Desperate Measures by David Morrell

Desperate Measures - Matt Pittman has prepared himself to commit suicide.  As he is situating himself to complete the act, he receives a call from his editor, requesting to commit to 9 nines more to the paper he just quit.  His editor also requests that Pittman write the obituary of a man, Jonathan Millgate, who is not yet dead.  Jonathan Millgate is one of the five counselors who have shaped US policy for the past several decades.  In his endeavor to obtain interviews with Millgate and his associates, Matt is blamed for the his murder and ends up on the run not only from the police, but also the Millgate's associates.  The only way to clear his name is to find out what the five counselors have been hiding since their days at their exclusive prep school.