GUILTY BY ASSOCIATION
by TG Wolff
July 13 - August 7, 2026 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:
The Rizk Brothers Legal Mystery Series
Family values are great for campaigns. Family baggage isn't.
His twin is the last person Miami Detective Seth Rizk expects to defend him at an internal affairs hearing that could end his career. As the interim attorney general for Indiana, Jakob has to keep his reputation clean as he campaigns for the permanent seat.
While waiting for the ruling, Seth returns to Indiana to repay a debt posthumously. The retired cop who once helped solve the Rizk family’s greatest tragedy was found dead under suspicious circumstances. The trail leads straight into a luxury rehab facility where, posing undercover, Seth discovers fraud, theft, ambition—and a motive worth killing to protect.
But Seth’s sins in Miami follow him north, and Jakob is caught in the storm. His campaign team issues an ultimatum: cut ties with your brother or lose the election. With enemies closing in, the twins must decide which bond is stronger: family, justice, or survival.
Perfect for readers of smart mysteries, legal intrigue, and brotherly chemistry.
Praise for Guilty by Association:
"I was pulled into this story and felt like I was right there with all the characters and I love the way the twins interact with each other."
~ Bookbub Reviewer
"There is so much drama and intrigue, making for an entertaining and enjoyable story. The characters are wonderful and so genuine. I find the interactions between the twins, their dad, Jakob’s wife and his staff to be fun to read. The book ended on a zinger and I can’t wait for book 3. I highly recommend reading it and give it 5 stars."
~ Bookbub Reviewer
"If you enjoy engaging sound plots with relatable characters who are involved in complex investigations, then Guilty by Association is the book for you. Because of the cliffhanger ending I can hardly wait for book three."
~ Bookbub 5⭐ review
Book Details:
Genre: Mystery; Legal Mystery, Whodunnit
Published by: Tule Publishing
Publication Date: April 22, 2026
Number of Pages: 324
ISBN: 9781972451007 (ISBN10: 1972451006)
Series: The Rizk Brothers Legal Mystery Series, Book 2
Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | BookBub | Tule Publishing
The Rizk Brothers Legal Mystery Series
 Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | BookBub | Tule Publishing |
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Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | BookBub | Tule Publishing |
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 Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | BookBub | Tule Publishing |
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GUEST POST:
Guilt by association, according to Merriam-Webster, means a moral guilt or unfitness presumed to exist on the basis of one’s known associations. An interesting concept, that we do not define the groups by our association with them, but we are defined by them.
Family. Friends. Business associates. Social groups.
It seems, as we grow and develop groups, we judge them from the inside out, deciding if their values, priorities, likes and dislikes are in step with our own. Groups themselves do develop distinct traits and personalities that are outwardly on display for others. The collective culture is the one that becomes the public identification. True or false, right or wrong, each individual then is defined by that group.
In Guilty by Association, Book 2 in the Rizk Brothers Legal Mystery series, Jakob Rizk is a candidate for the mid-term election of the Indiana state attorney general. He is a forthright man and as honest as a lawyer can be and still be successful ;) In his effort to win over members of the caucus who will select his mentor’s successor, Jakob finds himself defending more than his record as a county prosecutor and lawyer in the attorney general’s office.
His wife, Dr. Courtney James, MD, is an accomplished psychiatrist. No one doubts her contributions to her field and to the Indianapolis community. But why didn’t she take his name?
His mentor, the recently deceased Indiana attorney general Harrison Stanley, was a second father, providing Jakob with an intellection outlet for his anger after his mother’s death. But where was his birth father?
And then there is his twin brother, Seth. A storm in the eye of calm, his brother is a military veteran and homicide detective whose heart is often bigger and faster than his brain. In the most recent example of this, Seth defended a vulnerable woman against a cop who used his position as a free ticket. The fight put the other man in the hospital and Seth in front of an internal hearing board. True or false, right or wrong, it isn’t just Seth on trial.
Because Jakob is guilty by association.
Guilty not of defending a victim, but of attacking one of his own, of breaking an unwritten code, of choosing someone outside the group over someone within it. And standing by his brother just may be the thing that Jakob’s political opponents need.
In every example and definition I found, guilt by association is a negative thing. A person is brought down in the eyes of a court, police, society, etc., because of their association.
But I could find no term that describes a person being lifted up by the association. It is only reasonable that if there is a down, there is an up. People (real or fictional) who are made kinder, more generous, more empathetic, more helpful by their association.
What word should we use for this?
Virtue by association?
Merit by association?
Raised by association?
Leave your word in the comments and start a conversation about lifting each other up.
Read an excerpt:
Seth
Wednesday. Late afternoon.
Sitting on the rooftop of Wallace Investigations in the shade of a canopy, Seth reflected on his afternoon. He’d seen everything the South Bend PD had on the Jameson case. It was both what he expected and disappointing. But, he realized, if there had been the proverbial smoking gun, he wouldn’t be here now.
Or maybe that voicemail to Butch was the smoking gun. Without it, Declan Jameson’s death would have been ruled accidental, and life would have moved on.
While Stanton had welcomed him on the team, Seth had to run his own investigation, separate and unofficial. Top of Seth’s list were Jameson’s children, Danielle and Sean. If he were lucky, Jameson talked to one of them about what he thought stunk.
