Richard North Patterson’s ten previous novels include six consecutive international bestsellers. His novels have won an Edgar Allan Poe Award and the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière. Formerly a trial lawyer in Washington and San Francisco, Mr. Patterson also served as an assistant attorney general in Ohio and as the SEC’s liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor. He now serves on the boards of Common Cause, the Family Violence Prevention Fund, Handgun Control Inc., and Ohio Wesleyan University. He lives with his wife, Laurie, and their family in San Francisco and on Martha’s Vineyard.

When the body of eleven-year-old Thuy Sen is found in San Francisco Bay, the police swiftly charge Rennell and Payton Price with her grisly murder. A twelve-person jury, helped along by an incompetent lawyer for the defense, are quick to find the brothers guilty - and to sentence them both to die for their cimes. Twelve years later, Payton is days from his execution, and overworked pro bono lawyer Teresa Peralta Paget, her husband Chris, and stepson Carlo, a recent Harvard law graduate, become convinced not only that Rennell didn't receive a fair trial, but that he's innocent. Racing against the clock and against insurmountable legal obstacles, Teresa, Chris, and Carlo desperately try and stop the execution of an innocent man. 'Patterson has the rare gift of enthralling as he informs.' - Mark Lawson, "The Guardian".