The U.S. military reported that Sam Wingo had been killed in Afghanistan, but somehow he's still sending emails to his son. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are former Secret Service agents who now run their own private investigator firm. They meet their newest client Tyler Wingo when they spot him running across the highway in the middle of a rainstorm. Tyler had just been told that his father had been killed in Afghanistan. But then why did he receive an email from him after his father had supposedly been killed? Michelle Maxwell wants to take the case but Sean isn't convinced. Until unmarked military vehicles begin following them after their initial meeting with Tyler.
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As it turns out, Sam Wingo isn't dead. He was just part of a mission that went very wrong. He was supposed to deliver $1 billion in Euros to a group of tribesman, but instead men claiming to be from the CIA hijacked the shipment. Sam is now on the run from the U.S. government and he manages to make his way to the U.S. in order to see his son again and clear his name.
King and Maxwell have continued their investigation and have been detained at least once by mysterious military investigators. Even when Sam Wingo shows up and they offer to help him, they still can't figure out why Wingo was framed and what the end game is for all of the deception. And when King convinces his ex-wife Dana Brown to get some info from her Army General husband, she ends up being shot during a firefight with unidentified gunmen.
It turns out the entire conspiracy, including the theft and a subsequent plan to kill the President was being coordinated by White House employee Alan Grant. His father committed suicide after resigning in disgrace from his White House decade ago, and the plan was Grant's way to seek revenge on the office of President. He figures out a way to use a satellite to control the limo driving the President and send it into the Potomac River. Maxwell happens to also be inside and she manages to save the President. King, Wingo and a friendly member of the FBI track down Grant and kill him before he can get away. Sam Wingos name is restored, but several of Grant's co-conspirators (including Dana's husband) are identified and arrested.
Best part of story, including ending:
While the conspiracy seemed to be a bit over-complicated, the idea of using a government satellite to control the President's limo and cause it to crash was a unique idea. It has a scary logic to it that rings very true.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene occurs late in the book, when Dana Brown, ex-wife of Sean King, admits that she made a mistake when she divorced him. There was a bittersweet feel to the revelation that was quite tender and moving.
Opinion about the main character:
The chemistry between King and Maxwell is quite good. They have a strong professional relationship, but there is also a personal chemistry that promises they might get together at some point. I could read twenty books featuring these two characters.
