Clean Hands

This riveting if flawed thriller from Hoffman (Every Man a Menace) revolves around corporate lawyers entangled in a contentious federal civil suit between two banks that has the potential to compromise national security. One morning in New York’s Grand Central Station, a pickpocket steals junior attorney Chris Cowley’s phone. Elizabeth Carlyle, the head of Cowley’s law firm, enlists the help of Valencia Walker, a former CIA operative and badass fixer, to recover the phone, which contains highly sensitive documents at the center of the case. But while Walker and her crew are consummate pros, they soon realize they could be pawns in a much larger, and deadlier, game of politics and power. Though the pedal-to-the-metal narrative features richly described and well-rounded characters (in particular, the two shrewd and determined female leads), the unconventional ending—thematically powerful as it is—may disappoint some readers. The impressive plot twists are a reminder that Hoffman remains a writer to watch. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary. (June)