Plenty of believable action plus heavy doses of insider atmosphere add zest to Haig's fifth suspense thriller to feature army lawyer Sean Drummond (after 2003'sPrivate Sector). It might be nothing like the real White House or even TV'sThe West Wing, but the center of American power as envisioned by Haig is a potent myth, a modern-day Arthurian Round Table serving as a source of lessons and high drama. Now part of the CIA's Office of Special Projects, Drummond is assigned to protect the president against the enemies who threaten his life. The novel opens on a powerful note with the discovery in a posh suburban Virginia house of six bullet-ridden bodies, including that of the White House chief of staff. Could there be a connection between this massacre and the $100 million bounty someone has put on the head of the U.S. president? Helped by attractive, no-nonsense FBI agent Jennifer Margold, the wise-cracking Drummond first goes after a rogue member of the White House security detail, but things are not what they seem. After some serious shooting and explosions, Drummond and Margold are still only a day away from the likely murder of the president. Haig makes us care what happens by avoiding genre clichés whenever possible and by creating much sympathy for the relatives left behind in the carnage.
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