Amanda Jaffe

Phillip Margolin, best selling author of The Undertaker's Widow, introduces the world to the first genuinely monstrous psychopath of the new century. Also available abridged.

Charlie Marsh, a petty thief and con man, becomes a national hero when he rescues the warden of a state penitentiary during a prison riot, but it doesn't take long before he is wanted again, suspected of killing a United States congressman. After 12 years of living in the African nation of Batanga, at the mercy of Jean-Claude Baptiste, a sadistic, power-mad dictator, Charlie flees for home to face his murder charge, when Baptiste learns about Charlie's affair with the tyrant's favorite wife.

Dale Masterson, a wealthy lawyer who has built a career representing coal and oil companies, has enemies—including his own son, Brandon, a fanatical eco-warrior who despises everything his father stands for. When Dale is found beaten to death, Brandon is spotted fleeing the scene. He confesses to the murder, proclaiming it an act of revenge against his father's controversial clients. Veteran attorney Amanda Jaffe is hired to represent him, but what seems like an open-and-shut case quickly begins to unravel.