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Summary
Summary
"Bowen writes with knowledge and wit, tongue in cheek or rudely protruding. His cat-and-mouse corporate thriller zips merrily to a high-speed conclusion."-- Publishers Weekly
When shadowy gray market hustler and aspiring crony capitalist Jerzy Schroeder is murdered while Josie Kendall is hitting him up for a million dollars to help cash in on alternative energy funding, the police suspect her of adultery and her husband, Rafe, of homicide. Josie, who works for Majority Values Coalition, an "activist fundraising organization," is a new but passionate D.C. player. Suave Rafe, long a Washington insider, also a long widower, is passionate about Josie. He's on a new track as a literary agent and supporting Josie's how-Washington-works learning curve.
For Josie and Rafe, this isn't a murder investigation but a political damage control problem. They attack the issue with an array of finely tuned skills: strategic leaks, manipulation of the media, judicious use of inside information, and a flexible attitude toward the truth--plus the assistance of Josie's Uncle Darius, a veteran spin doctor with surprising connections, who--luckily--is out on parole.
They'll need a full arsenal, since, as one capital insider points out, "A damage control strategy that hasn't succeeded within thirty days has failed." Along the way, Josie, juggling plot lines, will have to decide whether there are ethical lines that even she won't cross.
A proposal from Schroeder's ex-wife, Ann DeHoin, known as "The Gray Lady," thanks to her wardrobe, shows Josie that she was (and probably still is) being gamed. To what end?
The priority here is to figure out what the game is before the body count rises, while staying on mission at MVC, which gets money from people committed to a cause, spends part of it promoting that cause through channels like running ads, and keeps the rest.
In this contemporary House of Cards scenario, determining who actually murdered Schroeder is a low-priority problem but Josie manages to do that as well. It's all in a day's (well, thirty days') work.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bowen's convoluted series kickoff, a political thriller, opens with a bang. As hard-driving D.C. fund-raiser Josie Kendall is leaving the Maryland home of wealthy Jerzy Schroeder, a client with whom she just enjoyed a little extramarital hanky-panky, a sniper shoots Jerzy dead, spattering blood and brain tissue on her DKNY blouse. When the police arrive, Josie says she has no idea who would want to kill Jerzy, though she can think of at least three. Jerzy was set to give a $1 million donation to Josie's employer, the conservative lobbying firm Majority Values Coalition. The police suspect that the killer may have been Josie's husband, Rafe, a long-time Washington insider turned literary agent, but that plot line fades away without resolution, as do several others. Still, Bowen (Service Dress Blues) has a good ear for dialogue and clearly knows the hobnobbing ways of D.C. power politics. Agent: Richard C. Levy, Richard C. Levy and Associates. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Harvard lawyer Bowen, a passionate political junkie, takes readers on a roller-coaster ride through D.C.'s underbelly. Josie Kendall, a fundraiser for the Majority Values Coalition, is in the process of obtaining a donation from an aspiring player named Jerzy Schroeder when someone guns him down with a high-powered rifle. Josie is a Washington newbie, but her husband, Rafe, is a well-connected insider and her Uncle Darius is a renowned spin doctor, recently imprisoned but now on parole. The police think that Josie and Jerzy were having an affair and that Rafe killed him for revenge. Josie and Rafe need to clear themselves and so immediately get to work manipulating the media while they investigate. When Jerzy's ex-wife, Ann, enters the picture with a proposal of her own, Josie realizes that she is the victim of a scam but cannot figure out why. Those who love House of Cards, and anyone following the current presidential campaign, will eagerly turn these pages.--Bibel, Barbara Copyright 2016 Booklist
