunning in a picnic area one day, Pat attempts to drown her. But Cassie is saved by two kids who are in the area to make out. McGuire makes his escape. But they can ID him.
When Joe becomes aware of this he notifies the police in Boston to be on the lookout for McGuire returning to the city. The kids have identified him from photos of the Irish lads associated with Mike Kelly. Pat is arrested and jailed. Mike gets Pat to agree to keep his mouth shut provided Mike takes care of Pat's mother for the rest of her life.
Meanwhile DeMarco, in Mahoney's name, convenes a meeting of the management committee for the Russell Trust and gets approval for the audit to be continued and bolstered. The auditors turn up at Erin Kelly's office, seize control and turf her. That evening after the auditors after left Erin accesses the accounts from home and transfers one hundred million dollars to offshore banks and onward to Switzerland under false names. The following morning using a false passport she flies to London and then using another passport flies onward to parts unknown.
The final segment of the novel involves Demarco's pursuit of Erin Kelly, and when/if he locates her how to get her back to the US to face justice.
An enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC for review.
July 7, 2020
Fixer and bagman Joe DeMarco has been playing golf and relaxing while his boss, John Mahoney, is relishing his reemergence as a power broker. John's political party picked up quite a few seats in the 2018 midterm elections, and the old warrior looks forward to reclaiming his position as Speaker of the House. He will once again be a mover and shaker and, best of all, he looks forward to lording it over his enemies. However, all is not rosy in Mahoney's world. His godchild, fifteen-year-old Cassie Russell, daughter of billionaire Connor Russell, was orphaned when a small plane crash killed her parents. Mahoney dispatches Joe to comfort Cassie and assure her that John and his compassionate wife, Mary Pat, whom Cassie adores, will help her in any way possible. Cassie stands to inherit a huge sum of money, but in the meantime, her trust is being managed by a Harvard-trained lawyer, Erin Kelly.
In "House Privilege," the latest entry in Mike Lawson's long-running Joe DeMarco series, the author diverts us with his usual blend of sarcastic humor; cynical view of human nature; and a battle of wits that pits Joe against a band of sociopathic criminals. This is not a mystery, since we know who the bad guys are and what they intend to do. What the felons do not immediately realize is that Joe is clever, stubborn, well-connected, and willing to go to great lengths to see that justice is done.
Lawson's characters include an arrogant mob boss; his selfish and hard-hearted niece; the thugs that they hire to stop Joe in his tracks; and a small but able team that Joe assembles to assist him. Although Mahoney has little to do here, Joe uses Mahoney's considerable clout and his own powers of persuasion to execute a scheme that, he hopes, will bring down his adversaries. This is a fast-paced and action-packed book, but it is neither subtle nor realistic. Since most of Joe's antagonists are short-sighted and a bit dense, defeating them does not present much of a challenge. Sure, it is fun to spend time with the resourceful and shrewd DeMarco. However, "House Privilege" is weakened by a poorly developed and predictable plot that fails to generate the suspense of Lawson's most compelling novels.
In "House Privilege," the latest entry in Mike Lawson's long-running Joe DeMarco series, the author diverts us with his usual blend of sarcastic humor; cynical view of human nature; and a battle of wits that pits Joe against a band of sociopathic criminals. This is not a mystery, since we know who the bad guys are and what they intend to do. What the felons do not immediately realize is that Joe is clever, stubborn, well-connected, and willing to go to great lengths to see that justice is done.
Lawson's characters include an arrogant mob boss; his selfish and hard-hearted niece; the thugs that they hire to stop Joe in his tracks; and a small but able team that Joe assembles to assist him. Although Mahoney has little to do here, Joe uses Mahoney's considerable clout and his own powers of persuasion to execute a scheme that, he hopes, will bring down his adversaries. This is a fast-paced and action-packed book, but it is neither subtle nor realistic. Since most of Joe's antagonists are short-sighted and a bit dense, defeating them does not present much of a challenge. Sure, it is fun to spend time with the resourceful and shrewd DeMarco. However, "House Privilege" is weakened by a poorly developed and predictable plot that fails to generate the suspense of Lawson's most compelling novels.
