Political Justice

THE MACBETHS TAKE WASHINGTON—and leave a pile of bodies in their wake.

In searing political commentary laced with a gripping murder mystery that hits disturbingly close to home, Dennis Carstens tackles financial misconduct, scandalous cover-up, treason, and murder in the 7^th installment of the Marc Kadella legal thriller series—a scathing imagining of an American White House nobody’s ever seen before, and yet one that is all too familiar…

"A shot in the dark, right in the gut, that’s what Carstens is good at … Carstens aims to be realistic about the law and its enforcers, and he hits it right ... The plot is as full of surprises as a Minneapolis Jucy Lucy and ultimately just as satisfying." -Tony Dunbar, Anthony- and Edgar-nominated author of the Tubby Dubonnet legal thriller series.

It’s four days after the latest presidential election, and Marc Kadella has the post-election blues. Sure, his guy didn’t win, but there’s more to it than that: the defeated incumbent was a decent man. Too bad you can’t say the same for his Machiavellian opponent—or his photogenic partner-in-crime.

Thomas Jefferson Carver is charming and energetic, with a former beauty queen for a wife—and a name for the job to boot. Together they’re the package deal: young, modern, forward-thinking, and successful. That Mr. Carver was often accused of womanizing and that the couple used political clout to line their own pockets didn’t seem to matter to the American electorate.

But Marc Kadella’s got a more specific axe to grind. Back when Carver was governor, a fundraising stop in Minneapolis resulted in the accidental overdose—and death—of a 19-year-old girl. A Carver campaign aide’s in prison on a plea deal for manslaughter—against his lawyer Marc Kadella’s express recommendation. But when the campaign worker turns up hanged in his Colorado cell just days after the election, Kadella senses his mistrust of the Carvers is just the tip of the iceberg.

Tyranny, cover-up, and all-out Shakespearian bloodbath haunt these pages, making House of Cards look like a Barbara Walters special. Author Dennis Carstens hits political corruption and smarmy-politician caricature right on the head, in a compelling sociological hypothetical melded with a captivating murder mystery that explores just how far American politicians will go for money—and power.

“House of Cards meets the Land of Trump” –Amazon 5-star reviewer

Fans of Nelson Demille, John Grisham, Richard North Patterson, and of course the most beloved lawyer sleuth of all time, Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason, will gobble up this one up. As will devotees of political thrillers like novels by Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, David Baldacci—and HOUSE OF CARDS fans in particular.


Genre: Mystery