Executive Privilege

New York Times bestselling author Phillip Margolin is back, this time with a powerful tale of murder that snakes its way through Washington, D.C.'s halls of power, leading straight to the White House and the most powerful office on earth. When private detective Dana Cutler is hired by an attorney with powerful political connections, the assignment seems simple enough: follow a pretty college student named Charlotte Walsh and report on where she goes and whom she sees. But then the unexpected happens. One night, Cutler follows Walsh to a secret meeting with Christopher Farrington, the president of the United States. The following morning, Walsh's dead body shows up and Cutler has to run for her life. In Oregon, Brad Miller, a junior associate in a huge law firm is working on the appeal of a convicted serial killer. Clarence Little, now on death row, claims he was framed for the murder of a teenager who, at the time of her death, worked for the then governor, Christopher Farrington. Suddenly, a small-time private eye and a fledgling lawyer find themselves in possession of evidence that suggests that some one in the White House is a murderer. Their only problem? Staying alive long enough to prove it. Executive Privilege , with its nonstop action, unforgettable characters, and edge-of-your-seat suspense, proves once again that Phillip Margolinwhose work has been hailed as "frighteningly plausible" ( Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ) and "twisted and brilliant" ( Chicago Tribune )belongs in the top echelon of thriller writers. From Publishers Weekly The U.S. president becomes a murder suspect in this over-the-top political thriller from bestseller Margolin ( Proof Positive ). Young Oregon attorney Brad Miller stumbles on wrongdoing in high places while engaged in a routine pro bono casethe filing of an appeal for convicted serial killer Clarence Little. When Miller visits his client in jail, Little insists he's innocent of one murder, that of Laurie Erickson, a babysitter then in the employ of Oregon governor Christopher Farrington, who's since moved on to the White House. Miller finds evidence that someone killed Erickson to cover up her relationship with Farrington. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, PI Dana Cutler suspects that the latest victim of a serial killer known as the D.C. Ripper was also one of Farrington's mistresses. Some readers may wonder why someone trying to protect the president would dispose of his mistresses in a manner sure to attract plenty of attention. (June) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Private detective Dana Cutler receives a seemingly routine assignment to follow a young girl working on a challengers campaign against the incumbent U.S. president. To Cutlers shock, she witnesses a rendezvous between the young woman and the president. The next morning the womans mutilated body is discovered, and Cutler is suddenly a suspect. How can she prove her innocence against someone who has the power of the presidency at his disposal? Meanwhile, an associate in a law firm in Portland, Oregon, gets assigned the appeal of a serial killer on death row. The convicted felon claims he didnt kill one of the victimsa young woman who was working for the state governor at the timethe same man who is now president. Could the president be a serial killer? Both story lines collide in this pulse-pounding thriller from genre veteran Margolin. Expect plenty ofbuzz for this one as a result of both the intriguing premise and the well-wrought narrative. --Jeff Ayers