by Joe Clifford
First published 2024
Buddy gets called back east when his brother Josh disappears. Josh works construction for Fortman Brothers, the company owned by his wife Amy's family. Amy comes from the connected Fortmans, whose uncle Ari serves the president. Authorities want to examine Buddy's laptop and recent messages with Josh. The situation turns deadly when Josh turns up dead from an apparent overdose that looks suspicious. Buddy starts digging into what really happened to his brother. His investigation also leads him back to their father Neil's death from myelofibrosis, a disease Neil contracted from toxic soil while working for Fortman Brothers. The company may have hidden the contamination. Buddy's search for answers puts him against local police, federal agents, and dangerous psychiatrists. Each discovery reveals a deeper conspiracy. The story combines crime investigation with environmental cover-ups and political corruption, mixing spy thriller elements with domestic suspense.
Genres: suspense, crime, thriller, mystery-thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: conspiracy, cover-up, investigation
Setting: Fortman Brothers, United States
Period: Contemporary
288 pages · Kindle Edition · Square Tire Books
Content warnings: death, murder, substance-abuse