Mortal Dilemma: A Matt Royal Mystery

In Griffin’s busy 10th Matt Royal mystery (after 2015’s Chasing Justice), two people close to Matt are in jeopardy—his lover, J.D. Duncan, a detective with the Longboat Key, Fla., PD, and his best friend, Jock Algren, a top agent for a secret U.S. government agency. J.D. travels to the Florida panhandle to get new information about a three-year-old cold case murder. Back in Longboat Key, a professional assassin hired by a shady PI in Tallahassee waits for her return. Meanwhile in Key West, an unknown shooter wounds Jock, who has been feeling severely depressed after his last spy mission went awry. Matt and J.D. fly to Key West to visit Jock. At the hospital where he’s recovering, Jock tells Matt he thinks his shooting was just a ploy to lure Matt and J.D. to Key West. J.D. and Matt make a formidable pair of reluctant killers as they take on terrorists seeking revenge on Jock. The unwieldy plot careens to a bloody climax. (Apr.)