Warrick Thompson Files

Legendary criminal defense attorney Sarah Knight has spent all of her 46 years hiding the unspeakable secrets of her past. Now, newly arrived in San Diego from New York, she is appointed to represent Alexa Reed, a former US Supreme Court clerk and the daughter-in-law of Supreme Court Justice Coleman Reed. Alexa is arrested for the murders of her ex-husband, attorney Michael Reed, and La Jolla psychologist Ronald Brigman. All the evidence points to Alexa. Coleman Reed wants Alexa sentenced to death without delay.

On the day that Jeff Ryder learns he is going to be made a partner at Warrick, Thompson, and Hayes, his past catches up with him. The State Bar of California accuses him of coaching witness Marty Lewis to lie seven years earlier while he was working as a prosecutor in order to convict small-time con man Dillon Reese of the attempted murder of police officer Christopher Rafferty, a former Navy SEAL. Jeff loses his million-dollar lifestyle but sets up his own law office, determined to clear his name by proving Reese is the shooter.

For 30 years, Brendan Murphy has done the impossible. He has kept his client, Professor Edward Wynne Carter, III, alive on Virginia's Death Row. Three juries have convicted Ed of murdering his pregnant wife in 1983, but Ed continues to insist that the real killer is Allison Byrd, the law student who stalked him relentlessly, whose lies sent him to Death Row. Now, Ed's execution is set for March 3, 2017, the day before his son Wynne's marriage to Claire Chastain.

Hugh’s fees are as formidable as his success rate. But even his reputation can’t help him with a widow who opposes him from day one and is clearly hiding crucial information. And if he can’t get her to open up, this high-profile case could destroy his lucrative career.

Andy sincerely believes that he didn’t kill his best friend. But no one, including his defense attorneys, will believe him. Andy’s legal credentials aren’t sterling. He was almost last in his law school class, and he flunked the bar twice. But no one else is willing to search for the truth. Andy has no choice, but he isn’t prepared for what he finds.