Straw Men

Eight years ago, Brenna Kennedy defended Carmen DellaVecchio: a loner, a freak, a man accused of a heinous crime. She lost the case, and DellaVecchio was sent to prison for the brutal rape and near murder of Teresa Harnett, a Pittsburgh cop. But DNA evidence has cast doubt on DellaVecchio’s guilt. While he waits for a new trial, he is free, and Brenna still believes that he is an innocent man. But if DellaVecchio is innocent, then that means there’s a guilty sociopath out there, and all that’s standing in his way from getting away with a grisly crime is one meddling lawyer… Jim Christensen has the key to unlock memories. Brilliant and compassionate, he’s dedicated his career to studying the effects of memory loss, including on victims of trauma. When Teresa Harnett asks him to help her remember that terrible night, he resists. Ethically, it’s unsound, as Christensen and Kennedy have been together for six years. But Christensen is drawn into the case, and soon everyone involved is caught in the web of a man who will kill to stay free… “The creepiest good time I’ve had in ages—a genuine page turner.” —Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of And When She Was Good “An engrossing mystery with a wonderfully unique sleuth [who] tackles the most mysterious setting of all: the Bermuda Triangle of human memory. Smith’s writing really delivers … a most satisfying read.” —Barbara Seranella, author of the Munch Mancini series