Sudden Impact

Bestselling author William P. Wood spins this dark, riveting tale of a beloved Sacramento cop killed in a bizarre accident, and the hunt to track down his killer—a fast-paced thriller of murder, deceit, haunting pasts, and one man’s dangerous scheme to fight for those he loves.


Ensor is no ordinary cop. He’s a hero, winner of the Medal of Valor, devoted family man and coach, helping at-risk kids. But the driver who struck him down and didn’t stop isn’t ordinary either. He’s Judge Frank Stevenson, up-and-coming member of the bench, also devoted to his wife and daughter, involved in charities and good works. In a split second he did something completely uncharacteristic that changes his life and the lives of everyone close to him. 

Terry Nye is a couple of weeks from retirement as a detective, head of Major Crimes. He’s trying to pack thirty years of bloody experiences and hard lessons into those two weeks for his new partner, Rose Tafoya. Rose is a young detective, smart, more than a little ambitious, but also insecure. Together she and Nye are a powerhouse team. He’s determined to find Ensor’s assailant, and he’s going to make sure Rose doesn’t make the same mistakes he did, especially the unforgivable one that has come back to darkly haunt him after Ensor’s accident.

With the city in turmoil after Ensor’s death, the hunt for the cop killer rushes ahead relentlessly. The guilty and innocent are sucked into the intense investigation—and everyone will realize that their lives can change in the blink of an eye.


“No one writes a better police procedural than Bill Wood, and Sudden Impact is his best one to date—lucid prose, meticulous legal detail, and unforgettable characters struggling in various moral quandaries. Terrific, unputdownable stuff.” —John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Juror and The Hunt Club


“William Wood is a master of suspense. Sudden Impact is Wood at the peak of his powers, tense and eloquent, with characters and a story of political intrigue and riveting tragedy.” —Steve Martini, New York Times bestselling author

 

“Wood clearly knows the inner workings of the judicial system.” —Publishers Weekly

 

“A feeling of truth permeates this book . . . one of the better courtroom dramas of recent years.” —New York Times, for Rampage

 

“The story never cools down and never plays tricks.” —Kirkus Reviews


“The nonstop action and relentless pace will satisfy fans of the hard-boiled thriller genre.” —Publishers Weekly, for Gangland


“A spellbinding tale about the men and women who dispence justice from the bench.” —Associated Press, for Broken Trust


“William P. Wood . . . knows the intricacies and ironies of the legal system. He also knows how to employ them to weave a compelling story.” —San Diego Union, for Stay of Execution

 

WILLIAM P. WOOD is the bestselling author of eight novels and one nonfiction book. As a deputy district attorney in California, he handled thousands of criminal cases and put on over 50 jury trials. Two of Wood’s novels have been produced as motion pictures, including Rampage, filmed by Academy Award winning director William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist, Rules of Engagement), and Broken Trust, filzmed by Jane Fonda Films with the screenplay by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne. Wood’s books have been translated into several foreign languages. He lives in Sacramento, California.