Death Duty — Stephen Kimball

Kate Verdi is a U.S. State Department death officer, handling cases of Americans who die abroad. Her dreams of riding the fast track in the foreign service suddenly come true when she is promoted into the Circle, a select group of the department's best and brightest.

But Kate is haunted by two unsolved deaths she left behind. Her quest for answers leads from the mean streets of Washington to a luxurious hotel room in Beijing. Caught in a labyrinth of lies, deceit, and cold-blooded murder, Kate turns to the man who has become her only ally: a jaded D.C. detective with his own suspicions. It isn't long before they realize the shocking truth: They have stumbled on a deadly cover-up that reaches to the highest pinnacle of power. Kate is the pawn. And there's no way out....