The 13th Target

May 21, 2012
Secret Service agent turned bodyguard Russell “Rusty” Mullins smells a rat when Paul Luguire, the high-level Federal Reserve exec he’s been protecting, apparently commits suicide in this taut political thriller from de Castrique (The Sandburg Connection). Once Rusty starts delving, with some cloak-and-daggerish help from former colleague Amanda Church, he quickly realizes there’s something very, very wrong—especially after one of the first people he interviews turns up dead with planted evidence pointing to Rusty himself. From here the perfidious plot kicks into high gear as Rusty and unlikely allies, including crusty Det. Robert Sullivan and investigative blogger Sidney Levine, race to foil a Fed-centered conspiracy that threatens to blow Washington sky-high. But Rusty must avoid getting arrested first. Plenty of action, convincing color, and sympathetic bit players—particularly a gutsy female hostage—help maintain reader interest even through some overly didactic passages about the Fed. Agent: Linda Allen, Linda Allen Literary Agency.

July 15, 2012
A bodyguard turns shamus when his charge is the victim of a suspicious shooting. An oblique prologue involving an anonymous superrich cabal hints at a grand plot involving the Federal Reserve and the upcoming national election. Cut to Russell Mullins, working as a bodyguard for besieged Reserve executive Paul Luguire after many years protecting presidents as a member of the Secret Service. Mullins feels a strong affinity for the slightly older Luguire, who is clearly showing the stress of his position. When Mullins gets a late-night call that Luguire has been shot and killed, the news hits him hard. He's loath to cooperate with Arlington Police Detective Robert Sullivan, especially when the investigator won't tell him any details about the shooting. Meanwhile, the enigmatic Fares Khoury decides to "wait for the man named Russell Mullins to come to him." Mullins vents to his boss, Ted Lewison, then consults his colleague Amanda Church, also ex-Secret Service, and finally decides to investigate with her assistance. Already on this course is dogged investigative reporter Sidney Levine of The Washington Times, who smells a huge story. A key piece in the complex puzzle is banker Craig Archer, who has noticed irregularities in recent transactions and becomes very stressed indeed when an anonymous caller begins making demands. As he twists in the wind, Levine and Mullins begin to share some of the discoveries that will lead to the truth. Though its prose is merely serviceable and its characters stereotypical, this intricate thriller from de Castrique (The Sandburg Connection, 2011, etc.) offers a good deal of interesting and timely information on the Federal Reserve.

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