State of Mind, A First Family Novel

A firefighter’s death is ruled an accident, but was it?

When DC firefighter Colby Paulson dies during a warehouse fire, the loss brings firefighters from across the country to Washington for his funeral. But two weeks later, Colby’s friend Jonah Murray walks into Lieutenant Sam Holland’s homicide unit with a disturbing accusation: he saw another firefighter deliberately push Colby to his death.

Jonah’s account puts Sam and the Metropolitan Police Department in a difficult position. The accused is a fellow public servant with deep ties to the fire department, and the investigation threatens to strain the relationship between two agencies accustomed to working together. There’s also a personal complication: Jonah is a childhood friend of Sam’s trusted partner, Detective Freddie Cruz.

As Sam’s team examines the circumstances surrounding Colby’s death, questions emerge about workplace tensions and a troubled marriage. The case grows more complicated with every answer as the evidence takes them in directions they never anticipated. Sam and her team must determine what really happened in that warehouse, even if the truth divides people who have spent their lives protecting others.
New U.S. Attorney Catherine McDermott asks Sam’s team to take another look at a cold case, using controversial DNA technology, and U.S. Marshals Jesse Best and Memphis Rose Costello have some big decisions to make about their future.

While Sam and her husband, President Nick Cappuano, try to carve out more time to themselves in the midst of their busy lives, one of their children needs them like never before. They face a frightening parenting challenge that has their closest friends and family coming together to get them through it.

The First Family Series is back with an exciting new story for Sam, Nick, their family and friends as she and her team try to figure out who killed Colby Paulson—and why.