It starts with a routine traffic stop. Moments later, a young man is killed by a rookie cop. Self-defense or murder? As San Francisco descends into chaos, it's up to Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez to prove the cop's innocence.

In the ninth installment of New York Times best-selling author Sheldon Siegel's iconic San Francisco series, ex-spouses Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez have come a long way from their days as small-time defense attorneys. No longer working in a converted martial arts studio on the earthy side of Mission Street. Rosie is now San Francisco's Public Defender, and Mike is the head of the Felony Division. Their daughter is in college. Their son is in middle school. For the first time in years, there is a semblance of order in their lives.

It doesn't last long.

Johnny Bacigalupi is a rookie police officer and fourth-generation cop. His father is an assistant chief. He's also Mike's godson.

On a rainy night, Johnny and his partner pull over a Honda with a broken tail light. When Juwon Jones is asked to exit his car, he bangs the door into Johnny and flees. Johnny corners Jones in a parking lot. Shots ring out and Jones is dead. A rookie mistake? Self-defense?

A gun is found under the body - did it belong to Jones? Was it planted? No weapon is visible in body cam footage. Johnny and the other cops insist that Johnny acted in self-defense. The D.A. charges Johnny with first-degree murder.

Mike takes a leave from the P.D.'s Office to represent his godson. Meanwhile, TV, cable news, Twitter, and social media explode. Police supporters clash with Black Lives Matter.

Mike, Rosie, and Mike's private-investigator brother, Pete, face their biggest challenge in a high-stakes case where San Francisco's streets turn violent.

Serve and Protect is the ninth book in the legal thriller series featuring Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez.