Fiction Books Bay

Richard North Patterson

Patterson returns to the courtroom that made him famous in thrillers such as Degree of Guilt (1993) as military lawyer Paul Terry takes on the case of a young lieutenant accused of fatally shooting his commanding officer with the man’s own gun. Brian McCarran comes from a long line of distinguished officers, including his father, the imperious General Anthony McCarran, the army’s chief of staff. The man he stands accused of shooting, Captain Joe D’Abruzzo, was not only Brian’s commanding officer in Iraq but was also married to Brian’s childhood friend, Kate Gallagher. Brian claims that he was protecting Kate; a witness for the prosecution claims Kate and Brian were having an affair. Paul goes forward with the defense in part because of Brian’s beautiful sister, Meg, who has left her job in San Francisco to serve as his co-counsel. Those familiar with Patterson’s works know they build slowly and carefully. What distinguishes this story is not only the minutiae of the trial but also vivid accounts of what soldiers face in Iraq. Readers will find themselves engrossed as well as pleased by a twist revealing that there’s more to this powerful yet seemingly straightforward story than first meets the eye.