January 10, 2020
House Privilege is a fast-paced murder mystery involving the rich elite of Boston, the mob, and a dirty lawyer. Joe DeMarco, a talented fixer for a powerful and corrupt politician in Washington, returns from being framed for murder to be relegated to what looks like a babysitting job. This is the 14th novel in the Joe DeMarco series by Mike Lawson.
Joe DeMarco returns to Washington not even knowing if he has a job. His first assignment is taking care of a distraught teenager who has lost her parents in a plane accident. He becomes suspicious when other people close to the family die under coincidental circumstances. He then quickly finds links to a lawyer who works with the family and the mob. DeMarco has lots of suspicions, but now he must find evidence if he is going to prevent more people from dying.
The Protagonist, Joe DeMarco is very interesting. He is basically honest but he is willing to work in grey areas to get the job done. He has the advantage of working for a powerful politician whose name opens many doors. DeMarco is not above name dropping to get what he wants but he stops short of using it to his own advantage or financial benefit.
The primary murderer is also very interesting. She is heartless and a flagrant narcissist who blames everyone else for her expensive lifestyle and her need to commit crimes. It wasn’t as if she wanted to kill them … she had to empty the cash account… the only option she had was to flee the country. What else could she have done? There had to be a way to make the jury understand how people had taken advantage of her…
The story is fast paced and the dialogue is direct and clear. The plot is not complex but it is still compelling and therefore interesting. Because the reveal comes early there are not real twists or climaxes.
I recommend this book because its characters are interesting and it is an easy fast-paced read. I give it a 4 on 5. I want to thank NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a prepublication digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Joe DeMarco returns to Washington not even knowing if he has a job. His first assignment is taking care of a distraught teenager who has lost her parents in a plane accident. He becomes suspicious when other people close to the family die under coincidental circumstances. He then quickly finds links to a lawyer who works with the family and the mob. DeMarco has lots of suspicions, but now he must find evidence if he is going to prevent more people from dying.
The Protagonist, Joe DeMarco is very interesting. He is basically honest but he is willing to work in grey areas to get the job done. He has the advantage of working for a powerful politician whose name opens many doors. DeMarco is not above name dropping to get what he wants but he stops short of using it to his own advantage or financial benefit.
The primary murderer is also very interesting. She is heartless and a flagrant narcissist who blames everyone else for her expensive lifestyle and her need to commit crimes. It wasn’t as if she wanted to kill them … she had to empty the cash account… the only option she had was to flee the country. What else could she have done? There had to be a way to make the jury understand how people had taken advantage of her…
The story is fast paced and the dialogue is direct and clear. The plot is not complex but it is still compelling and therefore interesting. Because the reveal comes early there are not real twists or climaxes.
I recommend this book because its characters are interesting and it is an easy fast-paced read. I give it a 4 on 5. I want to thank NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a prepublication digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
September 3, 2020
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
House Privilege is the 14th book in the Joe DeMarco thriller series by Mike Lawson. Released 7th July 2020 by Grove Atlantic on their Atlantic Monthly Press imprint, it's 320 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is a really well written engaging and fast paced mystery full of skullduggery, crime mobs, high stakes murder, and at the center of it all, the fixer with a heart of gold, rescuing damsels, protecting orphans, righting wrongs, and exposing the bad guys. In a lot of very good ways, this book reminded me of John D. MacDonald's superlative Travis McGee books, with a dash of Robert B. Parker thrown in for good measure. That isn't to say that this book was derivative, it's not, the author has a masterful grasp of plotting and narrative arc and the nuts and bolts of the story work very well.
There's a fair amount of graphic violence and strong language - murder, mob bosses, embezzlement and the like, and readers who find the "f-bomb" problematic might want to give this one a miss. There's also a short but somewhat graphic description of a small-craft airplane crash with attendant death (it's very short and central to the plot).
