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Homicides are uncommon in Derik Paulson's neighborhood, and the murder of George Thompson is brutal enough to leave Derik and other residents aghast. Derik wants to go home and put the gruesome crime scene out of his mind, but soon he finds himself under arrest and charged with Thompson's murder. Fellow officers inform him that Thompson and Derik's wife were having an affair, and the murder weapon has Derik's prints on it. Derik wants to believe his wife, Samantha, will clear the air with the police, but instead, she incriminates him further. Behind bars, separated from his children, and having his world upended, Derik is at his lowest until he receives a sign not to give up. The key to exonerating himself begins with getting out of jail, the latter part proving slightly easier than the former.
The protagonist finds himself in the most surreal of circumstances in this excellent, suspense-laden thriller, where a good cop is accused of a heinous crime. A palpable feeling of futility permeates every protest of innocence from the condemned hero. The descriptive writing of the author conveys the dire situation Derik finds himself in, a man immersed in the depths of despair. The glimmer of hope Derik finds in a note from an anonymous person while he's in solitary confinement buoys his spirits. The story's tenor changes significantly once Derik's mindset shifts, and he is released from jail. His dogged pursuit of truth propels much of the story and is both engrossing and fun, even when unorthodox. This is a book with steady plot pacing, a protagonist worth rooting for, and more than a few life-affirming moments.