Synopsis
'Patterson has the rare gift of enthralling as he informs' Mark Lawson, Guardian
In a novel of international intrigue, an American lawyer, Damon Pierce, attempts to save Bobby Okari, the West African leader of a protest movement, from execution by the country’s corrupt and autocratic leader. Pierce is in a race against time, and as the complex trial—involving terrorism and the geopolitics of oil, missing witnesses and evidence, and the whims of a lawless country—unfolds, bodies fall and fates dangle.
Complicating matters further is Okari’s wife, Marissa Brand, with whom Pierce had a relationship years before that he’s never quite forgotten; she, in fact, persuaded him to take the case in the first place, and it is who she plays a crucial role in the eventual outcome of this taut and atmospheric novel.
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Reviews
“Passionate…exciting [and] eye-opening, page by page.”Washington Post, Washington Post
“This stellar legal thriller both informs and entertains… Patterson has exerted all his considerable skill in creating a nightmare atmosphere that will cling to readers long after the last page is turned.”Publishers Weekly (starred review), Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A satisfying fable that pits a hero who deeply believes in the rule of law against a violent, lawless regime that holds all the cards.”Kirkus Reviews, Kirkus Reviews
“Nearly flawless—by the time you realize how well Patterson is writing, you are already caught up in this novel.”San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle