Prior Convictions

A New York Times Notable Book: Sour parents, a sleazy ex, '70s radicalism, and murder spoil a California lawyer's homecoming in this mystery by the author of Hidden Agenda.

Working in the LA office of a Wall Street law firm, attorney Willa Jansson was drowning in bankruptcy codes and mourning the loss of her love life. But now, after almost a year in that purgatory of dull men in thousand-dollar suits, she's landed a new position clerking for a federal...
More Description

A New York Times Notable Book: Sour parents, a sleazy ex, '70s radicalism, and murder spoil a California lawyer's homecoming in this mystery by the author of Hidden Agenda.

Working in the LA office of a Wall Street law firm, attorney Willa Jansson was drowning in bankruptcy codes and mourning the loss of her love life. But now, after almost a year in that purgatory of dull men in thousand-dollar suits, she's landed a new position clerking for a federal judge back in her hometown of San Francisco.

Driving up the coast, Willa should feel happy about her chance for a fresh start--except her hippie mother's still upset with her for becoming a corporate sellout, her despicable ex needs her to do a favor for his new girlfriend, and her new boss is getting hate mail about her. Plus, she's not even sure she wants to be a lawyer anymore.

But when a murderer strikes, Willa is forced to set aside her self-reflection and dig into the victim's past, one full of lies, betrayal, and a few people holding grudges worth killing for . . .

Praise for the Willa Jansson Mysteries

"One of the most articulate and surely the wittiest of women sleuths at large in the genre." --The New York Times Book Review

"Almost every paragraph is eminently quotable." --The Plain Dealer