The God Game

A highly placed aide at the Ontario legislature hires private detective Dan Sharp to find his gambling-addicted husband in the harrowing fifth installment of this series from Round. While investigating that case, Dan discovers connections to a major scandal brewing that could do irreparable harm to the government, John Wilkens, an elected member of the provincial government and a man who knew too much about the scandal, is found hanging from a bridge after being disgraced and fired for allegedly misusing public funds. Dan digs through layers of political dirty dealing, seeking out “the Magus,” an unknown person who can secretively make or break political lives. When Dan confronts an ambitious online news reporter who bugged his phone, he realizes they’re both on the same trail—and when the reporter ends up dead and Dan becomes a suspect, it’s apparent that the corruption goes much further than he first thought. Aside from all that, he’s trying to plan a trip to the West Coast for his son’s graduation and his own wedding to Nick, a Toronto cop. Round’s fiction admirably turns Canadian politics into thriller material, and readers who enjoy political intrigue will want to give this a look. (Feb.)