Alien in the House (Katherine “Kitty” Katt #7) by Gini Koch

Science Fiction Romance

What Goodreads says:

Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini have learned the ins and outs of Washington politics, not to mention how to prevail in intergalactic war and foil dangerous plots. But, in the aftermath of Operation Destruction, the Gower girls’ powers are burned out, the entire A-C population has been “outed” as the aliens living on Earth that they are, and, worst of all, ACE is nowhere to be found.

Then murder and mayhem are served up at an important dinner party at the American Centaurion Embassy, and when the dust settles Alpha Team and the Diplomatic Corps have more problems than just a dead Congressman.

Is there a single criminal mastermind—or multiple enemies—behind all the conspiracies that want Kitty dead and the A-Cs gone or co-opted to become the War Division?

The return of the best assassins in the business, the reappearance of two individuals long-presumed dead, Agent Malcolm Buchanan felled by something no one can identify or cure, and new technology that can block even the most powerful empath on Earth … all of this means the game’s officially afoot.

Then Vance Beaumont comes to Kitty with a wild theory that someone is systematically killing off the House of Representatives…

It’s up to Kitty and the rest of the gang to find out what’s really going on and why. But will they be able to stop the killer or killers before the rest of the U.S. House of Representatives become casualties? And will the replacement Representative for New Mexico’s 2nd District, who happens to be Jeff Martini, be the next to die

Worldbuilding:  This is the US and the world where aliens have been here for a long time.  Because they look like us no one realized where they were from.  Their job here is to protect the Earth from a treat from Outer Space.  Now they have been exposed and everyone knows they are here.  You can pick up on the worldbuilding easily in each book.

Backstory:  This is the 7^th book in the series and there is a lot of backstory in the series.  A lot of this is dropped in the different scenes in the book but there is a lot that assumes you have read the first six books.  You can enjoy the book on its own but I recommend reading the series in order.

Plot:  This is a carry over from book 6.  Someone is still plotting against the AC’s.   While some have been defeated it looks like there is a Mastermind controlling everything.  It is hard to know who to trust.  Again Kitty and Jeff prevail but the mastermind is still out there. 

Characters:  We have the usual team back on the job.  There are a few new characters introduced.  Action and dialog is very important and that is how you get to know the characters.  The main characters are already well developed and their actions are consistent with that development.

Tension:  Most of the tension in Alien in the House is external.  There is danger everywhere and everything is aimed at keeping everyone alive and well.

Writing:  Look for a lot of dialog.   This is a book written in the active and the writing is filled with action and dialog. 

While this is a great addition to the series it reads like a middle book in a series.  There is a lot of action and many things are disclosed but most is a set up for the next book.  Expect a lot to be left up in the air.

DAW published Alien in the House by Gini Koch in 2013.