The First Law — John T. Lescroart

They date back to the wilder days of San Francisco's vigilante past--the Patrol Specials, a private police force that keeps watch for paying clients. Unfortunately, Sam Silverman--an elderly pawnshop owner and a friend of Lt. Abe Glitsky's father--could no longer afford Patrol Special protection, and now he may have paid with his life. But Glitsky, stuck in a paper-pushing job after being injured on duty, is hitting brick walls as he tries to get help from homicide. And his friend Dismas Hardy, putting together a high-stakes lawsuit against the Patrol Specials, suddenly finds himself defending a friend and local bar owner who's been accused in Silverman's death. Hardy's convinced of John Holiday's innocence--until he goes on the lam. Now, blocked at every turn, both Hardy and Glitsky may be forced to protect not only themselves, but their nearest and dearest--as they step cautiously into a world where the only law is survival... .