First published 2013
Judge David S. Norcross has only two years of federal court experience when a brutal double murder lands on his bench. A drive-by shooting in Holyoke kills both a drug dealer and a hockey mom who was volunteering at an inner-city clinic. Police arrest a rival gang member, but Massachusetts has no death penalty. The US attorney moves the case to federal court to pursue execution. Norcross must now handle the state's first capital case in decades. He watches an ambitious prosecutor battle a seasoned defense lawyer while community anger boils over. Media attention intensifies the pressure. Gang members threaten violence. A romantic relationship puts his entire trial at risk. Every decision could mean life or death for the defendant and chaos for his courtroom. Written by Michael Ponsor, who actually presided over Massachusetts's first capital case in over fifty years, the novel captures the weight of deciding whether someone lives or dies.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, legal-thriller
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: high-stakes, moral-dilemma, power-dynamics
Setting: Holyoke, Massachusetts
Period: 21st-century
376 pages · Kindle Edition · Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence, murder