Ben Kincaid is back in Tulsa, Okla., after finishing a term as an appointed U.S. senator at the start of Bernhardt's solid 17th thriller to feature the humane, principled lawyer (after Capitol Conspiracy). Dr. Joslyn Thomas spends seven days trapped in the wreckage of her car after a terrible accident before dying. During this period, her frantic professor husband, Dennis, tries to persuade police detective Chris Sentz to open a missing person case, but, inexplicably, Sentz resists until Joslyn is dead. Later, Dennis goes to a hotel where Sentz is conducting an undercover sting operation and shoots-or maybe doesn't shoot-the detective. Ben has a political campaign to plan, but since he's always a soft touch for impossible legal cases, he's easily talked into defending Dennis against a murder charge. Series fans will be happy with the legal and romantic byplay, but those who expect a complete resolution to the case will be disappointed. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Bernhardt follows up the excellent Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness (2009) with another fair-to-middling Ben Kincaid thriller. Back in Oklahoma, still learning the senatorial ropes, Ben becomes involved in the case of a man accused of killing a police officer, and agrees to take a turn as defense attorney. He has his hands full with this one: not only is his opponent a manipulative district attorney and a sharp prosecutor, but Ben's client has what you might call a strong motive: he holds the cop responsible for the death of his wife. Naturally readers familiar with the Kincaid series will have seen this coming Ben uncovers a nasty conspiracy that threatens to ruin his own career, not to mention his life. Bernhardt worked the bugs out of his formula years ago, which is both good and bad: good, if you like comfortable, familiar thrillers; bad, if you like to be surprised by a story that veers off in an unexpected direction. The dots are connected efficiently here, but perhaps Bernhardt needs to find better, fresher stories to tell.--Pitt, David Copyright 2009 Booklist