Synopses & Reviews
The Supreme Court is one of our most sacred and secretive public institutions. But sometimes secrets can lead to cover-ups with very deadly consequences.
Terry Scarborough is a legal scholar and provocateur who craves headline-making celebrity, but with his latest book he may have gone too far. In it he resurrects forgotten language in the U.S. Constitution and hints at a missing letter of Thomas Jefferson's that threatens to divide the nation.
Then, during a publicity tour, Scarborough is brutally murdered in a San Diego hotel room, and a young man with dark connections is charged. What looks like an open-and-shut case to most people doesn't to defense attorney Paul Madriani. He believes that there is much more to the case and that the defendant is a pawn caught in the middle, being scapegoated by circumstance.
As the trial spirals toward its conclusion, Madriani and his partner, Harry Hinds, race to find the missing Jefferson letter and the secrets it holds about slavery and scandal at the time of our nation's founding and the very reason Scarborough was killed. Madriani's chase takes him from the tension-filled courtroom in California to the trail of a high court justice now suddenly in hiding and lays bare the soaring political stakes for a seat on the highest court, in a country divided, and under the shadow of power.
Review
"[S]omewhat implausible but gripping....[T]he mix of racial tension and courtroom drama combines for a suspenseful thriller." Booklist
Synopsis
Murder reaches deep into the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court in this electrifying new thriller featuring defense attorney Paul Madriani.
Synopsis
Murder reaches deep into the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court in this latest thriller featuring defense attorney Paul Madriani, now published by William Morrow
Controversial law professor Terry Scarborough rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. With the publication of his new book--which claimed that the U.S. Constitution and some lost writings of Thomas Jefferson supported racial discrimination--he only added fuel to the fire. When he's found beaten to death in a San Diego hotel room and a young man with connections to neo-Nazis is charged with first-degree murder, defense attorney Paul Madriani eagerly signs on to the case.
The passionate and wily litigator believes it isn't just about power and race. He's betting there's a deeper mystery to this defendant--and that he may be just as much a victim as the deceased. Amid the glare of cameras and the jeers of protesters, Madriani buckles down, digging deep to find the evidence he needs to unlock the truth. And no one will stand in his way--not an officer of the U.S. government or a sitting Supreme Court justice.
About the Author
Steve Martini is the author of The Arraignment, The Jury, The Attorney, and other New York Times-bestselling novels featuring attorney Paul Madriani. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.