Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Series: Troubleshooters (Book 20)
Publication: Suzanne Brockmann Books (January 29, 2026)
Description: Troubleshooters series fan-favorite Jules Cassidy is back!
Starting over is never easy, but when Jules is forced out of the FBI, he has the help of his good friend, former Navy SEAL Sam Starrett, as he takes on his first case as head of the Troubleshooters personal security firm’s brand new Los Angeles office.
Jules’s assignment: Locate a woman named Emily Johnson, the unexpected heir to a Hollywood producer’s massive fortune. The weird twist? The producer’s estranged son is the client who’s hired Jules and Sam to find this mysterious stranger who’ll inherit what should have been his—millions he claims he does not need or want.
Still, the investigation should be simple despite the lack of information about this woman with a very common name. But Jules knows that with Sam’s help, he’ll find her, even if they have to knock on the door of every Emily Johnson in the greater Los Angeles area.
Best of all? This easy case is danger-free.
But as the WTFs surrounding the investigation start piling up rapidly and haphazardly, it soon becomes clear to both Jules and Sam that someone’s gunning for their mysterious and hard-to-find Emily—and for them, as well.
In a novel that’s part mystery, part drama, part comedy and all heart, Brockmann’s long-awaited return to the Troubleshooters world also delivers the story of Jules Cassidy’s first-ever investigation as a seventeen-year-old high school student.
Shortly after his father’s untimely death, Jules and his mother move back to her rural Connecticut hometown, where Jules begins his senior year as the “new kid.” It’s not long before he is immersed in solving a crime—someone is attacking girls at weekend parties. With the help of a new group of friends, Jules is determined to catch and bring the violent perpetrator to justice.
But life doesn’t always go according to plan…
My Thoughts: This new entry into the Troubleshooters series stars former FBI Agent Jules Cassidy. Because of changes in Presidential administrations, Jules has resigned from the FBI and joined Troubleshooters. He is tasked with setting up a Los Angeles office which works out well because his husband Robin has the offer to star in a new television series.
Jules and Robin are dealing with heartbreak because the surrogate who was supposed to have their baby had a late-term miscarriage in Texas and almost died before she could be transported to a more woman friendly state. However, although she lives, she can no longer have children. Jules and Robin are both grieving the loss of their child and their friend's loss too. Add that to Jules grieving the loss of a career he loved and you have an emotional episode.
Jules and Sam Starrett are setting up the office and hoping to ease into the investigation business. They accept what should be an easy case. Locate a lost heir for the estate of an old man who was a Hollywood producer. They are hired by the deceased's lawyer and estranged son to locate Emily Johnson. Unfortunately, both claim not to know who Emily is and Emily Johnson is a far too common name.
As they begin to investigate with Jules missing the FBI's ability to generate background information, they soon discover that there are more difficulties than finding a woman with a common name. Someone doesn't want them to succeed and is willing to use assault weapons.
This story is told from Jules' point of view, but it is also told from the point of view of the deceased's son who is keeping secrets of his own and who knows very well who Emily is and why he wants her to inherit the estate instead of himself.
The story also includes flashbacks to a younger Jules who has moved to a new town after his father's death and is trying to make a place for himself which isn't easy for an openly gay teen. He finds a friend group and also works with his friends to track down a rapist targeting young women.
This was an engaging story. I'm glad that it is the beginning of a new story arc since Jules, Robin and Sam are great characters.
I bought this one February 2, 2026. You can buy your copy here.
I bought this one February 2, 2026. You can buy your copy here.
