A powerful senator with major influence over U.S. foreign policy turns up dead in an apartment leased by a dominatrix service. Thus opens acclaimed conservative Ralph Reed’s sizzling Ballots and Blood, which delves into Washington's underbelly guided by the gimlet eye of a political insider.  When the police obtain the service's client list, it is sure to spark a bigger scandal. An FBI investigator suspects the murder is not what it appears, but when he threatens to uncover a clandestine plan to overthrow the Iranian government, the White House intervenes. Congress debates military action against Iran while terrorists plot more attacks.  All this takes place during a bitter and hard-fought midterm election as both parties jockey for advantage, and the evangelical right-led by a prominent religious broadcaster-and Tea Party activists flex their newfound muscle. With war about to reignite in the Persian Gulf, razor thin margins at the polls, and a Washington madam threatening to reveal her high-profile clientele, the only sure thing is the nation's great uncertainty.