Lee Goodman’s INJUSTICE is an entertaining mystery that is equal parts courtroom fiction and police procedural, with just a pinch of forensic science added to the recipe. This is a formula that should please a wide audience of mystery aficionados. The novel opens with courtroom scenes from a trial in a United States District Courthouse, where a low-level member of a criminal conspiracy is on trial for corruption. After the defendant refuses to plead guilty and cooperate with authorities seeking evidence against those higher in the criminal pyramid, an old and often-debated courtroom trick brings the trial to a sudden and surprising conclusion.

The trial that opens INJUSTICE introduces readers to the two main characters. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Davis, chief criminal prosecutor in his office, narrates the well-plotted story of three seemingly independent criminal events that comprise the book’s fictional elements. Joining Nick at the trial is young Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Tatlock, a somewhat shadowy character, disfigured as a child by multiple burns, whose mysterious life provides the foundation for the mystery.

"In addition to being an intriguing writer, Goodman is an experienced attorney. His legal scenes are well-crafted, and the mystery will hold your attention throughout the story."

Nick is married to another attorney, Tina, whose career as a prosecutor has morphed into her present work for the Innocence Project. Her current client is Daryl Devaney, who she believes has been wrongfully convicted of the murder of a young boy a decade earlier. Tina is seeking DNA evidence that she maintains will exonerate her client. On a Fourth of July holiday, while this legal work is proceeding, Tina and Nick’s world comes crashing down when Tina’s sister, Lydia, is brutally murdered, and Henry, her fiancée, becomes a prime suspect.

Lydia’s murder, Daryl’s battle to establish his innocence, and the corruption investigation that Nick is supervising are three seemingly unconnected events that form the foundation of this intriguing and entertaining mystery. These plot lines take several pretzel-like twists and turns before merging together in an unexpected conclusion. Readers may well find themselves turning back to earlier parts of the story to see if they missed some obvious clues. There are several wonderfully written courtroom and legal scenes where Tina fights for her client, Lydia’s accused assailant comes to trial, and Nick conducts his corruption investigation through grand jury and investigation proceedings. As the novel builds to its conclusion, readers may have to suspend disbelief, but it all comes together in a startling and satisfying finale.

INJUSTICE is the second novel to feature Nick Davis, following INDEFENSIBLE. In addition to being an intriguing writer, Goodman is an experienced attorney. His legal scenes are well-crafted, and the mystery will hold your attention throughout the story. I look forward to reading Goodman’s debut in order to catch up on his equally interesting crime-solving attorney.