Suspicion
Biographer Danny Goodman is struggling to raise his teenage daughter, Abby, after his ex-wife’s death. When Abby’s private school notifies him that she’ll be expelled unless Danny pays his astronomical tuition bill, he dreads forcing more change in Abby’s life. So, Danny thinks he’s dodged an emotional bullet when he accepts a loan from Thomas Galvin, father of Abby’s best friend. But, before relief sinks in, Danny is summoned to an undercover DEA office and informed that the loan implicates him in their case against Galvin, a money-launderer for the Sinaloa drug cartel. Danny can either work undercover or face indictment, and a public indictment will alert chainsaw-wielding cartel enforcers. Danny takes the DEA’s deal, but he’s no 007, and every moment undercover is torture. Thriller veteran Finder merits applause for this streamlined story made believable by Danny’s everyman character; readers will find his palpable guilt and fear instantly relatable. For a cartel read-alike, try Richard Lange’s Angel Baby (2013). --Christine Tran