Injustice

At the start of Goodman's twisty second legal thriller featuring federal prosecutor Nick Davis (after 2014's Indefensible), Davis looks back on a more tranquil time, before "the very incarnation of evil and misery had burrowed its way into the heart of my job and family.%E2%80%9D Months earlier, a Fourth of July picnic with his extended family didn't go as planned. A loved one was gunned down near the city park where the gathering was to take place, propelling Davis into a murder investigation. Initial indications that the killing was a random act of violence are soon supplanted by suspicions that the truth lies closer to home. Meanwhile, Davis is grappling with a major public corruption case involving a mining-services contractor accused of bribing politicians to defeat tax legislation that would threaten its business. Goodman does a fine job of setting up readers' expectations only to confound them, and he populates the story line with fully developed personalities. Agent: Janet Reid, FinePrint Literary Management. (Sept.)