The case is cold, the leads are dry, the cops care more about watching football and the chief suspect has disappeared.

Conrad North is hiding something, and he’s scared Russo has found him out.

Conrad North is a murderer, the caller said. People are dead because of him.

It had been two years since Conrad North got away with murder. Two years. The cops didn’t put him away for Camille North, the prosecutors didn’t make the case, but Michael Russo still thinks he’s responsible for a killer being on the loose.

Then one day, like a ghost from the past, a phone call; This is Patricia Geary, the caller said to Russo. Conrad North killed Annie, too. I want you to get him for it.

Suddenly, two years vanish. Russo takes the case and accepts the daunting task of helping to bring a killer to justice. He chases the elusive Conrad North from Petoskey to Harbor Springs, Gaylord and the streets of Traverse City.

Conrad’s a smart man, AJ reminds him. He beat all of you last time. This is personal for you. What if Conrad beats you this time, too?

Second chances don’t come easily or often. Russo under- stands the risks because it’s his chance to clear his conscience and put a murderer behind bars.

FINAL ACT balances a sense of grit with the humorous exchanges of previous books in the Russo series and provides ample northern Michigan atmosphere. - Scott Couturier, author of The Magistricide series