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Murray’s riveting debut is filled with murky twists and characters whose deceptive veneers cover dark secrets. Leila is determined to be a barrister, and her hard work and determination pay off. Soon after completing her law degree, she joins a prestigious London law firm, where illustrious prosecutor and King’s Counsel Julian Kessler is appointed her mentor. It doesn’t take long for the relationship to morph from mentor and pupil to husband and wife. Unsurprisingly, Leila always feels inferior to her celebrated husband. Determined to prove she can become as successful as he is, she takes on cases other barristers might refuse, like that of Jack Millman, who’s arrested for assault. She loses the case, but that merely spurs her to work harder. Five years later, Jack is arrested again, this time for murder, and to Leila’s surprise, he insists that she defend him. She accepts, determined to win this time . . . until she learns that the prosecutor will be none other than her distinguished husband. Daunted but undeterred, she’ll do everything she can to triumph. As the story progresses, innocence and guilt, shame and blame, secrets and lies, cold ambition and bitter disappointment from the past and present are exposed in this complex legal-psychological thriller.

Publishers Weekly
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The stakes couldn’t be higher for up-and-coming British defense attorney Leila Reynolds as she prepares for her first murder trial against her prosecutor husband in Murray’s razor-sharp debut. Leila, a scrappy barrister in Durham, England, is defending club bouncer and ex-con Jack Millman, who’s accused of killing Crown Court judge Anton Smythe. Because Jack insists he will not provide information for the customary defense statement before trial, but only give his version of events in court, Leila scrambles to investigate the case herself, gathering evidence and witness statements that put Jack in a positive light. All the while, she avoids tipping her hand to her spouse, prosecuting counsel Julian Kesler, who has been acting suspiciously in recent weeks, leading Leila to worry he’s having an affair. Compounding her stress are anonymous threats from someone who seems not only familiar with her every move, but also with explosive secrets from her past. Former barrister Murray lays out her intricate plot with the aplomb of a seasoned lawyer steering a jury to a verdict, shedding light on procedural idiosyncrasies and gender inequality within the British legal system en route to a jaw-dropping final twist. Readers will find this criminally captivating. (May)