All We Trust

Two siblings face a fierce test of loyalty in Galloway’s atmospheric latest (after Just Thieves). In the years since half brothers Al and Peck lost their wives—Al’s to cancer, Peck’s to divorce—they’ve come to lean heavily on each other. They run a hardware store and a bar together, and take weekly drives from their rural town to drop off cash they’ve laundered for a criminal organization in a nearby city. Their bond gets strained after Al’s hard drive, which holds a cryptocurrency fortune, goes missing (Peck was the only other person who had access to it). When a police search and seizure disrupts the journey to their weekly drop-off, their doubts deepen. As more bizarre roadblocks crop up, the brothers begin to question not only each other’s reliability, but also who within their organization might be targeting them. Desperate to escape his criminal entanglements, Al enlists his con-man father to help fabricate a looming threat from a rival cartel, with tragic results. Deliberate pacing and a stirring emotional center bolster Galloway’s engrossing tale of lifelong relationships being tested in a crucible of grief and anxiety. It’s a grimly satisfying neo-noir. Agent: David Halpern, David Halpern Literary. (July)