Richard North Patterson's thrilling new novel tells a multifaceted story that pierces the public drama of a sensational murder trial to probe the inner lives of the men and women at its heart.In San Francisco, Ricardo Arias is found dead in his apartment. The evidence might confirm suicide, but it also strongly suggests murder. The police investigation quickly uncovers a maze of conflict that surrounded Arias: an estranged wife, Terri Peralta; an ugly custody fight over their six-year-old daughter, Elena; and sexual abuse of the child. But then the police uncover a murder suspect -- Terri's new lover, Christopher Paget, a high-profile attorney.Now defense attorney becomes defendant, and we begin to see that what comes to light in the courtroom may be fatefully intertwined with what threatens to remain hidden: by Paget's refusal to testify, by Elena's tangled loyalties, and by Terri's inability -- or unwillingness -- to recall her own childhood trauma.
