cover image Broken Trust: A Badge of Honor Novel; Book XIII

Broken Trust: A Badge of Honor Novel; Book XIII

W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV. Putnam, $28 (368p) ISBN 978-0-399-17120-8

At the start of bestseller Griffin and son Butterworth's predictable 13th Badge of Honor novel (after 2013's The Last Witness), Sgt. Matthew Paine of the Philadelphia PD, known as the Wyatt Earp of the Main Line in honor of all the bad guys he's shot over the years, witnesses a drive-by shooting at West Rittenhouse Square and gives chase. After losing the suspects, he returns to the scene of the crime, where he meets beautiful philanthropist Camilla Rose Morgan, who has something to tell him. Matt accompanies her to her condo building, but he pauses to take a phone call in the lobby while she rides the elevator to her high-floor apartment. Soon after, Matt learns that Camilla Rose has taken a fatal header off her balcony. The question is, was she pushed, did she jump, or did she fall? The formulaic plot revolves around a start-up company, shady stock market deals, corrupt political officials, good cops, bad cops, and assorted thugs. Series fans who want more of the same will like this one. Agent: Robert Youdelman, Rember & Curtis. (Oct.)