Julia Vacanti has denied the past, buried it away in a dark
corner of her mind, forbidden to discuss it with her aunt
and uncle, her only living relatives. Her job as a State of
Florida prosecutor handles the B circuit of charges, such
as domestic violence, which keeps her very busy and her
mind off other matters.
A prominent family is murdered and one of the top state
prosecutors, who has his eye on the State Attorney General
position, asks Julia to be second seat in the case. Julia
must accompany him to the crime scene. Once there, she sees
the horrific evidence and learns they are charging the
father, David Marquette, of murdering his wife and three
small children and will ask for the death penalty.
As the case against Marquette builds, the defense submits a
plea of insanity. While working with expert psychiatrists
and learning about Marquette's supposed illness, Julia
begins to question whether Marquette is really a cold,
calculating murderer or a man who is terribly mentally ill.
The ramifications of sending a truly ill man to his death
cause Julia to question the lead attorney's intentions;
this case will give him major media attention. This case
throws Julia into a vortex that will spiral out of control
and leave her in threads as her chilling past catches up to
her.
PLEA OF INSANITY is very well-written; I became so
engrossed in the story, I read it in one sitting. My mind
swirled with the subject matter and I could feel how
frightened Julia would be given the topic. I applaud
Jilliane Hoffman for writing such a well-researched,
riveting and quick-paced story that is sure to stimulate
and entertain the avid thriller reader.
The prosecutor — Julia Vacanti. Young and ambitious, and
facing a case that could launch her career. The defendant —
David Marquette. A successful Miami surgeon and devoted
family man. The victims — Marquette’s own wife and three
small children. The plea — Not Guilty by Reason of
Insanity.
The perfect father and model husband, David Marquette
seemingly just snapped. His experienced defense team
claims paranoid delusions caused by schizophrenia drove
him to slaughter his entire family.
But the state
suspects Marquette’s insanity defense is being fabricated
to disguise murders that were cold blooded and calculated.
Worse, Julia believes Marquette could be responsible for a
string of unsolved, brutal homicides. Could he be one of
the most prolific and elusive serial killers in the
country’s history? To bring him to justice, Julia must
embark on a terrifying personal journey back into her own
past — something she has struggled to forget for 15 years.
And this will lead her to confront a future so chilling,
she’s not sure she will ever be able to face it...