An audio book.
A husband (with wife Rose and a child) is collected from his house by an agent. He tells his son he killed people.
Jack has published two well reviewed (but poorly selling) novels (the first about a wife and son being abandoned) under a false name. He tries to get back into journalism but the internet and covid has reduced its viability. He's contacted by the witness protection agency who want him to invent backstories. Jack and investigative journalist Lana are friends. Jack's car catches fire. His father Earl (who he doesn't see much) asks him for money.
Willard, an ex-judge, goes missing. He's found dead - senile? A doctor, Marie, goes missing and is found dead - suicide?
In a new storyline we find that Kyle (married to Cecilia) and Valerie's father had been killed, and that 2 months before the book's present, Valerie had died after problems with drugs/alcohol.
Jack asks to meet the guy he's writing the life of, so he can do a good job. Gwen, his witness protection contact, didn't know that Jack's father was involved with witness protection. He wonders if someone wrote a fake backstory for his father, leaving Jack out.
Lana writes the stories about the missing judge. She also tries to find out who Jack is now employed by to write. Someone hints to her that Jack has a colourful past.
Earl (Jack's step-father) had sold Jack's mother's house and kept the money (really?) Someone bribes Earl to find out from Jack where his biological father lives. Earl gets into Jack's flat (Jack had given him a key!) and leaves a bug.
From Michael's (Jack's father's) PoV we learn that he used to work for Gaelen, a hotel chain boss. Gaelan had wanting him to kill a troublemaker. He hadn't wanted to do so (despite his boss, he had planned to bribe the troublemaker by getting his kids into Ivy League colleges), but ended up doing killing in self defence. We learn that the troublemaker was Kyle and Valerie's father.
Jack wants to meet his father. Witness Protection have lost track of him. Gwen asks Jack to recount all the times that he and his father had met. On one of those occasions Jack's father saved Jack's life from a roadrager.
Lana get Jack to reveal his secret. She's also discovered that the dead judge presided over the Gaelen case. Witness protection want to find Jack's father, but maybe they want to do so thinking that he's become a criminal again. Lana offers to help Jack find him. She thinks that Kyle may be seeking revenge.
With Lana's help Jack gets his father's possible address. He finds the roadrager there. His father too. They've become friends. Jack phones Lana and gets through to Gwen, who's holding Lana captive. Gwen is Gaelen's daughter. Gaelen died in prison from covid. The dead doctor had been with him.
Gwen had nothing to do with victim support. it was all a trick so the Gwen could get Jack's father.
Jack's dad regrets telling Korden (the guy who gave him a bribe) about Lana. Jack and his dad drive to where they think Lana's being held. Jack want to give his life up to save Lana. He does so, even though he needn't have - Lana escapes.
Jack's father and step-father die. He and Lana start living together.
I like the plot and much of the writing.
Other reviews
- lindasbookbag (Even the most conventionally negative or unbalanced individual is depicted with redeeming features)
- goodreads
- Kirkus reviews (A big reveal badly stretches credulity)