He dialed the number for Danielle in the police report. After five rings, it rolled to voicemail. Not a surprise. In the day and age of spam calls, he was one of the many who only answered numbers he knew. Well, his phone knew. Seth long ago stopped knowing phone numbers beyond his and the one that rang in the house where his father still lived.
He left a message for Mrs. Tolbert and then dialed the woman who had reported Jameson missing.
She picked up on the second ring. “Hello?” The female voice was soft, almost melodic.
“Mrs. O’Connell? My name is Seth Rizk. I am conducting a secondary investigation into Declan Jameson’s death. How are you today, ma’am?” He asked the question to give the woman time to digest the mouthful he’d just given her.
“I’m fine, thank you for asking.”
“I would like to meet with you to talk about Captain Jameson.”
“Who is it?” a nosy voice asked grumpily in the background.
“My nephew,” Mrs. O’Connell said away from the phone, then came back to the speaker. “I would love if you visited. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”
“Ma’am? Did you hear what I said?”
“Of course. Tomorrow afternoon? That would be fine. You’re welcome to join us for lunch, if you don’t mind eating with a crowd of sophisticated, older ladies.”
“I would love to join you for lunch. I’ll be there at noon, Mrs. O’Connell. Or should I call you Aunt Morrighan?”
“Yes, that would be best,” she said. “Oh, it’s been such a long time since I’ve had someone to, er, talk to. You know, family. Do you have any news?”
“About Captain Jameson’s death? More questions than answers, but there are a few things I can share.”
She laughed, the sound forced and brittle. “Oh, that brother of yours. He always was a troublemaker.”
No, Jakob was the good brother. Not that she knew.
“I really can’t wait to hear what kind of trouble you’ve been making,” she said, her voice cracking.
Seth heard the real stress behind the faked banter. “I can come now. I’m in the city and can be there in twenty minutes.”
“No, no. Things are the same around here. It will be nice to have a break in routine …”
“Seth, Aunt Morrighan. I’ll see you at noon. You have my number—don’t be shy about using it.”
“Wonderful, see you tomorrow, Seth.” She ended the call.
“Color me intrigued,” Seth said to the pigeon walking around the roof. “The woman was intimidated by someone. Maybe the same someone who shot Jameson up with heart meds. This ought to be an interesting visit. Hold that thought,” he said as his screen showed the daughter’s name. “Seth Rizk.”
“Hello, this is Danielle Tolbert. I’m returning your call?” The question held more than a little distress.
“Thank you for calling, Mrs. Tolbert. My condolences on your loss. I met your father a long time ago. I’m one of the many who respected him.”
Not Jakob. Whatever his problem was.
“Thank you.” Her voice broke.
“I want to speak with both you and your brother, tomorrow if possible.”
She sniffled. “Why do you want to talk to Sean? He lives in Nashville, Tennessee and just came back home when Dad went missing. He doesn’t know anything.”
“With investigations, you just never know when the smallest, off-hand comment holds the key to the entire puzzle. I know this is hard.”
“Why isn’t the South Bend PD handling my father’s case? He worked for them for more than thirty years. He trusted them and wouldn’t like it if they were pushed aside.” Even in her grief, Danielle wasn’t rolling over for him.
“No one has pushed anyone aside. I spent the morning with Detective Stanton. If you prefer, I can see if he’s available to join us.”
A pregnant pause followed.
“No. It’s all right.” She didn’t sound as if it was. “As long as he knows you’re meeting with us, it’s okay. Sean is staying with us. Could you come by the house in the morning? Maybe nine thirty?” When Seth agreed, she ended the call with little courtesy or fanfare.
Seth sat with his elbows on his knees. He would have his hands full tomorrow. He would have to be strategic interviewing the grieving family. In his experience, the doors of cooperation could slam shut quickly. For an instant, he contemplated tagging Stanton. She obviously trusted him. But Seth wanted to get his own impressions. Stanton would be his backup plan, in case he did end up shut out.
The trip to Seven Families, to see Morrighan O’Connell, had to be solo. Walking in with a known cop could shut mouths he needed open.
Briefing the detective after would be good enough for now.
“Well,” he said to the pigeon, “since I’m not going anywhere soon …” He opened the cooler, pulled out a Bud, and leaned back in his chair.
***
Excerpt from Guilty by Association by TG Wolff. Copyright 2026 by TG Wolff. Reproduced with permission from Tule Publishing. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
TG Wolff has never been able resist a good puzzle. With an engineer’s mind for logic and a lifelong love of mysteries, she crafts whodunnit stories that challenge readers to outsmart her detective. Her books are filled with quirky characters, red herrings, and—because she firmly believes solving (fictional) murders should be fun—a healthy dose of humor.
TG earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in civil engineering, learning early to see every problem as a mystery and each solution as the answer the result of asking the right questions. That same curiosity drives her fiction, where nothing is ever accidental and every detail counts.
When she’s not plotting fictional crimes, TG is a mystery reader and reviewer, and the co-creator / co-host of the whodunnit mystery podcast Mysteries to Die For. A Cleveland, Ohio native, she now lives in northeast Indiana with her husband and two sons, where dogs and mysteries are always welcome.
TGWolff.com
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