This was a kind of mystery about a literature professor (Paul Calloway) who has been framed for sexually abusing a 13 year old neighbor girl. The book opens with his embarrassing arrest in the middle of a Christmas party he and his wife are throwing. At that point, you don't know any of the details - you don't know for sure who is setting him up - you feel sorry for the guy.
After a while you learn that Roger, the crazy vigilant neighbor is behind the frame. His son was murdered 10 years earlier and his wife killed herself in the aftermath of grief. He has made it his life mission to protect his community and keep everyone strong and safe. He has learned that Paul had a one nighter with another neighbor and decides that Paul is not the kind of guy you want on the block and tells him he has to move - or else.
Paul is almost likable. He never quite gets there though and I struggled over who to root for. In the end, the back story about Roger and who killed his son took over in a really confusing way with lots of murder and confounding resolution. Things get wrapped up, but I am not sure what happened. The cool characters like Maya Lamb, the smart reporter or Brit the worldly 13 year old drop off the story and out of sight.
It felt like Sean Doolittle had to finish the story in a hurry. He seemed to have a cool beginning and an ending with lots of action, but connecting these two things was a lot of work.
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