Guilty Blood

Acker, a supervising deputy attorney general in California, hinges this legal thriller (following The Enoch Effect) on a corporate lawyer’s unorthodox methods for trying a criminal case. Just as Jessica Ames is finally beginning to recover from her husband’s accidental death, she is devastated again when her son Brandon is arrested for murder. She retains her late husband’s friend, corporate attorney Nate Daniels, to represent Brandon, and soon he teams up with Sofia Acuna, the public defender assigned to the case, to mount a thorough investigation of what happened. As their defense comes together, they uncover a web of intrigue around the murder: an FBI investigation, high-level computer hacking, and an international human trafficking ring. Jessica leans on her faith and prayers for strength and hopes the truth will set her son free. She also starts to feel an attraction to dedicated, passionate Nate. Nate and Sofia race to unravel the tangled truth—not only to free their client, but for their own safety. Despite fumbling with Jessica and Nate’s budding romance, Acker delivers another legal thriller that wrestles with faith and explores the inner workings of the American justice system. (Nov.)