Peter Hale is a young attorney with a lot to prove. Crossing his father, one of Portland's most powerful lawyers, was a costly mistake. Now, cut loose from his job and his inheritance, Peter's has landed in the public defender's office of a small Oregon town - and in the middle of a high-profile case that could make or break his career. His mentally handicapped client, accused of the savage murder of a college coed, faces the death penalty. And Peter faces a choice - between the pursuit of headlines and the pursuit of truth, between the compulsion to save himself and the courage to save his client - in a devastating trial by fire.
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"The plot was well constructed. The author led you down a number of paths, causing you to decide that was whodunit, but it wasn't. The overall theme as it related to the evolution of the main character was handled well."
— Dannye (5 out of 5 stars)
" A nice story of a poor spoiled rich kid forced to grow up. And he does so wonderfully. "
— Dave, 2/18/2014" Even though this audiobook was abridged, I didn't feel like I missed out on any of the story, which is sometimes the case with audio. I really enjoyed this story of a self-centered lawyer who learns all about himself while trying an important criminal case that he isn't qualified to try. This book was an interesting Who-Dun-It that kept me guessing until the end. "
— Beth, 2/10/2014" just didn't like it...disjointed with too many surprises added purely for the sake of ending the book...NOT recommended "
— GIZMO, 2/8/2014" An awesome read, had this book for a few months before actually reading it. Just to say when i started a couldn't stop! The story is a well balanced and awesome piece of work which provides a conclusion with a twist! "
— Wuraola, 2/2/2014" We both loved the characters and the plot of this book. Dale and I are turninging into real audio book worms. "
— Cindy, 1/31/2014" Excellent, keeps you guessing kind of book! Think I'll read more of his books. "
— Carolyn, 1/28/2014" great read - always keeps you guessing! "
— Autumn, 1/23/2014" Enjoyed the momentum of the book. "
— Monica, 1/19/2014" Predictable, thought the writing could have been better. Lawyer son not living up to father's expectations, banished to a wasteland, ends up taking on a case he is inexperienced for. "
— Sharon, 12/7/2013" Not that bad of a read, reminded me of Grisham in the manner that it revolves around courtroom activities. It sure did pull me along, and although I couldn't put it down at parts, the ending wasn't as great as I had hoped. "
— Ian, 11/18/2013" This is a very good book. I had to read the last 100 pages twice to see where my thoughts had tricked me. "
— Charlie, 11/5/2013" How disappointing. Super mystery premise. Redundant. Ill resolution. Not worth it for me. "
— Deanna, 10/18/2013" EXCELLENT, right up to the last page, as usual with this author. "
— Darlene, 9/16/2013" Good Lawyer story with a nice twist at the end. "
— Wendy, 7/16/2013" Found this to be very interesting. Some nice twists. "
— Larry, 12/15/2012" This author writes very suspenseful books. This was one of those books. "
— Debbie, 6/14/2012" A solid law mystery, as is typical from Margolin. "
— Kelly, 6/3/2012" AAARRRRGGGGHHH! Could not, absolutely could not put this one down until I finished it about 3AM. I'm SO tired. Some of it I guessed, but not the ending. "
— Marianne, 5/17/2012" This book is sometimes hard to follow but eventually flows. Its a good storyline that keeps you reading. "
— Michelle, 4/15/2012" No character development. Story/mystery was good. "
— Olive, 2/15/2012" Murder mystery set in Oregon. I enjoy this author "
— Tiffany, 1/6/2012" This was a decent read. Young lawyer coming of age story. A little contrived, but it reads at the end like a mystery book. Everything is explained in one scene. "
— T, 12/9/2011" Good book with lots of twists in the plot. "
— Roxann, 9/28/2011" This author writes very suspenseful books. This was one of those books. "
— Debbie, 9/22/2011" We both loved the characters and the plot of this book. Dale and I are turninging into real audio book worms. "
— Cindy, 7/31/2011" Well the Stallions had a good season. <br/>Coke is still the p[ause that refreshes. <br/>The Wilma Polk thing was ledt hanging too often. "
— Papalodge, 8/1/2010" great read - always keeps you guessing! "
— Autumn, 6/10/2010" Excellent, keeps you guessing kind of book! Think I'll read more of his books. "
— Carolyn, 8/31/2009" Good book with lots of twists in the plot. "
— Roxann, 8/21/2009" This was a decent read. Young lawyer coming of age story. A little contrived, but it reads at the end like a mystery book. Everything is explained in one scene. "
— T, 7/16/2009" A solid law mystery, as is typical from Margolin. "
— Kelly, 4/10/2009" This book is sometimes hard to follow but eventually flows. Its a good storyline that keeps you reading. "
— Michelle, 10/28/2008" Good Lawyer story with a nice twist at the end. "
— Wendy, 6/16/2008" Not that bad of a read, reminded me of Grisham in the manner that it revolves around courtroom activities. It sure did pull me along, and although I couldn't put it down at parts, the ending wasn't as great as I had hoped. "
— Ian, 6/3/2007Phillip Margolin has written over twenty novels, most of them New York Times bestsellers. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Northwest Writer Award. In addition to being a novelist, he was a long-time criminal defense attorney with decades of trial experience, including a large number of capital cases.
David de Vries, an Earphones Award-winning audiobook narrator and veteran stage actor and director, spent three years in the cast of Wicked and was the last Lumiere in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast. He has also appeared in numerous films and voiced commercial campaigns for companies large and small, including American Express, AT&T, UPS, Motorola, Georgia-Pacific, Delta Airlines, Coca Cola, and Ford, among others. He can be seen in a number of feature films, including The Founder, The Accountant, Captain America: Civil War, and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. On television, his credits include House of Cards, Nashville, and Halt and Catch Fire.