Backfire

Bestseller Coulter’s overwrought 16th thriller featuring husband-and-wife FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock (after 2011’s Split Second) pits the couple against a ruthless killer with an agenda that starts with the nonfatal shooting of Judge Ramsey Hunt outside his waterfront San Francisco house. A slew of lawmen seek the judge’s shooter, including SFPD Lt. Virginia Trolley, FBI agent Harry Christoff, and U.S. Federal Deputy Marshal Eve Barbieri, who comb for clues and link the shooting to the murder trial of Clive and Cindy Cahill, over which Hunt was presiding. Grilling the Cahills yields a slim lead regarding someone named “Sue.” Meanwhile, Hunt survives another attempt on his life while he’s recuperating in the hospital. Coulter mixes romance, strong family ties, narrow misses, and narrower escapes as well as some twists that strain credulity to the breaking point. Series fans will applaud the strong female leads and the nifty teamwork of Savich and Sherlock. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (July)