by D. W. Buffa
First published 2013
Joseph Antonelli emerges from self-imposed isolation when his old friend Judge Horace Woolner asks him to serve as special prosecutor. The target is Marshall Goodwin, chief deputy district attorney accused of orchestrating his former wife's murder. Antonelli sees this as his chance to stand on the right side of justice for once. The case rekindles his passion for practicing law, but complications multiply when Russell Gray, a wealthy Portland socialite, turns up dead in his living room. The prime suspect is Woolner's own wife. Now Antonelli faces an impossible choice between loyalty to his friend and his duty as prosecutor. The boundaries between right and wrong blur as personal relationships collide with legal obligations. With both justice and love hanging in the balance, Antonelli discovers that the courtroom offers no easy answers.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, legal-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: loyalty-vs-duty, moral-ambiguity
Setting: Portland
256 pages · Kindle Edition · Henry Holt and Co.