Despite being the 14th book in the series, this one works perfectly well as a standalone. I hadn't read any of the other books for at least a couple years (my notes before 2018 were sketchy at best) and I had no trouble following any of the action.
Four stars. Well worth a look.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
House Privilege is the 14th book in the Joe DeMarco thriller series by Mike Lawson. Released 7th July 2020 by Grove Atlantic on their Atlantic Monthly Press imprint, it's 320 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is a really well written engaging and fast paced mystery full of skullduggery, crime mobs, high stakes murder, and at the center of it all, the fixer with a heart of gold, rescuing damsels, protecting orphans, righting wrongs, and exposing the bad guys. In a lot of very good ways, this book reminded me of John D. MacDonald's superlative Travis McGee books, with a dash of Robert B. Parker thrown in for good measure. That isn't to say that this book was derivative, it's not, the author has a masterful grasp of plotting and narrative arc and the nuts and bolts of the story work very well.
There's a fair amount of graphic violence and strong language - murder, mob bosses, embezzlement and the like, and readers who find the "f-bomb" problematic might want to give this one a miss. There's also a short but somewhat graphic description of a small-craft airplane crash with attendant death (it's very short and central to the plot).
Despite being the 14th book in the series, this one works perfectly well as a standalone. I hadn't read any of the other books for at least a couple years (my notes before 2018 were sketchy at best) and I had no trouble following any of the action.
Four stars. Well worth a look.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
May 16, 2020
Fast-paced, totally enjoyable thriller
Maybe unbelievably this is the fourteenth in the Joe DeMarco series. On this occasion DeMarco is sent by his boss, soon to be speaker of the House John Mahoney, to Boston to look after Cassie, the teenage daughter of multi billionaire Connor Russell, and sole survivor of a plane crash which killed her parents and left her the heir to the family fortune. Mahoney is the girl’s godfather and guardian.
When DeMarco reaches Boston, his suspicions are immediately aroused by a particular sequence of events which includes the death of an accountant investigating the Russell Trust. The plot starts slowly but the pace increases rapidly and ends in.........well that would be giving the game away. Read the novel to find out.
Some authors seem to have the ability to introduce characters into the storyline without making the whole plot too difficult to follow. Other authors seem to have difficulty with just half a dozen characters. Fortunately, Mike Lawson belongs to the former group. All the characters were well defined and had individual personalities. I have not read any of the previous thirteen DeMarco novels but didn’t feel at a disadvantage or at all disenfranchised.
It has to be admitted that after a few pages I knew I was going to hate this thriller as I disliked the short, staccato sentences. I persevered and after couple more chapters was so engrossed, I couldn’t put down the kindle. This might have been the fourteenth in the series but it felt fresh and alive. How Lawson has kept up this quality of writing is something to be respected and I shall be spending my pennies on some of his previous tomes. Brilliant.
mr zorg
Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review
Maybe unbelievably this is the fourteenth in the Joe DeMarco series. On this occasion DeMarco is sent by his boss, soon to be speaker of the House John Mahoney, to Boston to look after Cassie, the teenage daughter of multi billionaire Connor Russell, and sole survivor of a plane crash which killed her parents and left her the heir to the family fortune. Mahoney is the girl’s godfather and guardian.
When DeMarco reaches Boston, his suspicions are immediately aroused by a particular sequence of events which includes the death of an accountant investigating the Russell Trust. The plot starts slowly but the pace increases rapidly and ends in.........well that would be giving the game away. Read the novel to find out.
Some authors seem to have the ability to introduce characters into the storyline without making the whole plot too difficult to follow. Other authors seem to have difficulty with just half a dozen characters. Fortunately, Mike Lawson belongs to the former group. All the characters were well defined and had individual personalities. I have not read any of the previous thirteen DeMarco novels but didn’t feel at a disadvantage or at all disenfranchised.
