First published 1997
Steve Everett speeds through city streets in his battered Ford Tempo, easy-listening music drowning out his troubles. The reporter drinks heavily and sleeps with his boss's wife, but today he faces something bigger than his personal demons. He has discovered that Frank Beachum, scheduled to die in hours, never killed that convenience store clerk six years ago. On Death Row, Beachum prepares to say goodbye to his wife and child while maintaining his faith in God and his innocence. The execution machinery moves forward with mechanical precision. The executioner stands ready. The priest waits nearby. Everett must find proof of Beachum's innocence before the lethal injection ends an innocent man's life. Time runs out as the flawed reporter battles a flawed system, racing against the clock to prevent what may be society's greatest crime.
Genres: fiction, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: race-against-the-clock, redemption, wrongly-accused
400 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Dell
Content warnings: death, murder