(Mass Market Paperback)
Escaping her headline-making defeat in a capital murder case she shouldn't have lost, attorney Tal Jefferson leaves her big city law firm and prior life for safe harbor: the small Georgia town where she was raised. For a while she finds solace in memories and boozeuntil a childhood friend is accused of a brutal murder.
Forced to clean up her act, Tal comes to her defensebut finds her own life on the line when small-town secrets lead to big-time revenge.
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September 01, 2004: I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't figure out who did it! It is a very exciting story with great plot twists. If you like mysteries, this is a page turner!
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August 09, 2004: This is a terrific first book! I loved it! Tal Jefferson has returned home after a terrible loss in a capital murder case. She left her big-city law practice and has returned to the small Georgia town where she was raised. She has been hiding out in the house Miss Ena left to her. Booze has become her best friend. Then she is appointed as the attorney for Crystal in a local murder case. Tal knows the only reason she was chosen is that everyone is sure Crystal is guilty and they want a slam-dunk case. What they didn?t count on was Tal getting her act together to give Crystal a proper defense. Her way of making up for her last mistake. Henry, the local coroner and Tal?s friend, gets his wife?s cousin June to come help Tal out. She takes over Tal?s life and office, and soon Tal wonders how she ever survived without her! That?s not to say they don?t get on each other?s nerves. Unfortunately Crystal won?t help Tal out with any details of the case. She is very protective of her daughter Desiree. Tal isn?t sure what Desiree has to do with this case. Soon Tal finds herself untangling a web of deceit and trying to determine who is the father of whom and who is sleeping with whom! She knows the answers to those questions will help her figure out this case. Ms. Dunham has done a great job with her first in this series. I can?t wait to read the next one! Her characters are very well written and she knows the area that she has written about. It feels very authentic. The mystery is hidden well with plenty of red herrings, and I found myself constantly picking the book back up to read another chapter! I highly recommend it!