Part of Dismas Hardy, book 3
First published 2002
A shark's stomach yields a severed hand adorned with jade, belonging to a Silicon Valley tech billionaire. When the victim's bullet-riddled corpse surfaces on San Francisco's shores, assistant district attorney Dismas Hardy faces the murder trial that will define his career. The defendant is a Japanese call girl whose client roster reads like a who's who of powerful men. Hardy believes he has a straightforward case until unexpected revelations transform the proceedings into something far more dangerous. The victim's seductive daughter complicates matters, while a hostile judge seems determined to destroy Hardy's reputation. As the trial unfolds, Hardy discovers that seeking justice in this case may cost him everything. The deeper he digs, the more enemies he makes, turning him from prosecutor into target. Hardy must navigate treacherous courtroom politics and personal threats to uncover the truth behind a killing that reaches into San Francisco's highest circles.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, legal-thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: San Francisco, Silicon Valley
Period: 21st-century
688 pages · Paperback · Signet
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder