Hope Never Dies

The careers of Barack Obama and Joe Biden take an unusual turn after they leave the White House in this entertaining, offbeat whodunit from Shaffer (Fifty Shames of Earl Grey). Fuming at his Delaware lake house, Joe hasn’t heard in months from his BFF, Barack, who has been busy hanging out with celebrities such as actor Bradley Cooper. One night, Barack and a Secret Service agent show up to share some sad news—the death of Finn Donnelly, an Amtrak conductor Joe was friends with, who was struck by an Acela Express that morning. The presence of a map of the Biden home in Finn’s work desk led the Wilmington PD to suspect that he may have been stalking Joe, so they reached out to the Secret Service. Joe is further unsettled when a friend on the force, rumored to have been the inspiration for Dirty Harry, reveals that a bag of heroin was found on the body. Unwilling to believe that family man Finn was a junkie, Joe sets out to investigate what becomes a murder case, eventually aided by the hyper-cerebral Barack. Fans of Carl Hiaasen’s comic crime novels will have fun. Agent: Brandy Bowles, United Talent Agency. (July)