William J. Coughlin

Charley Sloan isn't your typical lawyer. But then again, this isn't your typical case. When famous author and hometown hero Miles Dane is arrested for murdering his wife, it seems like an open-and-shut case. With no credible alibi, a mountain of physical evidence, and a motive of millions, it seems the prosecution's case is airtight. The police suspect that Dane had planned this crime many years ago--and made the mistake of writing it all down...in exact detail. Even Charley begins to question Dane's innocence. But Charley's own investigation gives him reason to believe that his client is being framed and that the real killer is using Dane's own bizarre imagination against him. But why isn't Dane speaking up? What secrets is he hiding? As the trial begins, it's still unclear where Miles Dane's wild imaginings stop and reality begins. Or whether he is committing the ultimate sacrifice in order to atone for something he did long ago. Only in the crucible of the final, fevered moments of trial will Charley finally put the pieces together and reveal the stunning truth... (from Amazon)

The federal judge has before him a case of epic proportions and enormous implications - an unprecedented corporate takeover war. In a staggering turn of events, Judge Murray finds himself trapped by his love for his new wife and his dedication to the law. His decision, no matter how it turns out, will change the course of his life with everything on the line: his honor, his reputation, his marriage, even his own skin. First as a man, then as a judge, he must confront what is at the heart of justice

Nine Supreme Court judges will soon decide four history-making cases. Eight of them will split along party lines four to four. The ninth judge, holding the swing vote, will tip the scales of justice. He's a good man, a fine man, and, unknown to nearly everyone, a dying man-barely kept alive by machines in a very private hospital. High-powered Washington attorney Jerry Green is one of the privileged few who discovers American justice rides on the rise and fall of a respirator. Now he's been called by the President himself to do something about it. It's a hunt for truth that will arouse his darkest suspicions... force him to make a shocking choice... and save the legitimacy of American justice. Or shatter it forever...

Contains condensed versions of: Every Living Thing - by James Herriot All Around the Town - by Mary Higgins Clark Colony - by Anne Rivers Siddons Death Penalty - by William Coughlin

Eager to regain lost prestige, suspended and nearly disbarred attorney Charley Sloane agrees to defend a former lover's stepdaughter, charged with murdering her wealthy father, despite the fact that she has already confessed to authorities.