It has to be admitted that after a few pages I knew I was going to hate this thriller as I disliked the short, staccato sentences. I persevered and after couple more chapters was so engrossed, I couldn’t put down the kindle. This might have been the fourteenth in the series but it felt fresh and alive. How Lawson has kept up this quality of writing is something to be respected and I shall be spending my pennies on some of his previous tomes. Brilliant.
mr zorg
Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review
Read
September 11, 2020This is another terrific book by Mike Lawson. It will be enjoyed by any new readers of his books as well as all existing fans of both his terrific Joe DeMarco and Kay Hamilton series….
Mike Lawson has never disappointed me with his writing, and this newest book, “House Privilege”, is yet again another gem. “House Privilege” is the fourteenth novel in his Joe DeMarco series. Joe DeMarco is employed by the House of Representatives as a ???. His title doesn't do justice to what he actually does. He has been called a "fixer" for John Mahoney, the newly elected Speaker of the House. Mahoney has DeMarco do all sorts of things that get Joe into trouble, but Joe is amazing in his abilities to handle anything Mahoney sends his way.
In this book, Joe deals with an orphan of a mega-rich Boston family, a devious lawyer, a mob boss, plots of murder and much more. I think this may be the best of all of Mike Lawson's books.
Lawson has a writing style that is full of laugh out loud humor and intriguing plots. Joe DeMarco uses the name and influence of Mahoney to obtain assistance not available to normal people.
I have read every one of the fourteen novels in the Joe DeMarco series as well as all three of the novels in the short but well written series involving Kay Hamilton. Kay was a DEA agent but after being fired was hired by a D. C. covet intelligence agency. Every one of these 17 books is well written and enjoyable. Hard to put down once you start to read them. I highly recommend every one of Mike Lawson's great books. You cannot go wrong with any one of them.
Mike Lawson has never disappointed me with his writing, and this newest book, “House Privilege”, is yet again another gem. “House Privilege” is the fourteenth novel in his Joe DeMarco series. Joe DeMarco is employed by the House of Representatives as a ???. His title doesn't do justice to what he actually does. He has been called a "fixer" for John Mahoney, the newly elected Speaker of the House. Mahoney has DeMarco do all sorts of things that get Joe into trouble, but Joe is amazing in his abilities to handle anything Mahoney sends his way.
In this book, Joe deals with an orphan of a mega-rich Boston family, a devious lawyer, a mob boss, plots of murder and much more. I think this may be the best of all of Mike Lawson's books.
Lawson has a writing style that is full of laugh out loud humor and intriguing plots. Joe DeMarco uses the name and influence of Mahoney to obtain assistance not available to normal people.
I have read every one of the fourteen novels in the Joe DeMarco series as well as all three of the novels in the short but well written series involving Kay Hamilton. Kay was a DEA agent but after being fired was hired by a D. C. covet intelligence agency. Every one of these 17 books is well written and enjoyable. Hard to put down once you start to read them. I highly recommend every one of Mike Lawson's great books. You cannot go wrong with any one of them.
February 22, 2023
Plot. Joe DeMarco, a guy in his late 30s, has a law degree but cannot find a job because he is the son of a deceased mafia hitman. Joe has never been involved with the mob in any way; he's never even owned a gun. Joe gets a job working in the Capitol. Seems the Speaker of the House had an affair with Joe's aunt and she calls in a favor. Joe is a decent guy, divorced, a bit of a horn dog, lazy, and would rather be playing golf. Speaker of the House John Mahone is a demanding alcoholic, a womanizer, as crooked as all politicians, feared by everyone who knows him - except his wife - a gal everyone adores. Mahone has a few redeeming traits, like a love of the veteran. There is another character of interest. Emma is a woman of high moral standards, a retired deep black ops gal that knows everyone and everything. She hates Mahone because she knows he's a typically devious politician but treats Joe as an annoying younger brother.
The series consists of several full-length novels - each with a beginning - middle - end, meaning you don't have to start with book one, The Inside Ring - but it will help with continuity. Bribing for votes, blackmail, dirty politicians and cops from the FBI to local police, heroic war veterans, and many good guys. From the basement of the capitol to alligator swamps, the series contains a wide range of plots. Narration is fine - Scott Brick does the first two books, Joe Barrett the remainder - no issues with either.
