Review: 'Airtight' is tale of family dynamics

The Associated Press, Tuesday, February 12, 2013, 8:28am (PST)

"Airtight" (Minotaur Books), by David Rosenfelt

The brutal death of a judge opens "Airtight," David Rosenfelt's latest tale of mystery, family dynamics and paranoia.

New Jersey police officer Luke Somers gets the case, and a suspect quickly becomes apparent. Somers and his partner arrive at the home of Steven Gallagher and find him holding a gun. Somers opens fire and kills him. Evidence shows that Gallagher killed the judge, so the case is closed.

Chris Gallagher doesn't believe that his brother killed the judge. He decides to force Somers to continue the investigation by kidnapping Somers' brother. Somers has seven days before his brother, Bryan, who's locked in an underground bunker, runs out of air.

Somers begins to balance the line between doing his job and ethics. Should he fabricate evidence to save his brother, or was Steven Gallagher innocent?

As the clock continues ticking, Rosenfelt takes readers on a tight journey that examines the family bond and what a person might do to save a loved one.

The thriller elements are intense, but the introduction of characters from a small town along with the issue of fracking distract from the main story. Even with that minor issue aside, readers will be waiting to see how airtight the case, and Bryan's prison, truly are.