Booklist review of my latest novel Elimination

This was just published in the UK and will be here July 1. Probably sooner on KIndle.

Elimination. Gorman, Ed (Author), Jul 2015. 192 p. Severn, hardcover, $27.95. (9780727884664).

Illinois Congresswoman Jessica Bradshaw is beautiful, rich, progressive. She is nearing the end of a fang and-claw reelection battle with an opponent who represents the forces of darkness in Gorman’s cosmology. Michael Dorsey waves the flag, hates abortion, loves guns. And he is gaining in the polls. During their final debate, somebody fires a shotgun blast at Jessica. She is not hurt, but the shooter escapes, and theories bloom. Must be a Dorsey backer, they’re murderous crazies. Wait a minute. Suppose Jessica’s gang did it, missing her on purpose and assuming the blame will automatically fall on one of Dorsey’s gun nuts. Dev Conrad, the novel’s narrator, is Jessica’s political consultant- turned-detective, seeking the truth in this hall of mirrors. Inevitably, there’s another layer: right-wing groups united in their hatred of blacks and the federal government. And they’re attracting police officers. Gorman tells his story in a style both expert and weary, knowing that sometimes the darkest deeds have their origin in hurt feelings. He knows, too, that often the best the good guys can do is hang on. Give this one to fans of the great Ross Thomas, whose political fixers were equally savvy and equally weary.