“You can’t hustle a hustler.”

Eddie Flynn was a hustler at one time, but he’s gone over to the legal side and become a lawyer in Manhattan. He even married a lawyer. Unfortunately, though, Eddie and Christine are taking some time apart, not that Eddie wants to. Christine seems to think the cases he gets into tend to be dangerous. At least, the last one was. Eddie knows she’s right, but that doesn’t lessen his love for her. So when the Feds corner him with a proposition involving Christine’s freedom, Eddie sits up and listens.

CIA agent Lester Dell tells him that they will indict his wife for multiple crimes emanating from her employment at the prestigious New York City law firm of Harland & Sinton if Eddie doesn’t play ball with them. What they’re asking is simple, really. A billionaire named David Child has been arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, Clara. Just get him to plead to it, and Christine walks away from all charges. Easy as that.

"There’s so much action in THE PLEA that it could fill six legal thrillers, which means you absolutely will not be able to put it down."

Only, it isn’t. First off, David already has a lawyer: Gerry Sinton. Even if Eddie can get him to switch attorneys, the kid swears he didn’t kill his girlfriend. Worse yet, Eddie, a great con artist in his day, actually believes him. He doesn’t think David could lie that well. The problem, though, is that the evidence against him is overwhelming. In fact, the way it stacks up, no one else could have done it. Surveillance cameras show David and Clara entering his apartment. Not long thereafter, David leaves, alone. Almost simultaneously, his neighbor reports hearing gunshots and Clara is found on the floor of the apartment, her body riddled with bullets. Minutes later, the murder weapon is discovered in David’s car, and he has gunshot residue all over him. It is sort of the classic locked-room mystery. So how can Eddie look at all of the evidence and believe his client when he insists he’s innocent? Is the con man getting conned?

As he works to represent David the best he can while still hoping to clear Christine, Eddie has Agent Dell looking over his shoulder constantly. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the partners at Harland & Sinton appear to be running a scheme with their law firm as a front, making them very watchful of Eddie’s moves. Besides, David was one of their clients, and Eddie has stolen him away. Losing a billionaire client doesn’t sit well with them at all. But their real fear is that David may have inside information on some of the firm’s secrets. Eddie has his hands full keeping his client alive, not to mention himself and his wife. Then there’s the cartel, which also has stakes in this.

There’s so much action in THE PLEA that it could fill six legal thrillers, which means you absolutely will not be able to put it down. Besides the action, the David Child case is such a conundrum that finding out whodunit becomes more important than your breakfast, lunch or dinner. And the way Eddie Flynn unravels it all is nothing short of genius. You’ll love Eddie, and if you’re a fan of smart, clever twists, you’ll anxiously await his next case.