The Joe DeMarco Series is written by Michael Lawson, each book in the area of 10 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released starting in 2005 through today by Random House and Blackstone Publishing.
Entertaining.
The series consists of several full-length novels - each with a beginning - middle - end, meaning you don't have to start with book one, The Inside Ring - but it will help with continuity. Bribing for votes, blackmail, dirty politicians and cops from the FBI to local police, heroic war veterans, and many good guys. From the basement of the capitol to alligator swamps, the series contains a wide range of plots. Narration is fine - Scott Brick does the first two books, Joe Barrett the remainder - no issues with either.
The Joe DeMarco Series is written by Michael Lawson, each book in the area of 10 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released starting in 2005 through today by Random House and Blackstone Publishing.
Entertaining.
October 3, 2020
Another fun entry in the "House …" series where political fixer DeMarco has to investigate and clean up a mess for his boss John Mahoney, now back in line to become Speaker again after a period in opposition. This time around a hedge-fund billionaire and his wife die in a plane crash, leaving Mahoney as the legal guardian of their teenage daughter, and DeMarco dispatched to make sure that the girl is being looked after until Mahoney's wife is able to take over. Of course things aren't really so simple, and after a variety of twists and turns we end up with DeMarco in Montenegro hiring a struck off doctor whilst trying to avoid the two IRA thugs a Boston mob boss has hired to tail him. This never quite reaches the full-blown caper antics of, say, a Donald Westlake novel, but certainly skirts around the edges of the style, with lots of fast-paced high-jinks.
This is let-down somewhat by some shoddy research around the Montenegrin setting (with a semi-related side-dose of confusing Moldova and Moldavia). Most of the action takes place in the capital, Podgorica, which, like all the other exYu capitals is substantially inland, and where having a balcony overlooking the Adriatic is about as likely as someone in D.C. having a view of the Pacific. But alternative-geography aside, it's a solid entry in the series (and presumably capable of being read as a standalone if you haven't read any of the others, though with a few references that could act as spoilers for the prior entry.)
This is let-down somewhat by some shoddy research around the Montenegrin setting (with a semi-related side-dose of confusing Moldova and Moldavia). Most of the action takes place in the capital, Podgorica, which, like all the other exYu capitals is substantially inland, and where having a balcony overlooking the Adriatic is about as likely as someone in D.C. having a view of the Pacific. But alternative-geography aside, it's a solid entry in the series (and presumably capable of being read as a standalone if you haven't read any of the others, though with a few references that could act as spoilers for the prior entry.)
July 16, 2020
Mike Lawson deserves to be mentioned along with David Baldacci, Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver, Gillian Flynn, Ruth Ware, Harlan Coben, or (insert the name of your favorite author in this genre). Yes, he's that good. And he's that consistent. I have totally enjoyed every book of his that I have read. His Joe Demarco series is top of the line, in my opinion. Joe is a "fixer" for a congressman who is an egotistical, slightly corrupt (if it's possible to be only "slightly" corrupt), annoying blowhard. Joe does the behind the scenes dirty work that is necessary, while the congressman floats above the fray. He gets the credit, and if things go wrong, Joe is an easy sacrificial lamb. Joe basically has a love/hate relationship with the congressman, and I admire his sense of duty and his willingness to take chances. He has a lot of "dark nights of the soul", so he's not without a conscience. He's a truly fascinating character. Mr. Lawson is wonderful at dialogue, as well as being a first-rate storyteller and writer. In this story, Joe goes after some pretty unsavory people, especially a particularly evil woman, and his way of getting them brought to justice is not without its pitfalls, but it nevertheless is ingenious in its execution. I sincerely hope that word gets around about Mike Lawson and that more readers take advantage of his skills to enjoy, as I do, these exciting, page-turning books.
