The Slate

An exiled political operative in search of redemption is drawn back into her past in a piercing thriller about secrets, scandals, and capital chaos by a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. In another life, Agatha Cardiff was Congressman Paul Paxton’s chief of staff, a coolheaded fixer who made all his problems disappear. At Paxton’s behest, she covered up a shocking scandal that would have ruined a powerful senator’s career. It was one moral compromise too far and Agatha vowed, Never again. After twenty years in exile, Agatha’s life in the margins of Washington, DC, is about to become much more difficult. The rules have changed in her absence—that senator is now president, and Paxton, number three in the House, expects a nomination to the Supreme Court. After all, he knows where the president’s skeletons are buried. At the same time, Agatha’s quiet life on Capitol Hill shatters when her tenant—a woman with complex connections to DC—vanishes. Suddenly, Agatha is drawn back into a mire of corruption, blackmail, and deception precisely when she can least afford it. Any hope of redemption won’t come easy, because the true cost of Agatha’s sins is finally coming to light, and it is far from certain who will pay.

About the Author :
Matthew FitzSimmons is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling Gibson Vaughn series, which includes Origami Man, Debris Line, Cold Harbor, Poisonfeather, and The Short Drop, and the Constance series. Born in Illinois and raised in London, he makes his home in Washington, DC. For more information, visit him at www.matthewfitzsimmons.com.

