Texas Ranger Crawford Hunt is not only having a bad day, but a bad life. After the death of his wife four years previously, he let his late wife's parents take his young daughter, as he was not in any condition to take care of a young child. Now, however, he wants his daughter back, but his ex in-laws are taking him to court over custody. His whole future lies in the hands of Judge Holly Spencer. While in court, and just before Judge Spencer hands down her verdict, however, a gunman bursts into the courtroom. After killing a deputy, he aims for the judge. Crawford saves her, then goes after the gunman, who is killed by police on the rooftop during a shoot-out.

Holly Spencer has moved to Prentiss, Texas, after the governor appointed her to a Judgeship vacancy. She is up for re-election, and her adversary for the position is a lawyer who doesn't mind playing dirty. She certainly doesn't need any drama in what looks to be a fairly routine custody hearing. After the attack in her courtroom, she learns that the man who was killed in the shoot-out may not be the actual gunman from the courtroom. When she realizes she may still have someone out there trying to hurt her, she turns to Crawford for assistance. Together they do what the police are not willing to do, which is investigate the case fully and dig for the real culprit.

There is certainly no shortage of action and suspense in FRICTION. Sandra Brown has kept up the roll she's been on the last few years of giving readers quality suspenseful thrillers. Crawford Hunt is a decent guy in a bad situation, and Holly Spencer needs to keep her nose clean to win her re-election. All that goes out the window when they have to deal with a hard headed, incompetent and unethical police detective, a vengeful ex father-in-law, a backstabbing lawyer, and a bad guy looking to make both of their lives miserable. FRICTION is an exciting story with nice action and suspense, and with a couple of decent twists at the end. Where the book threatened to lose me, however, was the characterization of the secondary players. Virtually every one of them were cliché and stereotypical; unprofessional and buffoonish caricatures. The sheer power of the entertaining story overcame these nits, and FRICTION was a roller coaster of exciting reading all the way to the end.

FRICTION is a very good read, and Sandra Brown continues to deliver intriguing and thrilling reads. Crawford and Holly take on a harrowing investigation; leaving the reader rooting for them to get to the bottom of the mystery. The couple discover each other along the way, and the romance that brews between them is steamy and fast. FICTION is a recommended read, both for longtime fans of Sandra Brown. For those who have never read her before, it's a good place to start.