Double Tap (2005)

Steve Martini's eighth novel featuring savvy defense attorney Paul Madriani touches a timely nerve in the paranoid Patriot Act era. Madriani is called in to defend a former Army sharpshooter charged with the murder of a software tycoon for whom he once provided security (and affection). However, the company's cozy relationship with the Department of Defense — and whispers of the government running illegal spyware on its citizens — has Madriani smelling cover-up. Like a marble inching toward the edge of a table, Double Tap rolls along slowly before it suddenly speeds to a breathless climax.