Citywide Bytes—Justin Lee breaks new ground in fourth book

After hearing this interview, I hope you’ll all be a little more careful when you open that random email. Because you never know.

Author Justin Lee is back with a new book, “The Reluctant Reckoner” (Oct. 8) and in this episode, we talk all about protagonist Mark Righters, an ordinary man caught in a world he is wholly unprepared for. Here’s a look at what’s in store:

An honest accountant who likes to keep it simple, he's been at the same company for 23 years and prefers things the way they are: steady, with little excitement, and even less change. His health, 8-year-old daughter, and small suburban home are all he needs. But after that e-mail, everything is at risk. 

Somehow framed for a financial discrepancy that could send him to jail, at first, he's just bewildered. But when the crime mysteriously disappears just as quickly as it emerged, it's clear just how outmatched Mark really is. 

Then he's kidnapped, blindfolded, and given a timeline to steal confidential information. He doesn't know who the perpetrators are, what they need it for, or why they asked him. But he does know they know things about him. Personal things. Things they can't possibly know. 

Justin and I talk about the kind of person Mark is and how he navigates this plot. He goes into his growth as a writer and the new territory he got to explore in this, his fourth book. We also look at how, after four books and several awards, Justin feels that he has “arrived” as a writer.