It's been over twenty years since government assassin Will Robie left his hometown in Mississippi. Now a trained killer used to taking down enemies of the state, he was once remembered by the local residents as a wild sports star and girl-magnet. He left a lot of hearts broken, and a lot of people angry.

Now he's back. His estranged father, Dan, who is the local judge, has been arrested for murder and Robie wonders if it's time to try to heal old wounds. A lot of bad blood has flowed between father and son, but Robie's fellow agent, Jessica Reel, persuades him to stick around and confront his demons.

Then another murder changes everything, and stone-cold killer Robie will finally have to come to grips with his toughest assignment of all. His family.

The Guilty is the fourth thriller in the Will Robie series by David Baldacci, following on from The Innocent, The Hit and The Target.