Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
orrtannabard's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
lorinlee's review against another edition
4.0
Mike Lawson, House Divided: a Joe Demarco Thriller
Joe Demarco is a lawyer working for a member of Congress; he handles unorthodox requests. But when his cousin, who he barely knows, is murdered, Joe plunges into unorthodox operations by two government outfits, the NSA and Department of Defense. Published in 2011, before Snowden revealed the extent of NSA spying within the US, House Divided involves a secret bureau with the NSA which conducts of illegal surveillance. The Chief of Staff at the Defense Department also has a secret black op program. Demarco’s cousin, a hospice nurse, gets caught in the cross fire when he threatens to divulge some of the secrets passed along by a general on his death bed.
It’s a thriller and Lawson knows how to keep the pages turning. I liked his characterizations and the discussion of technological tools used by the NSA.
In a couple of places Lawson engages in lengthy narrative descriptions of the NSA post 9/11, what’s legal and what’s not. Much of that, I thought, could have been divulged via scenes.
Given what Snowden revealed, the imaginations here don’t seem so far fetched.
Joe Demarco is a lawyer working for a member of Congress; he handles unorthodox requests. But when his cousin, who he barely knows, is murdered, Joe plunges into unorthodox operations by two government outfits, the NSA and Department of Defense. Published in 2011, before Snowden revealed the extent of NSA spying within the US, House Divided involves a secret bureau with the NSA which conducts of illegal surveillance. The Chief of Staff at the Defense Department also has a secret black op program. Demarco’s cousin, a hospice nurse, gets caught in the cross fire when he threatens to divulge some of the secrets passed along by a general on his death bed.
It’s a thriller and Lawson knows how to keep the pages turning. I liked his characterizations and the discussion of technological tools used by the NSA.
In a couple of places Lawson engages in lengthy narrative descriptions of the NSA post 9/11, what’s legal and what’s not. Much of that, I thought, could have been divulged via scenes.
Given what Snowden revealed, the imaginations here don’t seem so far fetched.
kempfme's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cecile87's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't like any of the characters except the victim.
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
This is the sixth book to feature Joe DeMarco, the "fix-it" man for John Mahoney, Speaker of the US House of Representatives. This book is quite different from the others in that neither Mahoney nor any of Joe's other usual friends feature. Even Joe is somewhat peripheral to the action for a large chunk of the story. You do not need to be familiar with the series to enjoy the book.
The action kicks off with the National Security Agency capturing evidence of a double murder taking place in Washington DC. They believe it is some kind of undercover military exercise and they decide to investigate. DeMarco's involvement stems from the fact that one of the victims is his cousin, although initially he is not particularly suspicious about the killer's motivations. As the NSA cannot legally be conducting surveillance within the US, they need to use DeMarco as the cover for their investigations.
It's an intriguing storyline, which feels fresh. It is quite different in many ways to the previous books in the series - it's really only in the final third that DeMarco becomes anything other than a pawn in the games between the Pentagon and the NSA. It's a fun, light read that is relatively low on suspense but which still holds the reader's interest throughout.
Incidentally, a plea to Mike Lawson: please stop giving your books such similar titles! Yes I have read House Rules and House Secrets, but for the life of me I can't remember which was which, and I'm sure this one will shortly be equally muddled in my brain.
The action kicks off with the National Security Agency capturing evidence of a double murder taking place in Washington DC. They believe it is some kind of undercover military exercise and they decide to investigate. DeMarco's involvement stems from the fact that one of the victims is his cousin, although initially he is not particularly suspicious about the killer's motivations. As the NSA cannot legally be conducting surveillance within the US, they need to use DeMarco as the cover for their investigations.
It's an intriguing storyline, which feels fresh. It is quite different in many ways to the previous books in the series - it's really only in the final third that DeMarco becomes anything other than a pawn in the games between the Pentagon and the NSA. It's a fun, light read that is relatively low on suspense but which still holds the reader's interest throughout.
Incidentally, a plea to Mike Lawson: please stop giving your books such similar titles! Yes I have read House Rules and House Secrets, but for the life of me I can't remember which was which, and I'm sure this one will shortly be equally muddled in my brain.
sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
Another entertaining thriller in this always reliably good series. I really like Joe DeMarco and his cynical regular guy attitude. Missed some of the usual supporting characters and the writing had quite a bit of telling at the end but the narration by Joe Barrett smoothed over any rough spots.
mmk4725's review against another edition
4.0
Unfortunately, it started as the typical mystery thriller with sooooo many characters. Trying to figure out how they all relate. But the book flowed. Unfortunately it is the 6th in the series and I started here, but it didn't seem to matter too much
zipperhead's review against another edition
5.0
I could not put this book down. I had though "House Justice" (Mike Lawson previous book) was good, but "House Divided" was even better!!! If you want to read a book of a character develop and an author improve his trade start at the beginning of Mike Lawson's "Joe DeMarco" series with "The Inside Ring".
sunny76's review against another edition
4.0
Joe DeMarco is always entertaining, but how will Emma and the Senator's lack of availability impact Joe this time around. You'll have to read the book to find out... I am off to read the next DeMarco political thriller!
tommyro's review against another edition
4.0
Mike Lawson's Joe DeMarco series gets better with each book. Here, Lawson brilliantly shows the excesses of the NSA and he did it before anyone ever heard of Snowden.