May 15, 2024
Spoilers ahead:
I've been reading and reviewing this series out of order as I read them. I won't be explaining the characters or the background though, so any reader should check out the blurbs to get an idea of who's who.
Summary: When Mahoney's good friends the Russells die in a small plane crash, their billions are inherited by their only child, 15 year old Cassie. Cassie has no living relatives and Mahoney is her godfather, so he is next in line to be her guardian. Neither Mahoney or his wife are immediately available to go and see Cassie so he sends DeMarco to Boston to see her first.
Once in Boston he gets the feeling that something isn't quite right and after some investigation he feels that the Russell's fund manager Kelly isn't quite kosher. He decides to take Cassie up to their family's cabin where they had been staying before to flight to relax. By this time, he had a feeling that their plane had been sabotaged and that Kelly had been siphoning money from Russell's funds which she had been managing. Kelly too had been spooked by DeMarco's questions and decided to send a contract killer to the holiday cabin to take care of them.
End summary.
Unfortunately since I had been reading the series out of order I already knew the outcome since later books had talked about it. This was quite a straight forward plot. The writing was easy to read and follow and I finished it quickly. Not a bad book but not quite a good thriller.
I've been reading and reviewing this series out of order as I read them. I won't be explaining the characters or the background though, so any reader should check out the blurbs to get an idea of who's who.
Summary: When Mahoney's good friends the Russells die in a small plane crash, their billions are inherited by their only child, 15 year old Cassie. Cassie has no living relatives and Mahoney is her godfather, so he is next in line to be her guardian. Neither Mahoney or his wife are immediately available to go and see Cassie so he sends DeMarco to Boston to see her first.
Once in Boston he gets the feeling that something isn't quite right and after some investigation he feels that the Russell's fund manager Kelly isn't quite kosher. He decides to take Cassie up to their family's cabin where they had been staying before to flight to relax. By this time, he had a feeling that their plane had been sabotaged and that Kelly had been siphoning money from Russell's funds which she had been managing. Kelly too had been spooked by DeMarco's questions and decided to send a contract killer to the holiday cabin to take care of them.
End summary.
Unfortunately since I had been reading the series out of order I already knew the outcome since later books had talked about it. This was quite a straight forward plot. The writing was easy to read and follow and I finished it quickly. Not a bad book but not quite a good thriller.
December 24, 2019
Joe Dr Marco is dispatched by his boss, the not so honorable Congressman Mahoney, to deal with a Boston blackmailed possessed if an incriminating photo of Mahoney and the glamorous and well-married governor if Massachusetts. Almost as an aside, he charges Joe with looking in on the 15 year old girl whose goddaughter has just been orphaned by the crash of a private plane carrying her and her parents back from a vacation in the mountains Mahoney. The girl is the heir to her father's billions, but there's something fishy about the trustee of her fortune, and the timing of an audit her most valuable client ordered into the management of his portfolio just before the plane crash. The solutions to what to do about the hapless blackmailer - a former Mahoney pal fallen on hard times - and how to ourt the killer who orphaned Mahoney's young charge where she belongs takes a circuitous route to the denouement with an entertaining side trip to Montenegro , a popular landing spot for fleeing felons, due to its lax extradition policies. But in the end, de Marco fixes everything - because that s what fixers do, in and out of politics. As a fan of Lawson' s popular series, a new Joe de Marco caper US a welcome delight.
June 18, 2020
A small plane piloted by a very wealthy Bostonian is returning home from the Adirondacks when it crashes. Cassie Russell, 15-years-old, somehow manages to survive. Cassie’s godfather is Congressman John Mahoney, soon to be the Speaker of the House. He sends his fixer, Joe DeMarco, to Boston to protect Cassie until Mahoney’s wife can return and take over. DeMarco manages to stumble upon some financial misdoings at the estate office that handled Cassie’s parents affairs and will be hers now that her parents are gone. The lawyer has been living well beyond her means and as DeMarco closes in, she flees the country, but not before the Boston mob gets involved. Using his Washington DC contacts and his propensity to be able to apply pressure to get things done, DeMarco is relentless in pursuing the estate manager. Joe DeMarco is a likable hero. This is the 14th book in a very consistent, entertaining, and well-written series. And while I always think it best to read from the beginning of a series, I have not followed that thought with these novels - and it really hasn’t mattered (although I have added earlier books in the series to my “to read” list).. Thanks to Atlantic Monthly Press and Edelweiss for the opportunity to review the ARC of this novel.
