Friday, May 16, 2008

"Shakedown"

Joel Goldman is the author of Motion To Kill, which introduced trial lawyer Lou Mason. Mason reappeared in the Edgar nominated The Last Witness, Cold Truth, and Deadlocked, which was nominated for a Shamus award.

His new novel, Shakedown, begins a new series featuring FBI Special Agent Jack Davis. Goldman applied the Page 69 Test to the new book and reported the following:
Page 69 of Shakedown captures the fundamental conflict confronting FBI Special Agent Jack Davis. He has lost control of his life. His wife has left him. Five people have been slaughtered in a drug house he and his Violent Crimes squad had under surveillance. And, the Bureau has sidelined him because of a bizarre, unexplained movement disorder that makes him shake when he should shoot. He has gone from being the ultimate insider, the one calling the shots, to an outsider looking in, not knowing who to turn to for help.

Page 69 is the first page in Chapter 11. Jack considers who to ask for help finding a doctor that can diagnose and treat his condition so he can reclaim his life. He doesn't want to ask his wife. He doesn't trust his one-time friends at the FBI. He seeks the advice of Kate Scranton, a forensic psychologist skilled in reading involuntary micro-facial expressions that expose the true face behind the mask. Jack relies on hard evidence like DNA, fingerprints and fibers in his search for the truth. Kate puts her faith in what the face reveals about the heart, mind and soul.

Forced out by the Bureau and worried that his daughter is caught up in a web of corruption and deceit stretching from the FBI to the drug house where the murders were committed, Jack tries to save her and himself. He's blindsided by more than his movement disorder.
Read an excerpt from Shakedown, and learn more about the author and his novels at Joel Goldman's website.

Visit the complete list of books in the Page 69 Test Series.

--Marshal Zeringue