First published 1983
John Cotton works as a reporter in Washington, moving through political circles like an invisible observer. He watches, listens, and stays unnoticed while gathering stories. Everything changes when Cotton walks into the U.S. Capitol and finds his closest friend dead on the rotunda's marble floor. The corpse tells a story Cotton wishes he couldn't read. His friend died because of what he knew about a senatorial campaign, a million-dollar fraud, and the people willing to commit murder to protect both. Cotton now possesses the same dangerous knowledge that killed his friend. Powerful figures begin hunting him through the corridors of Washington. They have already killed once to bury their secrets. Cotton must decide whether to expose the truth or become their next victim. His survival depends on skills that served him well as an invisible reporter but may not be enough against enemies who control the machinery of government.
Genres: mystery, crime, action, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Washington, U.S. Capitol
Period: 20th-century
212 pages · Hardcover · Garland
Content warnings: murder, violence