Jim Strong’s family runs a venerable South Lake Tahoe institution, the posh Paradise Ski Resort. When Jim’s brother Alex dies during a frenzied race down the mountain, the coroner points to unusually brutal injuries and declares that they could not possibly be related to the accident. Jim is charged with murdering his own brother. Instead of rallying around Jim, his family condemns him. Is he a brutal murderer or an innocent scapegoat? Jim’s father is obsessed with his brother’s ghost; Alex’s widow, an exotic and mercurial snowboard champ, carries a torch for Jim. To complicate an already tangled web, Jim’s own wife, Heidi, disappears, leaving a note. She thinks Jim is responsible for Alex’s death.

It’s up to Nina Reilly to unravel the complex family alliances and defend her client — but Nina’s distracted by her own intense and unexpected love affair. A terrifying confrontation with a psychopath causes the two sides of her life to come crashing together in the ultimate act of malice.

“The O’Shaughnessy sisters writing team…produces its best courtroom thriller to date…There’s a climactic courtroom battle, a ferocious clash of wills and a slick bit of legal maneuvering. [The] denouement is a smash.” – Kirkus 

“Likable protagonist Nina has no idea when she takes on charismatic Jim Strong as a client that her comfortable world will be shattered…An enjoyably suspenseful adventure.” – Booklist