Chasing Justice: A Matt Royal Mystery [Paperback]

Matt Royal is going back to the courtroom. He has agreed to defend his good friend and wife of Longboat Key s Police Chief. Abby Lester has been charged with the murder of Nate Bannister, an unlikeable, shady character. He was found shot to death in his downtown Sarasota condo and the evidence points to Abby as the killer.

Matt cannot refuse Abby s pleas for help, despite having retired from the practice of law several years earlier. Now, he must face a hotshot prosecuting attorney with a record of twenty-two wins and zero losses in murder trials. As he begins to investigate, Matt finds that nothing is what it seems. Police, politicians, academics, real estate moguls and other powerful forces are tied together in a cauldron of issues that Matt must untangle to get at the truth. Can he rekindle his legal skills and outwit the prosecution pitted against him? Matt knows he must, as the life of his friend hangs in the balance.

At the start of Griffins excellent eighth Matt Royal mystery (after 2013s Found), Royal, a lawyer and mostly retired, is enjoying life on Longboat Key, Fla., with those whom he considers the best people on earth. One is his lover, J.D. Duncan, the islands lone police detective, whos investigating the murder of a beautiful nude woman found in a ritzy beach house. Another is Abby Lester, the local police chiefs wife, whos arrested for killing a shady developer. Though Matt has nothing to gain and maybe much to lose, he agrees to defend Abby. Meanwhile, J.D. uncovers sleazy connections that link her case to Abbys. Griffin, a former trial attorney, often contrasts how things used to be with how they regrettably are now, showcasing todays devastated hell of Floridas forgotten ones and damning a system where too many lawyers are unscrupulous, too many policemen are corrupt, and politicians dare to threaten honest judges. Even so, Royal ensures that justice triumphs in this highly satisfying courtroom drama.Publishers Weelo