Simone Perez, Architect of the Capitol, is stunned when a terrible explosion rocks the capitol, totally collapsing the tunnel which connects the House and Senate Chambers and trapping several people. Simone promptly assembles an interagency committee to help her assess the damage to the capitol and develop a strategy to rescue survivors. She also assumes responsibility for briefing the press, making her job even more daunting.
As the story unfolds, members of the committee work together to find survivors and bring them to safety. We meet several true-to-life characters like Addie Hutchison, the proprietor of the underground cafe; Fire Chief Earl Bentsen, who recognizes that time is of the essence; and Rob Tate, a skinny maintenance worker who realizes that he can reach the cafe as well as the mechanical room by crawling through an old vent space. Through several twists and turns, Simone maintains a steady hand, aided by the Speaker of the House, John McIntyre, who finds her very attractive. Although it seems an impossible task, one by one, victims reunite with their families.
Kathy Roy Johnson worked for a US Senator for three years in the mid-1970s. Thereafter, she worked as a lobbyist for United Cerebral Palsy Associations, Inc. before joining the federal government as congressional liaison. She retired in 2015 and lives in Silver Spring, MD with her husband, Ed, and their beagle/basset hound, Jake.
“Kathy Johnson takes us deep into the underground of the US capitol in this riveting novel but anyone who has worked, visited, or wanted to be there will instantly get some sense of the place and the people there. There are disasters aplenty in our nation’s capitol but this is about one that is not political but very real and haunting. A wonderful read.”
—Mike McCurry, former White House Press Secretary and US Senate staffer, and Director/Professor, Center for Public Theology, Wesley Theological Seminary
“The dialogue and character development are truly authentic. . . . Anyone fascinated by DC and the capitol and anyone also desirous of knowing what the ‘hoi polloi’ who serve the power brokers experience and feel every day will enjoy this book.”
—James J. Londis, former Director, Washington Institute of Contemporary Issues
“Kathy Johnson arrested my attention from the opening paragraphs of this lively and informative work and kept it to the end. Her attention to details, in particular the intricate configuration of the tunnels that crisscross like spaghetti under the capitol building, is compelling on its own but, more importantly, adds authenticity to the author’s grasp of her subject. Kathy’s portrayal of the emotional and power interplay between the leading characters is both subtle and revealing. Also, one will not miss the delicate manner in which she validates disability and demonstrates that it is no hindrance to personal fulfillment, normality, and the capacity to help others. This is a book that I will come back to from time to time.”
—Don W. McFarlane, Pastor for Administration, Sligo SDA Church