THE 7TH CANON is a pleasant change. It is not part of a series; it is a standalone novel that Robert Dugoni has had around for a long time; he wrote the first draft 20 years ago. That made some things out of date in 2016. So he set the story in 1987.

A priest who ran a home for homeless boys in San Francisco is accused of murdering one of those boys. His lawyer decides that the only way to a successful defense is to prove the priest’s innocence and find the real murderer. Although I was pretty sure who the real murderer was early on, it was still fun following the lawyer’s investigation. Turns out, some of the characters he interacts with are based on real people in Dugoni’s life.

I’ve read several Dugoni novels. None has impressed me as much as the last book he wrote in his David Sloane series, THE CONVICTION. I’ve been watching for another to grab me like that did. His Tracy Crosswhite series wasn’t doing it, so I welcomed THE 7TH CANON. But, although it’s good, it’s not that good. Dugoni needs to return to David Sloane.

The publisher Thomas & Mercer sent me this book at my request.

Robert Dugoni is an author that I have read before but this story took too many turns that weren't that interesting.