I am a massive fan of this very talented author and this book didn’t disappoint.
joe DeMarco is a fixer for congressman John Mahoney who uses him for things best kept in the background. DeMarco is no criminal, but he plays close to the line to get things done, but he’d much rather be playing golf.
DeMarco is avoiding a job he’s been given and is mainly concerned about his air conditioning. The last thing he wants is another job from his boss, but he is tasked with investigating the death of an intern and the more he looks the more he thinks a drug overdose might actually be murder. But when money and politics are involved, anything could happen.
The author nails it again. Entertaining characters and a clever and engaging plot. Mike Lawton has a real talent for understanding how things work and placing believable and entertaining characters in his plots. This is a thriller but you will find yourself grinning at the cleverness of it.
Really enjoyed this, but I knew I would.

This is what I would call a high thread count genre novel. Very much in the vein of an Washington DC airport thriller - you have the rugged hero who bends the rules to get justice, industrialist and lobbyist bad guys, half drunk Congressmen and flawed/sympathetic secondary characters. It hits all the usual beats. Crime, procedure, resolution.

But . . . it's done with a little more care and flair than usual. The characters have a bit more life to them. It's part of a series but you can jump right in - beyond some offhand references to what I assume were earlier books, it is self contained. Recommended.

This book is easy to read and very entertaining, with an excellent plot, and it's part of a series where the main character stays in character as himself. I usually like reading about strong and smart female characters, and the author has been clever in bringing in a few of those as well.

Another fabulous book from this talented Author. I’m so glad that I discovered this series back in 2006 and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all seventeen novels. Joe DeMarco is such a great character, he’s relentless when given a task from his boss John Mahoney. There really is a lot to like about this book. Great characters and a well put together and interesting plot. Definitely well worth a read.

I was really looking forward to this book and enjoyed it. It was a lot of cat and mouse with the bad guys trying to stay one step ahead of the people closing in on them. A paranoid developer finds out there is about to be a report put out that puts his dealings in the public eye moves to silence the investigator and this sets the whole plot in motion. It got a little slow in parts for me, but the ending was good, and I hope there is more to come with these characters.

A typical Joe DiMarco jaunt. I really enjoyed this one, likely due to the fact that there was considerably less of Mahoney, and what we did see, he appeared to be less of "slimy". I appreciate that they addressed the drinking issue, although this is a large part of this character's personality. In the end, Joe proves himself to be a good guy and pulled the various threads together.

As a big fan of Joe DeMarco, I enjoyed his part in the new Mike Lawson novel, Kingpin. It is a bit different than most Lawson books, having, I think, more characters and a wider scope. I didn't find it as interesting as I had hoped, but still liked it as an enjoyable read.
Thanks NetGalley, for the ARC.

Congressman Mahoney’s fixer is at it again. This time he is called on to investigate the death of one of Mahoney’s staffers. Political intrigue, organized crime, and in-fighting among law enforcement agencies all come into play in this excellent addition to the series.

Kingpin is an interesting tale of intrigue depicting the interaction among a mobster, a DC lobbying firm, an attorney, an Albanian killer for hire and various politicians. Character development is excellent and even the minor characters have an important role to play. I liked the writing style — especially the comparison of throwing a football pass and shooting a gun and phrasing such as “her dark hair looked as if she combed it with a fan.” The book is hard to put down and is recommended for all devotees of this genre.
I thank NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication and look forward to Mike Lawson’s next novel.

Another exciting DeMarco adventure. Unfortunately Emma was not included in the story. This one had a very touching ending.