Lawson,
Michael. The Inside Ring. Doubleday. May 2005. c.336p. ISBN
0-385-51531-6. $24.94. Fiction.
Lawson's debut novel introduces Joe DeMarco,
a lawyer who looks like a "knee-cracker for an Italian
bookie" and works as a troubleshooter for a Washington
congressman. Loaned out to Secretary of Homeland Security Andrew
Banks, DeMarco is asked to investigate a Secret Service agent
for possible complicity in an assassination attempt on the
President. Thus begins a series of compelling incidents, enlivened
by just the right touch of menace and mystery. Demarco is an
appealing protagonist with a familial past he'd rather forget
and a group of multitalented friends to help him in his reluctantly
assumed quest. While the villains are stereotyped and several
supporting characters are regulars in the covert operational
game (the computer expert, the surveillance wizard, the telephone
company insider), this witty, lightning-quick read is recommended
for popular fiction collections.