February 18, 2020
Do rollercoasters give you a wicked thrill? Then add Mike Lawson’ latest thriller, House Privileges on your TBR pile and get ready for a wild ride. Lawson’s Joe DeMarco is a ‘fixer’ who solves problems for Speaker of the House, John Mahoney. When a small plane crashes in the Adirondacks, killing two of Mahoney’s friends and donors, leaving their 15 year old daughter as the only survivor, DeMarco is sent to learn what happened, why, and to watch over the young girl, now the heiress to the family fortune. Bad things start happening, people are hunted and murdered and like a rollercoaster on the very top of the first hill, the plot is off to a flying start with enough twists and turns to satisfy most every reader. And, just when you think the ride is over… it takes off again. Lawson’s Joe DeMarco thrillers are straightforward with nary a detour, hitting the reader like a bolt of lightning.
Lawson is at the top of his game with House Privileges and it’s a great ride. I read House Privileges courtesy of NetGalley and Grove Atlantic in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed the novel, but then again I am a huge fan.
Lawson is at the top of his game with House Privileges and it’s a great ride. I read House Privileges courtesy of NetGalley and Grove Atlantic in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed the novel, but then again I am a huge fan.
July 19, 2020
How come I had never heard of Mike Lawson before? This brilliant author will definitely become a part of my future. I found it to be a page turner of the highest order with well developed characters. It was heavy on plot with progressive heightening of the tension. The pacing was spot as I begin to be more and more immersed in the progress of the book's blueprint.The mystery begins with a plane crash where both mother and father are killed but the 15 year daughter survives. Her father was an extremely wealthy man so she became heir to a sole inheritance of a large fortune. As a legal guardian, the crooked John Mahoney, the newly elected speaker of the house, with no time on his hands,elects his fixer, Joe DeMarco to determine that things were flowing smoothly. However, Joe uncovers a sinister woman who managed Cassie's fathers assets. The majority of the book is uncovering her conspiracy and bringing about justice. I don't want to give away anymore of the details but know this is another book not to be missed.
September 13, 2020
This is the first Joe Demarco thriller book I have read. Even though it is number 14 it still was a great stand alone book. I kept reading this book. It was fast paced--one thing after another kept happening (lots of action). I kept reading to find out what would happen next.
In this series Joe DeMarco is the “fixer” for the former and soon to be Speaker of the House of Representatives. He does many different things for Mahoney Joe, Speaker of the House. (At times he has to do a few things for other elected people in the House. That's just to keep it as appearing he works for all.) In this book Mahoney Joe becomes a guardian for a teenage girl. Her parents have just been killed in a plane crash and she is now worth billions. Demarco is sent to the girl to make certain she has all she needs until Joe's wife can get there. In the meantime he gets into a search for who is trying to kill the teen and possibly who killed her parents.
This is a very good read for anyone that likes mysteries/thrillers.
I received this book free from a Goodreads Giveaway.
In this series Joe DeMarco is the “fixer” for the former and soon to be Speaker of the House of Representatives. He does many different things for Mahoney Joe, Speaker of the House. (At times he has to do a few things for other elected people in the House. That's just to keep it as appearing he works for all.) In this book Mahoney Joe becomes a guardian for a teenage girl. Her parents have just been killed in a plane crash and she is now worth billions. Demarco is sent to the girl to make certain she has all she needs until Joe's wife can get there. In the meantime he gets into a search for who is trying to kill the teen and possibly who killed her parents.
This is a very good read for anyone that likes mysteries/thrillers.
I received this book free from a Goodreads Giveaway.
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