James Grippando and his series featuring Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck has long been one of the best in the legal thriller genre. His latest case, which is detailed in THE RIGHT TO REMAIN, also deals with subject matter that is timely and relevant for the current era in which we live.

In a prologue that is quite telling with the legal matters to come, we meet a desperate couple, Owen and Helena Pollard, who have been unsuccessful in having a child of their own and are at the hospital waiting for the baby they are contracted to adopt from pregnant teenager Elle Carpenter. The situation takes a bad turn when her mother, Serena, says that Elle is having second thoughts. She suggests that an additional payment of $250,000 should be able to change her mind. We are left at that moment as Owen and Helena decide what to do next.

"THE RIGHT TO REMAIN is an eye-opening legal thriller and another example of why James Grippando and Jack Swyteck are an unbeatable team."

Six years later, we are taken inside the home of Owen and Helena where a tragedy has occurred. Owen’s body has been found, the victim of an apparent suicide. Detectives who are working the case prevent Helena from entering the house. She says that her son is inside and must not know what happened. As we put together the pieces of what transpired from the prologue, we have to wonder why the co-owner of a billion-dollar business would take his own life with his six-year-old nearby.

While a grand jury is looking into Owen’s death, Jack Swyteck is approached by Elliott Stafford. Elliott is an employee at the company that Owen co-owned, and the prosecution is seeking to name him as Owen’s killer. Jack does his own legwork along with his investigator, Theo Knight. He begins with Helena, followed by Owen’s business partner, CJ. It turns out that CJ is not only extremely wealthy but is a well-known protestor and vocal opponent of the local government.

As Jack looks into Elliott’s background, he isn’t able to uncover anything, even though the prosecution claims that he has a criminal record from his youth. The closed files that Jack ultimately unearths reveals an astonishing fact that will leave his head spinning and make it difficult for him to defend Elliott properly.

The courtroom scenes are stellar, which make for some very controversial and surprising moments. THE RIGHT TO REMAIN is an eye-opening legal thriller and another example of why James Grippando and Jack Swyteck are an unbeatable team.