From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble Review
In his third book, David Ellis (author of the Edgar Award–winning debut mystery Line of Vision) makes a convincing case for a legal thriller with heart. Political daughter and children's rights advocate Shelly Trotter has an agenda -- to keep kids in school. She does it one child at a time, using her skills as a lawyer to convince judges to give troubled youths a last chance to finish high school rather than serve time. Sometimes her clients disappoint her; more often, she finds, they respond to the opportunity. Of course, sometimes they just surprise the hell out of her. That's what happened with Alex Baniewicz, who picked a fight in school so he'd have the chance to meet her, then revealed to her that he's the son she gave up for adoption at the age of 16. As he shares more of his life with her, she learns he's already a father who deals drugs to support his daughter. When he's arrested for shooting a cop, Shelly is determined to help Alex, and not just for his sake. Too many things about the case don't add up. Was it self-defense? Was Alex framed? Was he really working as an informant for the FBI? And the questions don't stop there, because the case has also opened up new questions…about the man who raped Shelly and fathered her son. This time, Shelly's not giving up until she learns the truth…whatever the cost. Sue Stone
From the Publisher
Children's rights advocate Shelly Trotter is out of her depth in criminal court, defending a teenager accused of killing a cop. And when she discovers that he may be her own son, nothing--not legal ethics, not political pressure--will stop her from keeping him off of death row.
Publishers Weekly
Edgar Award-winner Ellis (Life Sentence; Line of Vision) chooses a protagonist common to a number of recent legal thrillers: the idealistic, semi-loner nonprofit lawyer with a dark secret. Michelle "Shelly" Trotter is working for the Children's Advocacy Project when she is summoned by a former client, 17-year-old Alex Baniewicz, whom she once represented in a high school disciplinary hearing. This time Alex isn't going to get off with an in-school suspension; he's accused of killing a Chicago cop. Even though Shelly has little experience in criminal court, she tears into the case with pit bull intensity. She waits too long before she asks Alex if he actually did the deed, but when she does, he admits to the killing, complicating his already impossible defense. Shelly has other difficulties as well: she has a troubled relationship with her father, the governor of the state; she's still suffering from the effects of being raped and impregnated as a teenager; her apartment is broken into and she's threatened with death; and the police on the Chicago force are making it quite clear how they feel about cop-killer defense lawyers. Unfortunately, Shelly is not the most likable of heroines, and the prose is lackluster, but Ellis makes up for much of this with a steady stream of twists and complications. Once Shelly is on her feet in front of a jury, the novel picks up speed, and a stunning Perry Mason-style courtroom shocker will knock readers right out of their seats. After they pick themselves up off the floor, the ensuing fast and furious revelations will have them flying through the final pages. (Apr.) Forecast: It's a crowded field, but loyal fans and constant readers of the genre should provide good, if not breakout, numbers. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
When a cop is shot in the face by a teenaged drug dealer, it seems like an open-and-shut case. Yet child advocate attorney Shelly Trotter knows the accused and finds it hard to believe that Alex Baniewiez is a cold-blooded killer. Stunned when the FBI reveals that he worked as an informant in a sting operation involving cop drug dealers, Shelly is further confounded by the revelation that he is her son-the result of a rape when she was 17. The pregnancy caused a rift in her family because her father, now governor, was running for attorney general at the time and wanted to keep the scandal secret. As Shelly does whatever it takes to keep her son off death row despite mounting evidence, Edgar Award winner Ellis (Line of Vision) keeps the suspense bubbling at its highest peak. This first-class legal thriller is strongly recommended for all libraries where good writing, excellent character development, and exceptional trial strategies are appreciated.-Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., OH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
A lawyer defends her son-or thinks she does-in a trial that's packed with surprise and significance. Once again (Life Sentence, 2003, etc.), Ellis's larger subject is the law and the treacherous eddies that can pull down a case, its just issues notwithstanding. His third outing starts with Shelly Trotter, an attorney who represents troubled students at the Child Advocacy Project in a city Ellis doesn't name but that appears to be Chicago, his hometown. One of Shelly's charges, the appealing Alex Baniewicz, is accused of dealing drugs and shooting and killing police officer Raymond Miroballi. Shelly wants attorney Paul Riley to take the case, but Riley entreats Shelly to do it. Shelly hesitates, never having tried a capital murder case. But even more of a concern than that is a matter she recently uncovered: Baniewicz is apparently her son. In a series of flashbacks, Ellis traces Shelly's troubled past. After being raped, she considered abortion, but decided instead to put her son up for adoption, an incident that, if made public, could derail the reelection campaign of her father, conservative Governor Langdon Trotter. Another complication comes from federal agents who inform Shelly that Alex was their snitch in an attempt to nab officer Miroballi, who, they suspect, had been dealing drugs. Building a case to defend Alex, Shelly investigates a violent drug gang justly known as the Cannibals, probing Alex's possible involvement with the gang, as well as that of his friend Ronnie Masters, who gradually emerges as Miroballi's suspected killer. Then comes another revelation: Ronnie, a likely killer, is Shelly's son, not Alex. This twist sets the story's last third spinning as Ellis tightens,then ties up, a solid case. Unlike the mob of hacks who want to be the next Grisham, Ellis is never glib, hackneyed, or tiresome. In style, plot, and character, he engages and entertains. Agent: Jeff Gerecke/JCA Literary Agency
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