Review :
Praise for Matthew FitzSimmons The Slate “Proof that the fiction of hard-knuckle political intrigue can still be stranger than the truth, at least this week.” —Kirkus Reviews “Matthew FitzSimmons breaks out of the pack of DC novels of politics and crime with The Slate, a sobering ticking-clock(s) screen of Washington power beyond mere election fraud—and he does so with strong twenty-first-century kick-ass women. While FitzSimmons spotlights evils like political corruption, human trafficking, and murder, what makes The Slate stand out is its climax core: redemption.” —James Grady, creator of Condor and author of The Smoke in Our Eyes “Matthew Fitzsimmons has skillfully woven together the stories of Agatha, Shelby, and Felix into a compelling and taut mystery…The Slate is a masterful novel.” —Marilyn’s Mystery Reads Chance “FitzSimmons hooks readers with the clone angle and then expertly mixes SF and mystery tropes till he’s implicated every party in sight in some sort of crime or cover-up. A seriously playful novel of ideas.” —Kirkus Reviews Constance An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Science Fiction & Fantasy “Maybe what we need most as this bewildering summer winds down is a diverting story about an interesting futuristic topic that injects no new anxiety into our nervous brains…[Constance] shines in its interstitial moments…In between the sleuthing and the schemes for world domination and the eluding of people with guns, we are invited to grapple with genuinely thoughtful questions about the philosophical, legal, and ethical implications of cloning and scientific innovation in general…The debates around cloning in Constance echo many of our contemporary preoccupations—skepticism of science, radical mistrust of those with opposing views, conspiracy theories.” —Sarah Lyall, critic, The New York Times “Full of technological surprises and ethical dilemmas, this inventive thriller hums with the electric excitement of the best 1950s science fiction.” —Tom Nolan, critic, The Wall Street Journal “In this timely thriller, tantalizing clues, complex motives, and shifting views of the truth flow around such issues as the relationship between money and power, the right to life, and the definition of self. FitzSimmons has upped his game with this one.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A super-brainy high-concept dystopian tale guaranteed to reward anyone who’s in the mood.” —Kirkus Reviews “A propulsive sci-fi thriller that questions the very nature of what makes us human.” —POPSUGAR “What a book! Like all the best speculative fiction, FitzSimmons’s compelling thriller Constance takes elements of real science and spins them up into a novel and terrifying premise.” —Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion “Constance is a blistering, balletic read—silky-smooth world-building that effortlessly grounds a wonderful, harrowing tale of mystery, suspense, identity, friendship, and redemption. This is, for all its twists, turns, and tricks, a novel that does what a novel should do: examine what makes us human after all. Genuinely one of the best books I have read in a long, long time.” —Greg Rucka, New York Times bestselling author and creator of The Old Guard Origami Man “FitzSimmons brings Gibson Vaughn and an old enemy full circle in Origami Man—an intricately plotted, rapid-fire thriller guaranteed to hook you from page one. Easily the best Gibson Vaughn installment to date.” —Steven Konkoly, Wall Street Journal bestselling author “Matthew FitzSimmons’s rapid-fire novels are loaded with twisted plots, explosive action, and dialogue that crackles with wit and emotion. His bighearted characters keep me coming back, book after book. Grab this thriller with both hands because Origami Man is a total blast.” —Nick Petrie, bestselling author of The Drifter Debris Line “Matthew FitzSimmons writes the kinds of thrillers I love to read: smart, character driven, and brimming with creative action sequences. If you’re not yet a fan of FitzSimmons’s Gibson Vaughn series, strap in, because you soon will be. Debris Line is tense, twisty, and always ten steps ahead. Don’t miss it.” —Chris Holm, Anthony Award–winning author of The Killing Kind “Matt FitzSimmons continues his amazing literary feat of creating an ensemble cast of troubled heroes and shooting them through page-turning thrillers with his latest, Debris Line, continuing the fast-paced adventures of Gibson Vaughn and his crew as they battle to stay alive and find some measure of justice in this unforgiving world. The Gibson Vaughn series is on its way to being a classic franchise of thriller fiction, with a unique voice and an unusual approach that keep the stories as appealing as they are entertaining. Highly recommended.” —James Grady, author of Six Days of the Condor “Debris Line…doesn’t waste a word or miss a twist. It’s always smart, always entertaining, and populated top to bottom with fascinating and unforgettable characters.” —Lou Berney, author of November Road Cold Harbor “In FitzSimmons’s action-packed third Gibson Vaughn thriller…fans of deep, dark government conspiracies will keep turning the pages to see how it all turns out.” —Publishers Weekly “Cold Harbor interweaves two classic American tropes: the solitary prisoner imprisoned for who knows what and the American loner determined to rectify the injustices perpetrated on him. It’s a page-turner that keeps the reader wondering—and looking forward to Gibson Vaughn number four.” —Criminal Element “There are so many layers and twists to Cold Harbor…FitzSimmons masterfully fits together the myriad pieces of Gibson Vaughn’s past like a high-quality Springbok puzzle.” —Crimespree Magazine Poisonfeather An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Category “FitzSimmons’s complicated hero leaps off the page with intensity and good intentions while a byzantine plot hums along, ensnaring characters into a tightening web of greed, betrayal, and violent death.” —Publishers Weekly “[FitzSimmons] has knocked it out of the park, as they say. The characters’ layers are being peeled back further and further, allowing readers to really root for the good guys! FitzSimmons has put together a great plot that doesn’t let you rest for even a minute.” —Suspense Magazine The Short Drop “FitzSimmons has come up with a doozy of a sociopath.” —The Washington Post “This live-wire debut begins with a promising lead in the long-ago disappearance of the vice president’s daughter, then doubles down with tangled conspiracies, duplicitous politicians, and a disgraced hacker hankering for redemption…Hang on and enjoy the ride.” —People “Writing with swift efficiency, FitzSimmons shows why the stakes are high, the heroes suitably tarnished, and the bad guys a pleasure to foil.” —Kirkus Reviews “With a complex plot layered on top of unexpected emotional depth, The Short Drop is a wonderful surprise on every level…This is much more than a solid debut; it’s proof that FitzSimmons has what it takes.” —Amazon.com, an Amazon Best Book of December 2015 “Beyond exceptional. Matthew FitzSimmons is the real deal.” —Andrew Peterson, author of the bestselling Nathan McBride series “The Short Drop is an adrenaline-fueled thriller that has it all: political intrigue, murder, and suspense. Matthew FitzSimmons weaves a clever plot and deftly leads the reader on a rapid ride to an explosive end.” —Robert Dugoni, bestselling author of My Sister’s Grave