Setup

"A masterful tale of corruption, conspiracy, and redemption." -Jeffrey K. Schmoll, award-winning author of The Treasure of Tundavala Gap

"...an engaging page-turner..." -Karen Hughes, former White House communications director

Detective Andrew ("Book") Booker chases Franco Moretti, a killer on the FBI's Most Wanted list, into a dark alley one night in Washington, DC. But rather than apprehending the fugitive, it is Book who is arrested, supposedly for murdering a Black teenager. Despite claims he's been framed, Book is forced to resign from the DC police and narrowly escapes a conviction for murder.

The emotionally shattering disgrace destroys his career and family life. As he veers toward alcoholic dependency, his wife demands a separation. With the help of his former Special Forces Commander in Afghanistan, Jeb Bronson, Book takes a job as a detective in Jefferson County, Virginia. Now retired, Bronson runs the county and heads up Ares Worldwide, a family-run military contracting corporation worth billions. Book soon discovers the rural area conceals threats every bit as deadly as the mean streets of the big city.

As Book navigates his new life, figuring out who set him up and why is never far from his mind. From rural Virginia to Geneva Switzerland, Book finds himself drawn into an international web of murder and bribery and must fight to save his life, protect his family, and figure out the setup once and for all.

Ray Collins grew up in the Midwest, attended Yale, and was drafted as an Army combat infantryman during his junior year. After his service he went on to earn an MPA at Princeton. He became a foreign service officer with the Department of State (a Japanese language and East Asia specialist) before leaving to focus on programs for vulnerable families. He earned a PhD at Princeton and for five years was a nonresident Fellow at Yale's Zigler Center for Child Development and Social Policy. When not writing thrillers (The General's Briefcase and Motive for Murder), Ray enjoys traveling and watching movies with his wife Betty Ann, weight training, and spending time with his four children and extended family.