Product Description

When private detective Dana Cutler is hired to follow college student Charlotte Walsh, she never imagines the trail will lead to the White House. But the morning after Walsh's clandestine meeting with Christopher Farrington, President of the United States, the pretty young coed is dead—the latest victim, apparently, of a fiend dubbed "the D.C. Ripper."

A junior associate in an Oregon law firm, Brad Miller is stunned by the death row revelations of convicted serial killer Clarence Little. Though Little accepts responsibility for a string of gruesome murders, he swears he was framed for one of them: the death of a teenaged babysitter who worked for then-governor Farrington.

Suddenly nowhere in America is safe for a small-time private eye and a fledgling lawyer who possess terrifying evidence that suggests the unthinkable: that someone at the very highest level of government, perhaps the president himself, is a cold and brutal killer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33575 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-31
• Released on: 2009-04-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 480 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780061236228
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
The U.S. president becomes a murder suspect in this over-the-top political thriller from bestseller Margolin (Proof Positive). Young Oregon attorney Brad Miller stumbles on wrongdoing in high places while engaged in a routine pro bono case—the filing of an appeal for convicted serial killer Clarence Little. When Miller visits his client in jail, Little insists he's innocent of one murder, that of Laurie Erickson, a babysitter then in the employ of Oregon governor Christopher Farrington, who's since moved on to the White House. Miller finds evidence that someone killed Erickson to cover up her relationship with Farrington. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, PI Dana Cutler suspects that the latest victim of a serial killer known as the D.C. Ripper was also one of Farrington's mistresses. Some readers may wonder why someone trying to protect the president would dispose of his mistresses in a manner sure to attract plenty of attention. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Private detective Dana Cutler receives a seemingly routine assignment to follow a young girl working on a challenger’s campaign against the incumbent U.S. president. To Cutler’s shock, she witnesses a rendezvous between the young woman and the president. The next morning the woman’s mutilated body is discovered, and Cutler is suddenly a suspect. How can she prove her innocence against someone who has the power of the presidency at his disposal? Meanwhile, an associate in a law firm in Portland, Oregon, gets assigned the appeal of a serial killer on death row. The convicted felon claims he didn’t kill one of the victims—a young woman who was working for the state governor at the time—the same man who is now president. Could the president be a serial killer? Both story lines collide in this pulse-pounding thriller from genre veteran Margolin. Expect plenty of buzz for this one as a result of both the intriguing premise and the well-wrought narrative. --Jeff Ayers

Review
"(A) thrilling page-turner." -- National Examiner

"A sexy summer read--the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Mixing crime and politics may make for a bad career, but it sure as hell makes for some good reading." -- Cosmopolitan

"Chock full of harrowing chases, desperate situations and politics running rampant. Add in the corruption of power and the destructive force of lust, and you have all the ingredients for a winning thriller. Another page-turning read." -- Bookreporter.com

"Just the kind of sizzling mystery needed for this long, hot summer. Margolin is the master of the successful suspense mystery. He gives you liberal doses of danger and evil villains, and keeps the action moving. Believable characters and compelling writing…another exciting trip through one of Margolin’s fast-paced plots." -- Associated Press

"Looking for summer reading? Gather your hammock, some iced tea and this page-turner of a book, one of Margolin’s most absorbing and richly textured to date." -- Oregonian

"Page-turning...a rip-roaring conclusion...more twists than the Columbia River Gorge. Is it fun? A helluva lotta." -- Washington Post Express

"Phillip Margolin has surprises up his sleeve for readers right to the end of this shocking thriller." -- Bookloons.com

"Reckless, fast, with no-holds-barred action and suspense, EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE will have you glued to your reading corner with a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door." -- Madison County Herald, MS

"Sizzle factor: .38 Special hot." -- USA Today

"The story is fast-paced and features many engaging characters." -- Library Journal

Customer Reviews

His Best One Yet!
Get ready to lose some sleep. I was not able to put this book down, and stayed up until 4 a.m. to finish it! The same thing happened to my mom, who was listening to it on the audio CD version.

I believe this is Mr. Margolin's best effort to date.

The book was fast paced, great characters, and a very credible, entertaining plot. If you like books that cover the U.S. from the West Coast to the East, politicians that you love to hate, lawyers, judges and law enforcement heroes that make you root for the home team and a little romance thrown in, then this is the book for you.

I was very sorry to read that Mr. Margolin's beloved wife passed away early last year. I think that it is possible that this great loss has made him a more powerful, gifted writer, and I sure wish that she was able to read this book. It is truly one of his best.

The Mother of All Conspiracy Stories
Phillip Margolin is up to his old tricks. He has again come up with a novel which I guarantee you will have a hard time putting down as you read about the trials and tribulations of the two main characters, Dana Cutler and Brad Miller.

Cutler is a former policewoman, now a PI living in the DC area and Miller is a new associate at one of Portland, Oregon's most prestigious law firms. Each accepts an assignment; Cutler to due some surveilance on a young college student and Miller to do a pro bono appeal for a serial killer on Death Row. The common denominator that brings them together is Christopher Farrington. Farrington is the President of the United States.

He was elevated to that position while occupying the Vice Presidency when the elected president died. Farrington, as it turns out, has a zipper problem. He also has a close friend who is his top aide, who has been spending a fair amount of his time fixing that problem for quite some time.

How all of this blends into a real pot boiler of a novel is for the reader to discover and more telling of the story in this review would only dilute the fun.

If you are looking for a book to take on vacation, this would be a good choice, however you might lose some sleep.

Solid, fast-paced conspiracy thriller
Having read and enjoyed a number of Margolin's previous works, I looked forward to Executive Privilege. Although perhaps not his best work, it is close and I was not disappointed. As the story unfolds, Margolin brings forth an intriguing murder mystery / conspiracy thriller that pulls in the ultimate executive, the President of the United States. It is somewhat reminiscent of David Baldacci's Absolute Power. The author is very effective is his use of movement between two murders and two corresponding sets of characters that come together as the story progresses. As with most of Margolin's works, you will find Executive Privilege to be a fast, enjoyable read.