The Kingfisher and the Crow — Peter Marino

Freshman Congressman Jerry Sharpe suspects Mildred Hawthorne murdered his mother. In Washington, D.C., his rage boils over and he embarks on an insidious campaign to destroy her. It starts with the gruesome murder of Mildred's oldest son, and then, a brutal double homicide of her other children. Each murder brings Sharpe closer to his goal—making Hawthorne suffer as he did nearly thirty years ago when he found his mother lifeless in the bathtub. Disgraced reporter Skylar Nicholson, crime correspondent for The Thread, a digital newspaper in the beltway, catches the scent of Sharpe's intentions. The story of a Congressman on a murderous rampage could capture the city's imagination— and save her career— but is diving into the middle of this violent family feud worth the risk?In a confrontation where one party is blinded by revenge and the other clutches to secrets about identity and a life never lived, the final battle is destined to inflict maximum damage.