The Least Among Us

Florio’s solid sequel to 2021’s The Truth of It All finds public defender Julia Geary, who works in the small community of Duck Creek in an unspecified state, dealing with a good deal of personal and professional stress. For starters, her lover, Dom Parrish, is faced with the prospect of losing custody of his teenage daughter after the girl walked in on Julia and Dom having sex, a possibility that threatens the couple’s relationship. Meanwhile, Julia’s excited by her first murder case. Ray Belmar has been charged with bashing in the head of theater owner William Williams, but Julia’s convinced that Ray was too drunk to have carried out the murder. When the case is reassigned, a frustrated Julia decides to investigate on her own. She finds a potential link between Williams and a state legislator whose recent overdose death was considered either accidental or intentional. Logical plot twists that keep the reader engaged more than make up for a contrivance at the climax. Fans of John Lescroart’s Dismas Hardy series will be pleased. Agent: Richard Curtis, Richard Curtis Agency. (Dec.)