An inexperienced young attorney fights to defend her
client, an abused wife accused of murdering her husband, in
what seems to be an airtight case.
Briley Lester, a hardworking young attorney at a
prestigious Chicago law firm, is stunned when the senior
partners assign her to a high-profile murder trial. Erin
Tomassi, wife of rising political star Jeffrey Tomassi,
allegedly killed her diabetic husband by administering an
overdose of insulin as he slept. Her prints are on a
syringe; she was an abused spouse, which gives her motive;
and she and Jeffrey appear to have been the only people in
the house that night, based on DNA evidence. Antonio
Tomassi, Jeffrey's influential and powerful father, is
convinced that Erin did it, so he suggests that the law
firm not use their top resources for Erin's defense. Still,
he wants to make sure that the trial is by the book to
eliminate any loopholes that might allow her to go free.
Thus Briley gets the case dumped in her lap, with little
support other than a paralegal and a law librarian.
Since Erin had taken a sleeping medication that night,
Briley suggests a "sleepwalking" defense -- Erin was
technically asleep and not responsible for her actions.
From the case built against her, it's one of the only
viable options. But Erin refuses, steadfastly claiming her
innocence and saying that if she were acquitted in this
manner, everyone -- including the vengeful Antonio Tomassi -
- would still blame her for Jeffrey's death. At first
frustrated by Erin's stubbornness, as Briley gets to know
more about her client, she begins to believe the woman
truly is innocent. But how will she convince a jury when
all the evidence points toward Erin's guilt?
This legal thriller follows a court case from the initial
arrest through the reading of the verdict, seen through the
eyes of various participants but mainly from Briley's
insider perspective. The solution to the mystery of
Jeffrey's death may seem a bit far-fetched to some readers,
but I felt the author laid the groundwork well to make it
seem plausible, and it raises some interesting questions.
The relationship between Briley and her boyfriend, Tim,
seemed a bit weak -- I enjoyed her interactions with a
police detective more. Also, the book is written in the
present tense, which personally I find a little
distracting. Although to Ms. Hunt's credit, it really
didn't bother me after the first few pages. I'd recommend
this for readers who like a good mystery as well as those
who enjoy courtroom dramas.
The murder trial promises to be the most sensational to
hit Chicago in years. And attorney Briley Lester knows it
could make—or break— her career. The tabloid headlines are
screaming that a long-mistreated society wife has killed
her abusive husband—the scion of one of the city's
wealthiest, most powerful, most dangerous families...
It seems like a hopeless, open-and-shut case, but Briley
is becoming more and more convinced that her client truly
is innocent. A tragic secret, almost too shocking to be
believed, could be the key to proving it. But before she
can bring the truth into the light, she'll have to face
this woman's shadow-haunted past—and her own—and let
darkness come...
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