Available March 24, 2020

Thanks to Daniel Friedman, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing me with a digital advance copy of this novel. In Running Out of Road, elderly retired Memphis detective Buck Schatz must come to terms with his own mortality, his wife’s serious illness, and the pending execution of Chester Marsh, a man he put on death row decades ago.

Buck’s story alternates with the transcript of a podcast by a journalist who is fighting to stop Marsh’s execution. The podcast attempts to investigate the circumstances of Marsh’s arrests and confessions, as well as to give a platform for his appellate attorney to detail his arguments against the death penalty. It’s an effective device that allows Friedman to show alternative opinions about justice and retribution.

I really enjoyed this novel, in part because Buck Schatz’s character is so irreverent and so cranky, but yet touching at the same time. The contrast between the earlier scenes with him as a young detective and those in the present, where he is physically and mentally frail, are poignant and sometimes heartbreaking. Friedman also does a good job here showing both sides of the death penalty debate, while at the same time telling an engaging story.

This is the first novel I’d read by Daniel Friedman, but it won’t be the last! I enjoyed this book so much that I’m planning to go back and read the earlier Buck Schatz books. I’m glad to have discovered this series.