Franze's first fiction foray centers around a potential Supreme Court nominee whose secret involvement in a murder as a young teenager returns to haunt him. Thirty years ago, Sean Serrat was the commanding general's son at the U.S. military base in Misawa, Japan, when he and two other boys were involved in the killing of a Japanese storekeeper. After Kenny knifed the man, he swore friends Sean and Juan to secrecy. Years later, Sean's a noted attorney with a family of his own, and his name is being bandied about as a possible Supreme Court nominee. While Sean's professional life is heating up, so is his personal one, but in a worrisome way. Sean and his wife, Emily, have been unable to get in contact with their daughter, Abby, a law student. Sean missed the call Abby made to him on the day she disappeared, and his efforts to find her have been futile. Finally, Sean enlists an FBI agent neighbor in the search, and together, they discover Abby's body. After her boyfriend is arrested and charged with her murder, Sean confronts a drug dealer who may or may not have something to do with Abby's death. When things go even more sideways, Sean finds himself and his young son, Ryan, constructing alibis to cover their involvement in another crime. Soon, it's clear to Sean that the events of that long-ago night in Japan may be coming back to haunt him. Franze's story isn't rocket science: there's no deliciously complicated, twisty-turny plot, but that's OK. Despite his penchant for clichsa cop vomiting at the sight of a dead body; the careful political correctness adopted by Abby and Sean; and characters who always seem to make the dumbest possible choicesthis is a nifty little read. Readers won't linger over the last page like it's a good scotch, but Franze's freshman effort is a painless way to pass the time. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

It can't be a coincidence that Sean Serrat's daughter is murdered just as he makes the short-list to replace a retiring Supreme Court justice. A law-school research assistant, Abby had turned up long-buried information about all of the candidates, including her father. Shortly after finding Abby's body shoved in the stacks of the Supreme Court library, police arrest her African American boyfriend, a law clerk for the Court. Worrying that arresting the wrong man could leave his family in danger from the real killer, Serrat looks more closely at his daughter's last days and learns she may have been having an affair with a highly placed Washingtonian. He also discovers that his teenage son was in trouble with a drug dealer and could face serious consequences. Franze (The Last Justice, 2012) doesn't minimize the impact of a child's death on the whole family, dramatizing grief, anger, and a fierce protective instinct. This fast-paced thriller will appeal to fans of Brad Meltzer, Joseph Finder, and Scott Turow.--Keefe, Karen Copyright 2016 Booklist

This domestic thriller, set in the nation's capital, follows the travails of D.C. lawyer Sean Serrat, who's been harboring a dark secret from his youth. Thirty years before, in Japan, he'd stood by while another 14-year-old boy murdered a shopkeeper. With Sean's name on the president's shortlist for filling a vacancy in the high court, he faces the possibility of his long-buried secret surfacing. Worse yet, his beloved law student daughter, Abby, is found murdered in the library of the top court. The police arrest her boyfriend, Malik Montgomery, but Sean suspects he's been framed. Actor Petkoff alters his voice to present a frantic, determined Sean, an excited, indignant Malik, a tough-talking Supreme Court police chief named Martinez, and over a dozen others, including the audibly sneering killer of that shopkeeper from the past, who reemerges with dreams of blackmail. These interpretations add a needed depth to characters who seem to have been written mainly to serve the plot. Petkoff anchors the story by keeping an appropriate pace and underlining the more highly charged sequences with an effectively dramatic tightening of his voice. A Minotaur hardcover. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Sean Serrat leads a charmed life that includes a beautiful family, a loving wife, and a successful career as a Washington, DC, lawyer. He has even landed on the short list for nomination to the Supreme Court. But Sean's perfect world comes crashing down after his daughter Abby is found murdered in the Supreme Court library. Abby's boyfriend is arrested, but Sean has his doubts. As Sean starts digging for the truth, he is met with a spinning web of blackmail and old secrets. Franze's (The Last Justice) brilliant tale clearly reflects the author's background as a DC lawyer. Robert Petkoff's narration brings the characters to life and adds depth to the suspenseful mystery. VERDICT A great listen for thriller fans, especially those who enjoy politically themed mystery. ["Legal thriller fans should definitely find this appealing": LJ 2/1/16 review of the Minotaur: St. Martin's hc.]-Sean Kennedy, Univ. of Akron Lib. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.