The Copper Frame — Ellery Queen

A small-town police chief is framed for a heinous crime 

Andy Saxon has run the Iroquois police force for as long as anyone can remember. At 62, he's as strong as an oak and hasn't even given a thought to retirement. When a national crime syndicate wants to turn his small village into a haven for gamblers, Chief Saxon is the only thing standing in their way. And so, on a country road outside of town, a car full of hit men pulls alongside the chief's vehicle and opens fire. His driver rushes the wounded cop to the hospital, but Saxon is dead upon arrival.
 
When news of the murder comes across the police radio, Saxon's son is the first to hear it. A hardened police lieutenant, the younger Saxon is about to take revenge when the gangsters frame him for a crime he didn't commit. To avenge his father, and stay out of jail, Lieutenant Saxon must wage a one-man war against the mob.