First published 2018
Ruby Bozarth arrives in Rosedale, Mississippi as a newly minted attorney. Circuit Judge Baylor assigns her to defend a college football star accused of murdering a woman from one of the town's most prominent families. The prosecutor expects Ruby's inexperience to guarantee a quick conviction. Ruby refuses to let her client become a scapegoat in this racially charged case. She teams up with Suzanne, a fierce attorney, and Shorty, a diner cook who knows more than he reveals. The investigation takes a darker turn when a second murder rocks Rosedale. Ruby's former fiancé appears at her door, desperate for help. Ruby once nearly joined the country club elite through marriage, but she never truly belonged to their world. As the trial approaches, Ruby discovers that everyone in town harbors dangerous secrets. The twelve jurors may be concealing the most explosive truth of all. Ruby must navigate the web of lies and corruption to save her client and expose the real killer.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, legal-thriller
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, underdog
Setting: Rosedale, Mississippi
Period: contemporary
337 pages · Kindle Edition · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: racism