A lawyer with an appetite for risk. A gorgeous socialite accused of murder. It's the case of a lifetime--if only she were innocent.
Following in the blockbuster tradition of Scott Turow and Richard North Patterson comes Stephen Horn and In Her Defense, and intense, riveting debut thriller with a twist.
Frank O'Connell's need to live on the edge cost him his family, his home, and a partnership in his father-in-law's prestigious Washington firm. Now he combs the cell blocks for clients and wonders if he's sunk too low ever to come back. His ex-wife wants to see less of him, his therapist wants to see more, and his last link to professional survival just gave him an ultimatum.
Then into his office walks Ashley Bronson. The murder of a former cabinet official has just propelled her from the society column to the front page, and, inexplicably, she wants Frank to defend her. She hands him her case, followed by her confession and some damning physical evidence. Frank thinks his biggest challenge is her guilt. He's got a lot to learn.
Ashley's admission proves just another detail in a defense in which ethics are bent and morals compromised. As the trial date looms closer, the goverment's case seems insurmountable. A desperate Frank hits upon an inspired strategy--and unwittingly becomes a threat to people in high places when he unravels a tangled web of events that began a generation ago.
Their personal lives in tatters and confronted by forces they don't understand, besieged lawyer and client have only each other as the courtroom battle begins.
In this fast-paced legal thriller, former federal prosecutor Stephen Horn brings his knowledge of law and government to stunning life with this absorbing tale of love, betrayal, and murder that is sure to be one of the most entertaining and engrossing stories of the year.

In Her Defense

Literature & Fiction

Horn, Stephen

United States

Harper

From the author of the New York Times bestseller In Her Defense comes a riveting new thriller of betrayal and redemption in the nation's capital.
Philip Barkley had come far enough in Washington to know where those proverbial bodies were buried, but not so far that he'd lie about it. In the capital, that was no-man's-land, and his fall from grace was swift.
When personal tragedy accelerates his downward spiral, all that remains is his integrity, and it's the price of a fresh start. The disappearance of Senate Intelligence Committee aide Martin Green indicates a breach of national security. Senator Warren Young, the party's best chance to keep the White House, needs a credible report that the missing man was no spy. Barkley is required to oversee the investigation and deliver the "right" result.
As the case progresses, the signs grow more troubling, and even an FBI agent isn't what she seems. The pursuit of Green leads across generations, a trail of deception and murder that began with a woman's fall from a Bronx rooftop almost fifty years earlier.
Barkley's odyssey finally brings him to the door of a retired detective haunted by a case he never solved. Together, the two men seek justice -- and their own renewal.

Law of Gravity

Contemporary

In Her Defense : A Novel

HarperCollins Publishers. New York.

Philip Barkley had come far enough in Washington to know where the bodies are buried, but not so far that he'd lie about it. In the capital, that was no-man's-land, and his fall from grace was swift.
When personal tragedy accelerates his downward spiral, all that remains is his integrity, and it's the price of a fresh start. The disappearance of Senate Intelligence Committee aide Martin Green indicates a breach of national security, and Senator Warren Young, the party's best chance to keep the White House, needs a credible report that the missing man was no spy, Barkley is to oversee the investigation and deliver the "right" result.
As the case progresses, the signs grow more troubling, and even an FBI agent isn't what she seems. The pursuit of Green follows a trail of deception and murder that began with a woman's fall from a Bronx rooftop almost fifty years earlier. Barkley's odyssey finally brings him to the door of a retired detective haunted by a case he never solved. Together, the two men seek justice-and their own renewal.Performed by Dylan Baker

Genre Fiction

HarperAudio

Frank O'Connell's need to live on the edge cost him his family, his home, and a partnership in his father-in-law's prestigious D.C. firm. Then Ashley Bronson walks into his life. The murder of a former cabinet official has just propelled her from the society column to the front page, and, inexplicably, she wants Frank to defend her. Frank thinks his biggest challenge is defending a client against the prosecution's overwhelming evidence. He's got a lot to learn. Subsumed in a defense in which ethics are bent and morals compromised, a desperate Frank hits upon an inspired strategy -- and unwittingly becomes a dangerous threat to people in high places -- a threat that must be stopped no matter what the cost. Confronted by forces they don't understand, besieged lawyer and client have only each other as the courtroom battle begins....

HarperTorch

Washington lawyer Philip Barkley was on the fast track, until scandal and personal tragedy brought him down. Left shattered and haunted, he now has a chance to make a fresh start. An aide to Senator Warren Young, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has vanished and may be a spy -- an eventuality that could destroy Young's plans for a White House run. And when Barkley's investigation into the disappearance uncovers a corpse, everyone wants the matter quickly closed -- except Philip Barkley. A broken man of integrity with nothing left to lose, he's following a twisted trail of secrets, betrayal, corruption, and brutal murder that winds through the darkest shadows of Washington power. And he won't rest until the whole truth is revealed, no matter who is determined to stop him ... and how far they are willing to go.

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Thrillers & Suspense

Bt Bound

BOOKS-ON-TAPE, INC.

Unused power;: The work of the Senate Committee on Appropriations

Brookings Institution

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