The Perfect Candidate by Peter Stone (review)

After Cameron Carter takes a post-high-school internship with Congressman Billy Beck, he is almost immediately drawn into intrigue when a staffer named Ariel approaches him with a mysterious special project and is then killed before she can explain. Shortly thereafter, a strange man drops Ariel's name and slips Cameron another name to investigate, and he begins following the trail of Beck's political corruption. Meanwhile, he's started to date Lena, the daughter of the Mexican ambassador. As Cameron learns more about Beck's involvement with a shady pharmaceutical deal that led to multiple deaths, including Ariel's, Lena's experience as a kid who befriended a lot of security guards while growing up in Washington proves invaluable, both to their investigation and their budding romance. Unlike many mysteries of this type, Stone maintains suspense without suggesting unrealistic feats of investigative and athletic prowess. Instead, Cameron and Lena deploy ordinary wits, common sense, and reasonably competent internet skills to evade danger while uncovering and publicly exposing the ripped-from-the-headlines truth that brings Beck and his staff to justice. Cameron's emotions follow a credible arc, or more like a sine wave, as his levels of enthusiasm for the excitement and intrigue of Washington conflict with his desire for the stability and love of his dad and his best friend at home. With roommates and colleagues who offer moments of cynical humor, a staffer who has lost her way on the path to power, and nods to the idealism of the founding fathers, this presents a clear-eyed insider's view of one of the world's most fascinating cities and the interns who love it. KC