Blood Money — Laura M. Rizio

Nick Ceratto, a young, cracker jack litigator looking for a partnership in the prestigious Philadelphia law firm of Maglio, Silvio, & Levin, discovers his firm's dark secret for increasing its bottom line while preparing a medical malpractice case for trial. In his preparation for the firm's biggest case, he discovers that the doctor is innocent. He also discovers that the partners have been setting up wins by making sure that their clients are seriously injured or murdered to produce huge jury awards. When the firm discovers he knows, Nick's only hope is to stay one step ahead of the firm's hitman long enough to expose the firm's corruption. As his mission careens towards an explosive climax, the only question left, is whose lives will be sacrificed along the way. This is a classic examination of the duality of the American justice system, its strengths and weaknesses and the interplay between it and raw ambition. Blood Money is a disturbing depiction of a system gone wrong, and the one time golden boy who is finally able to understand the bigger picture and remember the oath taken and the dream that was once so clear.