Cargile, J: In Defense of Charlotte

The national exposure of the Lee Acker case put the trial skills of Maggie Reynolds on full display. Now she is intent on pursuing more profitable victories in the courtroom. Leaving behind her work as a criminal defense lawyer, Maggie is hot on the tail of her highest-profile job yet: a personal injury case with the potential for an incredible paycheck. Maggie hopes that a win will give her the recognition--and the bank account--that she deserves. Even if it means contending with shady lawyers who are willing to cut corners and backstab anyone for easy money. But when Blake County native Charlotte Acker is accused of murdering Lucy Kelley Collins, the wife of a Georgia senator, Maggie is pulled back into the world of criminal defense...and immersed in a local drama, generations in the making. Charlotte's guilt seems undeniable. Her hatred of the victim is well-known; a product of bitter and longstanding tensions between the Acker and Collins families. In a case that appears to be open-and-shut, Maggie must unravel the complicated history between the two families in order to clear Charlotte's name...all against the ticking clock of a senatorial election. Torn between the lucrative payout of a personal injury case and the satisfaction of a career-defining murder trial, Maggie must reconcile her ambitions with her calling"--