Quick Review: THE ASSET by Mike Lawson (Atlantic Crime)

Another solid addition to the Joe DeMarco series, involving blackmail with potentially international repercussions…

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?

The Asset is the 19th novel in Lawson’s excellent and acclaimed Joe DeMarco series. I’ve been a fan since the very beginning (2005’s The Inner Circle), and each new novel is a must-read for me. I started reading this new novel as soon as I received the review copy, and I zipped through it. I really enjoyed this.

At the centre of this novel is a hit-and-run accident of a homeless veteran involving the daughter of a powerful Republican, Dutch McMillian (someone who is reminiscent of Mitch McConnell, but highly fictionalized). John Mahoney — former Speaker of the House and Joe DeMarco’s boss — is confronted with some information that suggests McMillian’s wife, Lydia Chang, is a spy for the Chinese. While wary of the information, and (healthily) suspicious of the source, Mahoney does what he often does in a politically-tricky and/or delicate situation: he calls DeMarco in to investigate.

What follows is a twisty, dangerous investigation into the darker areas of American politics. Specifically, the ways money has corrupted government, the incredible power of outside forces, and the lengths powerful people are willing to go to in order to achieve their goals (political and personal). Predictably, things are not what they seem to be. I won’t get into the plot any more than this, because I don’t want to spoil any of the twists and turns. I will say, though, that Lawson unrolls the story at a good pace, never rushed.

We see DeMarco pursuing his investigation in many of the ways we’ve come to expect from him — he doesn’t break any laws, per se, but he skirts pretty close to the edge, in addition to being a very creative problem-solver. That he is neither a law enforcement officer nor a politician gives him a lot of leeway when it comes to talking to suspects, witnesses, and so forth. As with many of the best mysteries, certain breaks in the case result from the antagonist(s) making mistakes and, as is common in Lawson’s novels, overestimation of DeMarco’s progress and genius. (Something Mahoney cannot be accused of…)

One thing that kind of threw me, though, was the use of “Zhou Enlai” as a character’s name. He’s the second-in-command at the Chinese embassy (so definitely a spy), and is the man expected to have turned Lydia Chang. That he is a spy means it’s possible that his actual name was something else, but this was never suggested in the novel. Alongside Mao Zedong and maybe Deng Xiaoping, though, I thought Zhou would have to be one of the most famous Chinese people in the US… So, that was a bit strange. (Not a problem. Just strange.)

If you’re an existing fan of the DeMarco series, I have a feeling you’ll know what to expect from The Asset, and I’m happy to report that I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Lawson’s prose remains tight and well-crafted, the plot moves nicely, there are some well-timed reveals, and DeMarco makes some unorthodox (though in-character) decisions. The characters are well-drawn and engaging. The echoes of and allusions to contemporary politics are present, as can be expected, but there’s no heavy-handedness or preaching — the author appears to be focusing more on the intensity and brutality (figurative and, in the case of the novel, literal) of political fights.

Definitely recommended. Now I just have to wait a while for the 20th novel in the series…

Mike Lawson’s The Asset is due to be published by Atlantic Crime in North America, 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