The call comes at midnight. It looks like a tragic and
petty murder - a rising star in San Francisco's legal
firmament found shot in a dark alley. But for homicide
lieutenant Abe Glitsky, the crime cuts horribly close to
home - unknown to anyone, the victim was his daughter.
Seething, Glitsky leans hard on his only suspect - a
homeless heroin addict found lingering over his daughter's
body, with her jewelry in his pocket and a smoking gun in
his hand.
The city's embattled, ambitious D.A. Sharron Pratt sees an
opportunity to revive her troubled administration by
publicly declaring war on the killer and vowing to deliver
a death penalty, putting the case on the fast track to
certain conviction. Unable to watch a man die for Pratt's
political gain, Dismas Hardy warily takes on the defense.
But as Hardy's crusade to secure his client a fair hearing
ensues, a lethal web of political corruption, legal
conspiracy, and cold-blooded murder begins to unravel. In
a case that will send shock waves through San Francisco
and echo in the private lives of its most prominent
citizens, the hearing is just the beginning.