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In His Wake
Not yet published
Expected 1 Feb 26A political assassination draws an investigative reporter into a far-reaching conspiracy in a riveting thriller by Chad Zunker, Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Wife You Know and Family Money.
The death of reporter Dean Dawson’s estranged father in a boating accident leaves Dean and his brothers with mixed emotions. After all, the man abandoned his family and lived a life of inexplicable lies and broken promises. But four months after that fatal night cruise, their father is becoming a greater mystery than they imagined.
When a presidential candidate is assassinated in Austin, Dean is contacted by April North, his former girlfriend and an associate of Dean’s father at a powerhouse law firm. She’s stumbled upon a shocker. A cryptic text she wasn’t supposed to see on her boss’s phone not only implicates the firm in the assassination but also suggests that Dean’s father may still be very much alive.
As the brothers are pulled into a dark conspiracy, Dean and April are on the run as the next targets of a mysterious assassin—and one kill shot away from discovering the truth and a father’s dangerous secrets.
The death of reporter Dean Dawson’s estranged father in a boating accident leaves Dean and his brothers with mixed emotions. After all, the man abandoned his family and lived a life of inexplicable lies and broken promises. But four months after that fatal night cruise, their father is becoming a greater mystery than they imagined.
When a presidential candidate is assassinated in Austin, Dean is contacted by April North, his former girlfriend and an associate of Dean’s father at a powerhouse law firm. She’s stumbled upon a shocker. A cryptic text she wasn’t supposed to see on her boss’s phone not only implicates the firm in the assassination but also suggests that Dean’s father may still be very much alive.
As the brothers are pulled into a dark conspiracy, Dean and April are on the run as the next targets of a mysterious assassin—and one kill shot away from discovering the truth and a father’s dangerous secrets.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 1, 2026
3 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Chad Zunker
16 books837 followersCHAD ZUNKER is the author of the David Adams legal thriller, An Equal Justice, as well as The Tracker, Shadow Shepherd, and Hunt the Lion in his Sam Callahan series. Chad has worked for some of the country’s most powerful law firms and serves at Community First! Village, a 51-acre master planned community that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. He lives in Austin with his wife, Katie, and their three daughters, and is hard at work on his next novel. For more information visit www.chadzunker.com.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 9, 2025
In His Wake was an adventure from the very first page. The story moved at a fast pace, pulling me along with its twists and vivid scenes. The writing was crisp and engaging, making it easy to get lost in the journey. It’s one of those books that keeps your heart racing and your curiosity high until the very end.
December 2, 2025
This was it. They both could feel it. Four days of monitoring secret meetings, evading followers, and being chased around the country had led them to this moment. One way or another, this was the end of the road for them.
Moves around all over the the United States and Mexico, but focused in Austin, Texas.
Jerry Dawson, a successful lawyer, drowned several months ago. His sons are central to the narrative. Dean, 28, is an investigator reporter for TexasNow. Eric, 32, is an FBI agent—he runs the Austin office. Ben, the youngest, is a third year law student.
April North (26), Dean’s ex-girlfriend, is an attorney at a powerful law firm.
Two weeks before Election Day, Senator Lowell Carson is assassinated. Way ahead in the polls, he seemed to have it all in the bag.
Complicated family dynamics. Political intrigue. Crime and corruption. Second-chance love.
Turkish executioners; Mexican cartels; shady lawyers and oil moguls. Rival campaigns getting dirty…and bloody. Murders of witnesses and corroborators.
Excellent pace and flow. High octane. Danger and tension aplenty.
Eric’s investigations. Ben’s confusion.
April and Dean work very well together—slowly peeling back layers of secrets.
The storage facility. Lease Sale 151. Eastwood Petroleum.
Oil deals. Manipulated transactions. Huge financial windfalls.
Taut narrative. Zunker is an absolute beast at the Short Chapter, Fast-Paced Style.
Mailbox. 📪
Confrontation at the gala. Moles and betrayal.
Nails the conclusion.
Stellar read, from start to finish. 🤩 A brilliant thriller with intrigue and heart.
