Law of Gravity by Stephen Horn (2002) book hcdj novel !

From the author of the New York Times bestseller In Her Defense comes a riveting new thriller of betrayal and redemption in the nation's capital.

Philip Barkley had come far enough in Washington to know where those proverbial bodies were buried, but not so far that he'd lie about it. In the capital, that was no-man's-land, and his fall from grace was swift.

When personal tragedy accelerates his downward spiral, all that remains is his integrity, and it's the price of a fresh start. The disappearance of Senate Intelligence Committee aide Martin Green indicates a breach of national security. Senator Warren Young, the party's best chance to keep the White House, needs a credible report that the missing man was no spy. Barkley is required to oversee the investigation and deliver the "right" result.

As the case progresses, the signs grow more troubling, and even an FBI agent isn't what she seems. The pursuit of Green leads across generations, a trail of deception and murder that began with a woman's fall from a Bronx rooftop almost fifty years earlier.

Barkley's odyssey finally brings him to the door of a retired detective haunted by a case he never solved. Together, the two men seek justice -- and their own renewal.