Dead Ringer

At the outset of this entertaining conspiracy thriller from Hauty (The Devil You Know), National Archives employee Olivia Heller is attacked by a club-wielding assassin on her way home from work one night, and chooses death rather than reveal a secret about the JFK assassination that she believes could destroy the nation. The next morning, Olivia's former lover, ex--Secret Service agent Joe Mingus, is told by police that she's been killed. Filled with rage, Joe goes to Olivia's house and finds Juan Verdugo, a Georgetown history professor, who says he was a close friend of Olivia's and that he received a mysterious message from her before she died. Both Juan and Joe then receive a posthumous video message from Olivia urging them to find a report about the assassination from a friend of Olivia's they've never heard of. Their search eventually leads them to a secret religious organization called the Movement, who hired Olivia's killer and engineered the election of a North Carolina senator they control. Few if any readers will predict the final twist that sets this apart from other fictional explorations of an enduring American mystery. It's a blast. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House. (Dec.)