You wouldn’t imagine that a thriller could be set in the Library of Congress. Yet here it is — Mr. Jefferson’s Library — full of coded messages, secret tunnels, murders, suicides, femme fatales, and international intrigue stretching back to FDR.

It’s a thriller, but it’s also something else — a human story, about ego, self-delusion, lying, backstabbing, and plausible deniability. That is to say, it’s a story about Washington, DC. There’s sex, lies, and videotape.

It’s also a story of two men. One is a middle manager named Lionel Bain, who suddenly, at age thirty-two, inexplicably finds himself thrust into high government positions — first as national Librarian for the Blind, and then as Librarian of Congress. What’s more, he has attracted the attention of a beautiful Russian actress, Tatiana Bukharin, who seeks his guidance in forming a new life after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The other is Thomas Jefferson, whose story is almost completely the opposite. Principal author of the Declaration of Independence, founder of the University of Virginia, third President of the United States, by 1826 he finds himself a sick old man, nearly bankrupt. He has sold his precious storehouse of books to Congress in order to stave off his creditors, and he is mournful and embittered. The degree of bitterness is the fulcrum around which Mr. Jefferson’s Library spins.

Lee Hurwitz, my old writing partner from Capital City, joined me in this exciting project. Lee’s thirty years of experience in the Library of Congress informed many elements of this story.

We are seeking a publisher who will give this story the bandwidth it deserves, and I will keep you up to date on our quest. If you are an agent or a publisher and are interested in this property, contact Lee at LeeHNovelist@gmail dot com.

Please, no self-publishing companies, in whole or in part.