Sudden Impact

Wood's engaging investigative thriller starts off with a bang, as beloved Sacramento police officer and local hero Tommy Ensor is killed in a late-night hit-and-run in front of the California state capitol building. The driver is charitable and good-natured Judge Frank Stevenson, who happens to be preparing for a meteoric rise through the ranks of California's justice system at the time of the accident. With so much to lose, Stevenson exhausts every available option at his disposal in an attempt to cover his tracks, but detectives Terry Nye and Rose Tafoya--along with the rest of the city's police department--are determined to track down the assailant. Meanwhile, assistant chiefs of police Jerry Nishimoto and Lou Altlander vie for the soon-to-be-vacated spot at the head of the department, threatening to turn the investigation into a political charade. Wood (Stay of Execution) is a must-read for those who love a classic, hard-boiled detective novel. (Feb.)

"No one writes a better police procedural than Bill Wood, and Sudden Impact is his best one to date--lucid prose, meticulous legal detail, and unforgettable characters struggling in various moral quandaries. Terrific, unputdownable stuff." --John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Juror and The Hunt Club

"William Wood is a master of suspense. Sudden Impact is Wood at the peak of his powers, tense and eloquent, with characters and a story of political intrigue and riveting tragedy." --Steve Martini, New York Times bestselling author

"Wood clearly knows the inner workings of the judicial system." --Publishers Weekly

"A feeling of truth permeates this book . . . one of the better courtroom dramas of recent years." --New York Times, for Rampage

"The story never cools down and never plays tricks." --Kirkus Reviews

"The nonstop action and relentless pace will satisfy fans of the hard-boiled thriller genre." --Publishers Weekly, for Gangland

"A spellbinding tale about the men and women who dispence justice from the bench." --Associated Press, for Broken Trust

"William P. Wood . . . knows the intricacies and ironies of the legal system. He also knows how to employ them to weave a compelling story." --San Diego Union, for Stay of Execution

"A character-driven novel that makes you stop and think about things most people take for granted. When everyone is the good guy, who do we root for, and are we all capable of being the bad guy? I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes thought-provoking books." --Madderly Review