What if the president of the United States was a serial killer? In Executive Privilege, three separate people finding themselves involved in some killings slowly unpack events and discover a trail that leads to the White House. We watch Dana Cutler, a former cop who now works as a PI; Brad Miller, a young lawyer; and Keith Evans, an FBI investigator, working, unknown to each other, on parallel tracks.

When a young woman is killed and Dana has photographic evidence that she was with the president just before her death, Dana's life is immediately at risk. She is a resourceful woman whose history means that she won't allow herself to be captured, and she goes on the run. At the same time, Brad Miller is tasked to check on a pro bono case where a serial killer claims one of the murders laid at his doorstep was committed by someone else. When Brad investigates, he believes there is some truth to the case, especially when he sees the similarity between the death of the young girl in that case as she also knew the president while he was governor. Keith Evans is initially investigating a set of serial killings. When he catches the perpetrator, he realizes that one of the killings is probably a copycat, and he begins to follow the trail to the White House.

Executive Privilege moves quickly with a couple of gentle romances thrown in. While billed as having a lot of twists and turns, the narrative is a fairly straightforward read - and the twist at the end one is expected. Phillip Margolin is stronger on procedure and action than characterization, and things all tie up more neatly than would probably be the case in real life. Still, it's an enjoyable story that gives readers interesting food for thought.