The Last Mile by David Baldacci (2016)

I like Amos Decker and like watching him return to the world slowly. There is an ex-football player theme here as well as a racial one, going back to the 1950's and 60's in the South when cruel racial crimes were perpetrated. We get to think again about capital punishment.

Melvin Mars is supposed to get executed for murdering his parents, but Amos gets interested in the case when he finds a lot of similarities to his own life - both with promising careers cut short by tragedy. In both cases someone came forward years later confessing to the murders. Why? 

As always, Baldacci provides a suspenseful read.