He would not let her get this far only to be taken down now. Even if it meant having his own body riddled with bullets. Even if it meant his life. She was everything to him. He’d known that deep down from the first time he’d met her. He’d known it every moment of every day he’d pushed her away last year.
Moves around all over the the United States and Mexico, but focused in Austin, Texas.
Jerry Dawson, a successful lawyer, drowned several months ago. His sons are central to the narrative. Dean, 28, is an investigator reporter for TexasNow. Eric, 32, is an FBI agent—he runs the Austin office. Ben, the youngest, is a third year law student.
April North (26), Dean’s ex-girlfriend, is an attorney at a powerful law firm.
Two weeks before Election Day, Senator Lowell Carson is assassinated. Way ahead in the polls, he seemed to have it all in the bag.
Complicated family dynamics. Political intrigue. Crime and corruption. Second-chance love.
Turkish executioners; Mexican cartels; shady lawyers and oil moguls. Rival campaigns getting dirty…and bloody. Murders of witnesses and corroborators.
Excellent pace and flow. High octane. Danger and tension aplenty.
Eric’s investigations. Ben’s confusion.
April and Dean work very well together—slowly peeling back layers of secrets.
The storage facility. Lease Sale 151. Eastwood Petroleum.
Oil deals. Manipulated transactions. Huge financial windfalls.
Taut narrative. Zunker is an absolute beast at the Short Chapter, Fast-Paced Style.
Mailbox. 📪
Confrontation at the gala. Moles and betrayal.
Nails the conclusion.
Stellar read, from start to finish. 🤩 A brilliant thriller with intrigue and heart.
He would not let her get this far only to be taken down now. Even if it meant having his own body riddled with bullets. Even if it meant his life. She was everything to him. He’d known that deep down from the first time he’d met her. He’d known it every moment of every day he’d pushed her away last year.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I just finished In His Wake, and once again Chad Zunker proved why he’s an auto-read author for me. I was lucky enough to read this one early, and it wastes zero time pulling punches. The story opens with a $40-million kill shot delivered by Yusuf Demier, aka The Caracal, and from there the fuse is lit. We follow the three Dawson brothers: Eric, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Austin office; Dean, an investigative reporter; and Ben, a law student still finding his footing. They’re already reeling from their father’s mysterious boating “accident,” made worse by the fact that no body was ever recovered. And then the question hits: what if he isn’t dead at all?
What unfolds is a tightly coiled political thriller linking their father’s law firm to an assassinated presidential candidate, shadowy power brokers, and a multimillion-dollar offshore drilling rig. Zunker doesn’t just ask what powerful people want—he shows exactly how far they’ll go to get it, keep it, and bury anything that threatens their control. The pace is relentless, the chapters fly, and the body count is both high and influential. Zunker is an absolute beast at the short-chapter, high-octane style, and he sticks the landing with a conclusion that feels earned and sharp. Stellar read. Mark your calendars.
What unfolds is a tightly coiled political thriller linking their father’s law firm to an assassinated presidential candidate, shadowy power brokers, and a multimillion-dollar offshore drilling rig. Zunker doesn’t just ask what powerful people want—he shows exactly how far they’ll go to get it, keep it, and bury anything that threatens their control. The pace is relentless, the chapters fly, and the body count is both high and influential. Zunker is an absolute beast at the short-chapter, high-octane style, and he sticks the landing with a conclusion that feels earned and sharp. Stellar read. Mark your calendars.
November 24, 2025
WOW! I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of #inhiswake from #chadzunker and it did not disappoint. Zunker has a knack for crisp and succinct story telling. He moves you through the story swiftly and the action is ever present.
The story grabs you in the first chapter and the suspense never lets up. The book is full of compelling characters and are well developed and you really get to know them as you go through the book. I found this to be the best part of the book to be the relationships between the brothers and Dean and April’s story.
The story grabs you in the first chapter and the suspense never lets up. The book is full of compelling characters and are well developed and you really get to know them as you go through the book. I found this to be the best part of the book to be the relationships between the brothers and Dean and April’s story.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews