Marshall, Texas is known for being the home of the "rocket docket", a court known by patent lawyers for its speedy trials and massive punitive payouts. And when big companies with their fancy law firms come to town, they have found that having a local on their team is to their benefit, so they hire Jame Euchre. 

Euchre's latest client, Amir Zawar, is hot under the collar about the patent trial he finds himself a part of, and in the heat of the moment during his preliminary hearing, he threatens the judge. Later that night, the Honorable Judge Gardner is found murdered in the courthouse parking lot. Zawar is the obvious suspect, but he swears he's innocent and insists Euchre defend him. 

So now, Euchre, a patent lawyer, has to switch tactics and defend this hotheaded stranger who is accused of killing his friend and mentor. With the help of a former prosecutor and larger than life PI, Euchre dives deep into the world of criminal law and has to face his own history in the process. 

This book will transport you to small town East Texas and have you wrapped up in the story and place that Hartstone has created. And I should know, this book takes place down the highway from where I grew up and the courthouse at the center of the book is steps away from where I got married. It is an extra delight to read a book where you have driven all the same streets and eaten in all the same restaurants. But even if you haven't spent any time in Marshall, you will be taken there through this book and entertained along the way. 

I hope that this book is the first in a series because I see lots of potential in these characters and know that East Texas has a lot of stories to tell. 

Bonus: if you want to watch a movie based in Marshall, check out The Great Debaters with Denzel Washington.