One Good Deed by David Baldacci

 Aloysious Archer is released after serving time in a state prison.  He meets with his female parole officer, who gives him rules he will need to follow to keep from breaking parole. One of the rules is that he is supposed to find a job.  This he does, but it isn't the most respectable job.  He is hired to collect a debt for a local loan shark.  When, later, the loan shark ends up dead, Archer is the prime suspect.  He knows that he must find out who really killed the guy or he will go back to prison. 

Archer is an interesting character.  He is fundamentally ethical, but isn't always saintly.  The plot is interesting, and doesn't end as predicably as I had feared.  The characters are what make the book fun to read.  Some start out stereotypical, but as the story goes on Baldacci adds detail and insight, and soon the characters are not as flat as they first seemed.  This book is probably targeted at men, but is isn't as gory or racy as many men's action mysteries, so it could be shared by a husband/wife who were on vacation.  I can see why Baldacci is hugely popular.  (433 p. 2019)