Illusions of Trust — Jeffrey S. Stephens

When attorney Russell Palmer agreed to handle the divorce of a beautiful and wealthy socialite, he never anticipated the tangled web of deceit, corruption, peril—and murder—he would be forced to confront.Russell Palmer, a young New York City attorney, is well-known for taking on unusual and high-risk cases alongside his private detective associate, Robbie Whyte. When the wealthy and alluring Christina Franco approaches him to represent her during divorce proceedings, he finds her story impossible to resist. As Christina recounts the abuse she has suffered, Palmer’s protective instincts kick in. His interest deepens when she mentions a dangerous associate of her husband—someone Palmer has clashed with before. Soon, a series of seemingly unrelated events begins to unfold that may or may not be related to Christina and her influential family. There is the apparent suicide of a prominent lawyer. A murder for which another of Palmer’s clients is charged. Then, a federal investigation into a major pharmaceutical company tied to Christina’s husband. As Palmer and Whyte work to disentangle the connections, they follow a trail that leads them from New York’s underground circles to the rarified world of the ultra-rich—and even into the halls of Congress. Along the way they encounter a cast of intriguing individual who populate their client’s world, including Christina’s parents—an influential politician and his reclusive wife; an attractive journalist with a personal interest in Palmer; and a number of others populating their client’s world. With layers of deceit and corruption at every turn, Palmer and Whyte must navigate a treacherous path to protect their clients—and themselves—while ensuring that justice, in all its complexity, prevails.