In a tale that spans two disparate worlds within one city, this gripping novel dives deep into the divide between the glistening capital of the Free World and its neglected districts, home to 700,000 citizens mostly of color. Eight years after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. sparked riots that shattered the city's core, the scars of racial fury and systemic injustice remain as evident as ever.
Amid this backdrop of crime and burnt-out neighborhoods, Jimmy McFarland, an earnest young District Attorney, stumbles upon evidence of corruption tied to a six-billion-dollar Metro subway project aimed at reconnecting the city's fractured communities. Though clearly a matter for the FBI, McFarland embarks on a rogue investigation. In doing so, he crosses paths with Larry Williams, a black police sergeant whose rough exterior belies his own complicated relationship with justice and morality.
Walking a precarious line between courage and recklessness, McFarland and Williams form an uneasy alliance. Fueled by McFarland's idealistic pursuit of justice and Williams' pragmatic understanding of its rarity, the duo confronts a daunting array of racism, corruption, and murder. As they untangle a web of powerful players who thought they were untouchable, the question remains: Can they navigate the system's deep-rooted flaws to achieve some measure of justice?
"With characters that you won't forget, an important story that keeps pages turning fast, and gritty detail that says the author knows whereof he writes, Lash's novel is definitely not to be missed. If he can tell a tale this good, it is a mystery why he was spending time running a premier environmental organization and being an innovative college president. First rate."
- Gus Speth, author of Let Your Tears Water the Earth and other books.
"Jonathan Lash has given us a perfectly written, perfectly paced, and completely absorbing inside view of how prosecutors and police actually solve crimes, all set in the turbulent days in Washington following Martin Luther King's assassination and Nixon's downfall. Lash's tale is one of justice triumphant against great political odds, a message that many a reader will welcome today."
- Gary Milhollin, President, Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control.
"What a great read! Jonathan Lash uses his background as a white prosecutor in Chocolate City (Washington, DC) to weave an engrossing tale of murder, corruptions, racial conflict, and love. The Black DC cop and white AUSA who are the story's principal heroes will stay with you, and those familiar with DC will find a bonus in the varied references to landmark shops, restaurants, and venues in the District."
- Florence Wagman Roisman, William F. Harvey Professor of Law at Indiana University.
Lash is a former federal prosecutor, environmental litigator, and college president. Rolling Stone magazine profiled him as one of 25 'Warriors and Heroes fighting to stave off planet-wide climate catastrophe'. His book, A Season of Spoils, told the story of the Reagan Administration's assault on the environment.
