Missing Justice

Book 2: Samantha Kincaid Mysteries

by Alafair Burke

Genres: Female Sleuths; Legal Thrillers

Synopsis

Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid is back at work after an attempt on her life and a promotion into the Major Crimes Unit. When the husband of Portland, Oregon, city judge Clarissa Easterbrook reports her missing and Samantha is called out on the case, she assumes her only job is to make the district attorney look good until the judge turns up. When the police discover evidence of foul play, however, Samantha finds herself unearthing secrets that Clarissa had wanted to stay hidden, the lingering personal tolls of a crime that occurred decades ago. And when those secrets lead to the discovery of corruption at the highest levels of the city's power structure, Samantha realises that her quest for justice could cost her not only her job but her life.

Release date: April 1, 2010

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Print pages: 368

Sample

From Missing Justice:
Prosecutors have bad days. Our files are filled with death, rape, desperation, and degradation. Even in so-called "victimless crimes," we spend our work hours thinking about acts that could be committed only by pathetic, miserable people who have lost the hope we all need to maintain our humanity. Compare that to fighting over money for a banking client, and it looks like we're doing the heavy lifting.
But, in the end, I'm still just a lawyer. I issue indictments, plead out cases, and go to trial. When it comes to the investigation, I might lead the police on procedures. But it's the police who do the work. They're the ones who kick in a door when a search needs to be executed. They're the ones who climb through the Dumpster when a gun gets tossed.
And Johnson and Walker would be the ones to visit Clarissa Easterbrook's family members tonight to tell them that their lives would never be the same again.