Part of Dismas Hardy, book 16
First published 2015
Tanya Morgan, a teenage foster child, dies after falling from an overpass above San Francisco's Stockton tunnel. Police arrest Greg Treadway, a middle school teacher who volunteers as a Special Advocate for foster children. Greg shared dinner with Tanya on the night she died, but his story begins to unravel under scrutiny. Rebecca Hardy, now an associate at her father Dismas Hardy's law firm, takes on Greg's defense. As the murder trial approaches, the Hardy legal team discovers multiple suspects: Tanya's missing stepfather who sexually abused her, a roommate operating a prostitution ring, Tanya's unstable birth mother, and a homeless man with unknown connections to the victim. Rebecca and Dismas must determine whether Greg is innocent or hiding his true nature. They face the challenge of presenting alternative theories to the jury while navigating the personal and professional costs of their investigation.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, legal-thriller
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: San Francisco, Stockton Tunnel
Period: Contemporary
305 pages · Hardcover · Atria Books
Content warnings: abuse, child-abuse, sexual-assault