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Grove Press
Grove Press
Grove Press
When congressional fixer Joe DeMarco finds out the truth about his father’s murder, he must decide how far he will go for revenge.
When Joe DeMarco was a boy, he always knew his father, Gino, had a shadowy job, working for a violent mafioso in New York. But he didn’t know that his father had been a hit man until he was murdered. The crime was never solved, but twenty years later, one of Gino’s former mob associates wants to get something off his chest before retiring to his grave: the truth about Gino DeMarco’s killer. Only the alleged killer was not just another hood, but a supposedly upstanding citizen who is now on the brink of taking a job in Washington, D.C., that would leave him virtually untouchable. If DeMarco has any hope of finding out the truth and avenging his father’s death, he will have to act quickly. But is revenge over a two-decades-old tragedy worth his job, and maybe even his life? House Reckoning tells DeMarco’s personal story in full for the first time, from his upbringing in Queens to his complicated relationship with his father. Full of great characters and featuring a twisty plot that builds to a shocking conclusion, it is a must-read for fans and an excellent introduction to this fantastic series.
“Mike Lawson . . . should be a fixture on the bestseller lists, if not a household name. . . . Lawson’s latest makes for an excellent introduction to his work and his series character. . . . Lawson has a deceptively smooth, low-key style that is perfect for the stories he tells. There’s nothing fancy about his prose, but you’ll still find yourself smiling at the funny parts and your heart beating at the tense ones. . . . Mike Lawson is the only writer I know who comes close to matching the stories of the great Ross Thomas, the finest thriller writer to ever roll a blank page into an Underwood.” —David J. Montgomery, Strand Magazine
“A compelling story of vengeance. Lawson is a gifted master.” —Rick Mofina, bestselling author of Whirlwind
“Mike Lawson’s smart and resourceful fixer-to-the-politicos Joe DeMarco makes a welcome return in House Reckoning. It fills in some fascinating backstory.” —Adam Woog, Seattle Times
“House Reckoning is a fine thriller with a tense, twisting plot and a sociopathic villain worthy of a seat in the House.” —Booklist
“The more I read Mike Lawson’s books about Joe DeMarco, the more I really think Hollywood’s dropped the ball by not picking up this series, and that’s still true with his latest, House Reckoning . . . . Lawson has a talent for creating characters we care about, and his writing is so smooth, so seamless, that you don’t realize how far you’ve been submerged in DeMarco’s world until you find yourself wanting to get involved in his life.” —Seattle Mystery Bookshop
“When [DeMarco’s] moment of vengeance finally presents itself . . . it arrives in an utterly unexpected form, with bittersweet results that perfectly balance the demands of the revenge formula with the need to keep Joe afloat for further adventures. Fast, assured and as refreshingly unsentimental as Joe himself.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Enjoyable. . . . A well-balanced plot reveals the intriguing backstory of the likable DeMarco.” —Publishers Weekly
Seattle Times Bestseller (#2, 8/10/2014)
After the senator left, it took DeMarco about five seconds to decide he should treat himself to another beer. The redhead was still sitting at the bar by herself. The next time she looked over at him—she’d glanced his way half a dozen times—he was going to raise his beer glass and make a why-don’t-you-join-me gesture—and that’s when his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID at saw it was a New York area code.
“Hello,” he said.
“It’s Tony Benedetto,” the caller said. Tony sounded odd; his voice was scratchy and he was breathing like he’d just run up the stairs to the top of the Empire State Building.
Tony Benedetto was an old-time mafia guy, now mostly retired as far as DeMarco knew. He lived in Queens and had worked for Carmine Taliaferro; he’d been there at the funeral mass the day DeMarco’s father was buried. DeMarco had seen Tony less than a year ago to get some information he needed on another mobster in Philadelphia.
“I need to see you,” Tony said.
“Why?” DeMarco asked.
“I know who killed your father.”
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