review: bullet in the chamber by john dedakis

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On the first day of her new job as White House Correspondent for The Associated Press, Lark Chadwick finds herself being evacuated from The White House only moments before an explosion decimates the briefing room where all the reporters and the president had been. It’s a thrilling start to Bullet in the Chamber, the fourth Lark Chadwick book (which works fairly well as a standalone). John DeDakis uses his experience as a White House Correspondent during the Reagan administration to create a realistic portrayal of life as a reporter, including some of the jealousies that occur among coworkers.

DeDakis also incorporates his experiences as the father of a young man who went missing and was later found to have overdosed on heroin to shape the experiences Lark has with her boyfriend who turned to heroin as a cheap alternative to the painkillers he became addicted to after losing part of his leg in a bombing in Iraq. Having not read the first three books, it’s possible that Doug’s addiction was previously hinted at, but it seemed to have been dropped in out of nowhere. Once Doug goes missing, Lark’s attention is divided between searching for him and working to discover who was behind the bombing at The White House as well as yet another story involving the president’s wife. DeDakis handles all three elements with skill, but it seemed a bit much for Lark to have to deal with.
4/5
Review copy provided by the publicist, MM Book Publicity.