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House of Secrets
Senator Andrew Foster has it charm to spare, a loving wife, a beautiful daughter, and a fast-track career that will surely land him one day in the White House. And with the sudden resignation of the vice president, that track may have gotten a lot faster.
But there’s a problem.
There are people who know that Andy Foster’s charm can get the better of him, and they have bugged the Shelter Island bungalow where he is enjoying a midnight tryst with a beautiful campaign adviser. But all hell breaks loose when a man carrying an iron pipe comes crashing through the bedroom’s sliding glass door. Within seconds, the young woman lies bloodied, dead on the sheets, and Foster has fled in panic.
And it’s all on tape.
As momentum builds for Foster’s likely selection as the next vice president, the senator’s only hope of keeping his involvement with the murdered woman secret is to locate his blackmailers. But even they don’t have their hands on the devastating images. The man they used for the job has turned the tables and is blackmailing them.
All the while, Foster’s personal life is collapsing. His wife, Christine, senses that something is terribly wrong. Unhappy about their daughter’s living in a political fishbowl, Christine is also worried that she and her husband have drifted away from each other. Little does she know that power-hungry politicians and brutal gangsters are ready to rip her family utterly apart.
From the rarefied halls of Washington to the briny boardwalks of Brighton Beach, Richard Hawke pulls back the curtain to reveal what is taking place inside the hearts and minds of the powerful people we read about every day in the news. With House of Secrets, Hawke has delivered a pulse-pounding thriller that ignites the fatal mixture of politics, arrogance, and lust.
But there’s a problem.
There are people who know that Andy Foster’s charm can get the better of him, and they have bugged the Shelter Island bungalow where he is enjoying a midnight tryst with a beautiful campaign adviser. But all hell breaks loose when a man carrying an iron pipe comes crashing through the bedroom’s sliding glass door. Within seconds, the young woman lies bloodied, dead on the sheets, and Foster has fled in panic.
And it’s all on tape.
As momentum builds for Foster’s likely selection as the next vice president, the senator’s only hope of keeping his involvement with the murdered woman secret is to locate his blackmailers. But even they don’t have their hands on the devastating images. The man they used for the job has turned the tables and is blackmailing them.
All the while, Foster’s personal life is collapsing. His wife, Christine, senses that something is terribly wrong. Unhappy about their daughter’s living in a political fishbowl, Christine is also worried that she and her husband have drifted away from each other. Little does she know that power-hungry politicians and brutal gangsters are ready to rip her family utterly apart.
From the rarefied halls of Washington to the briny boardwalks of Brighton Beach, Richard Hawke pulls back the curtain to reveal what is taking place inside the hearts and minds of the powerful people we read about every day in the news. With House of Secrets, Hawke has delivered a pulse-pounding thriller that ignites the fatal mixture of politics, arrogance, and lust.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 17, 2022
A political thriller. I didn't care much for any of the characters. Lying. thieving, murdering cheating bunch of politicians and those that love them. oh bother. Hawke is a fine storyteller and writer but I got confused one to many times.
July 22, 2010
It got boring.
March 28, 2021
I have really enjoyed this author's books and the ones he wrote under Tim Cockney. This one was no exception. I am sorry he is not writing any more.
March 4, 2013
I'd recommend anything Richard Hawke/Tim Cockey has written to date. Except this.
The story is intriguing and sets up like another well-conceived Hawke plot. That wasn't where this one failed for me. It was the speed in getting there. House of Secrets, in every scene, felt like Hawke with a dull blade, a few drafts short of what we've come to expect. Chunky paragraph filled with sentences that Fritz Malone and Co. would've found wholly unnecessary weighted this narrative down.
This is not an insult but a clear statement of truth based on over a half-dozen previous works--Hawke is better than this. He's written some of the best dialogue I've read in years, which is why I'm shocked at just how little his characters spend talking in House of Secrets. It's more than a little noticeable to anyone familiar with him.
I look forward to reading Hawke (or Cockey) again, but I had to shut the door on House of Secrets.
The story is intriguing and sets up like another well-conceived Hawke plot. That wasn't where this one failed for me. It was the speed in getting there. House of Secrets, in every scene, felt like Hawke with a dull blade, a few drafts short of what we've come to expect. Chunky paragraph filled with sentences that Fritz Malone and Co. would've found wholly unnecessary weighted this narrative down.
This is not an insult but a clear statement of truth based on over a half-dozen previous works--Hawke is better than this. He's written some of the best dialogue I've read in years, which is why I'm shocked at just how little his characters spend talking in House of Secrets. It's more than a little noticeable to anyone familiar with him.
I look forward to reading Hawke (or Cockey) again, but I had to shut the door on House of Secrets.
June 27, 2010
A first-rate thriller, with national political intrigue, domestic uncertainty, Russian gangsters, Greenwich zillionaires - the works. Hawke is a terrific word-smith, but the main thing here is a simply boiling plot - moving in lightning flashes from NY to DC to Shelter Island to Coney Island. A perfect summer beach read, although make sure you're not out in the sun - you may get burned.
Loved it.
Loved it.
August 26, 2010
A look at what has been going on behind the scenes of a powerful senator, who becomes the prime candidate to replace the Vice President when the veep is forced to resign. Although fictional, I can see where this could be happening in our government today. When the Senator's daughter is kidnapped, and he receives strange messages from Russian citizens, what can he do to preserve life as he knows it? Also, who really is behind all the problems...it may come as a huge shock!
April 5, 2011
Third book from "Richard Hawke." They seem to be getting worse. An interesting premise is quickly drowned in silly conspiracies and useless dead-ends, before building to a close with one "shocking" revelation after another.
March 8, 2013
At first, I thought this would be too violent, and it would turn out to be some lunatic killing for no understandable reason. But I was wrong. The storyline captured my interest, and I would try another book by this author.
June 6, 2010
This is a very good novel. It covers politics, crime, detective work, and family. I give it a high recommendation.
June 28, 2010
This is the first book I've read from this author. I really enjoyed it. Unexpected twists in the book kept me intrigued. I plan on reading more by this author.
September 5, 2010
Further confirms that no politician is an angel. They are human like the rest of us after all. That said, let us focus more on platforms vs personal life.
January 13, 2011
Once you start reading, it is hard to put it down
April 4, 2011
OK, but not great. Lots of family secrets and cover-ups in a political dynasty, including a VP of the United States.
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April 10, 2013Enjoyed this but thought the storyline was one used similarly a few times before. Will read more Richard Hawke as found myself turning pages fast wanting to know what would happen next.
July 30, 2015
VERY slow getting started but an overall good read. Politics + murder = another day in the Senate?
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews