A riveting thriller, the debut novel of a high — profile Manhattan public defender with a gift for writing about the law in ways that are vastly entertaining, witty, sardonic and wise. A beautiful young businesswoman is murdered on the streets of New York after shopping for art in Chelsea, and in her final words to the police, she identifies her assailant. Or does she? Arch Gold, dedicated public defender, gets the biggest case of his life when he's assigned to represent the accused killer, Damon Tucker, a young black kid from Harlem. Damon claims he's innocent, and Gold puts his reputation on the line to save his client and find the real killer.