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Veteran criminal attorney Hyde's debut legal thriller features a veteran criminal attorney whose latest case, defending a homeless man against a homicide charge, keeps getting more and more complicated. Eventually, if somewhat predictably (this happens a lot in the legal-thriller genre), Stuart Clay, who might make an interesting series lead, has to risk his own career to save his client's life. The plot is functional, though hardly remarkable, but the main attraction here is the author's familiarity with his Washington, D.C., setting. Much like George Pelecanos, Hyde knows all the nooks and crannies, all the dusty alleyways and grotty street corners, that hover behind the capital city's shiny facade. With a little narrative polish, this might have been a truly remarkable first novel. As is, it heralds a fresh new voice and another crime author who recognizes that a carefully evoked setting can steal the show.

David Pitt, Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


...a legal thriller full of grit and charm and telling details from every link in the justice system food chain. It is clear from page one that Patrick Hyde immediately knows this turf. He delivers it with the wit and wisdom of a
consummate insider.

Renowned mystery writer Michael Connelly, author a number of bestselling novels including The Lincoln Lawyer and Bloodwork,