Cruel Justice — Patricia D. Benke

Until Proven Innocent

Deputy District Attorney Judith Thornton has a full-time job before she ever gets to work. Every day she struggles as a single parent and caregiver to her critically ill mother, giving all she can and still feeling guilty that she hasn't done enough. But Judith is also a dedicated defender of justice as well as a tough prosecutor, and she's not about to cave into a colleague's determination to railroad an innocent man into prison to satisfy his own ambitions.

Tom Russell, a devoted father with no prior arrests, is accused of a terrible crime against his own daughter, yet despite evidence to the contrary, the arrogant Director of the Child Protective Division, Aaron Mercer, is going after Russell with a vengeance. Judith has had dealings with Mercer before, and she's determined not to let his personal ambitions destroy a decent man and his family. But in order to get to the truth, Judith has to fight dirty tricks by breaking some of her own rules...and this time justice may cost her more than she can afford to lose.