The scam was started by a lobbyist Danny Buchanan, who has been greasing the palms of lawmakers to gain their support of bills aimed at helping the poor and hungry overseas.
The conspirators plan to assassinate Buchanan and his protege, Faith Lockhart, and then force the legislators, under threat of exposure, to support the CIA over the FBI. To do that, they'll have to kill the FBI agent assigned to guard Faith, for she has confessed everything to the bureau in exchange for a deal for herself and Buchanan.
Unfortunately, the villains have not expected the resilience of the two lobbyists, nor on the grit of FBI agent Brooke Reynolds. Also, they do not expect to face resistance from PI Lee Adams, who gets caught up in the attempted hit on Faith and her guardian, and then goes on the run with the lobbyist.
The novel evolves into a frantic, exciting chase - FBI after CIA after Lee/Faith - with a few interesting twists.
Baldacci's characters continue to grow in complexity as the story progresses with intriguing subplots and unexpected outcomes. A fast-moving thriller that will hold the reader’s attention till the last page. A recommended read for Baldacci fans.