March 17, 2014
In this lean, crisp thriller—a zipping Jaguar of a ride—from bestseller Finder (Powerplay), author Danny Goodman is having a tough time dealing with the tuition and administrators at Lyman Academy, his daughter Abby’s tony Boston day school. Then, because Abby is the sole friend of awkward loner Jenna Galvin, Jenna’s father, the nouveau riche Thomas Galvin, generously supplies a crucial $50,000 to tide the Goodmans over. Goodman soon learns this cash comes with a price. Two FBI agents claim Galvin is an American operative for Mexico’s brutal Sinaloa drug cartel. They bully Goodman into turning mole, planting wires in Galvin’s Boston-area estate, and eavesdropping at his ski lodge in Aspen. Goodman faces jail time and whopping fines if he displeases the Feds; but if he tips off the cartel, he could be killed. The plot turns—three major ones—are as shocking as they are believable. Finder has a satirist’s sense when discussing teen snobbery and the exurban rat race, and his spare, laminated style is several cuts above that of most thrillers. His characters are nuanced; especially compelling is the Mexican doctor who aids the poor by day and moonlights as a murderer—dispatching cartel foes with faux natural causes. Agent: Daniel Conaway, Writers House.