In February, Atlantic Crime will publish The Asset, the 19th novel in Mike Lawson‘s Joe DeMarco series. I’ve been a fan of the series ever since stumbling across the first book, The Inside Ring, at Waterstones in Durham back in 2006 (I think). After that, and while still in the UK, finding additional DeMarco novels was something of a challenge — not all of them were published in a timely fashion. But, luckily, I spent a lot of time over the next couple of decades in New York and then in Canada, and have been able to keep up-to-date easily. Lawson is one of my favourite authors, and each new book of his is a must-read. Here’s the synopsis for The Asset:
Backchannel intel points Joe DeMarco in the direction of a possible double agent in the latest pulse-pounding thriller from Edgar and Barry Award finalist Mike Lawson starring his beloved Washington DC troubleshooter.
In the middle of the night, on a winding road in a suburb outside of Washington D.C., a homeless veteran is killed in a hit-and-run — a tragedy that barely catches the attention of the media and police.
Days later, John Mahoney, the former Speaker of the House, is confronted by Diane Lake, an ex-CIA agent turned political researcher with a knack for digging up unsavory intelligence on some of D.C.’s biggest players. Diane is there with a gift for Mahoney: the news that Lydia Chang, the wife of one of his biggest rivals, might be working undercover as a Chinese agent.
Knowing it’s too early to get the FBI involved, Mahoney does the only thing left to do. He calls in Joe DeMarco.
DeMarco might not have the title of political researcher, but he’s no stranger to digging up dirt either. As DeMarco starts his investigation, he soon learns there’s a lot more going on than Mahoney suspected, and instead of answers, all he finds are more questions. Who’s the mysterious man Lydia Chang has been meeting in the park? Does Diane Lake have an ulterior motive? And why does everything point back to a random hit-and-run?
If you’re a fan of US political thrillers, then I’d highly recommend Lawson’s novels. The Asset is due to be published by Atlantic Crime on February 3rd, 2026.
Also on CR: Reviews of Dead on Arrival, House Secrets, House Justice, House Divided, House Blood, House Reckoning, House Rivals, and House Arrest
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