The Hidden Man (A Jason Kolarich Novel Book 1)

Jason Kolarich is a Chicago attorney with a lineman's build, a razor- sharp intellect-and the grief of a tragic personal loss. When an estranged childhood friend is charged with murder, Kolarich must create a solid defense-even while doubting his client's innocence. But it soon becomes clear that Kolarich will have to uncover long-forgotten events from their shared childhoods to save his friend-and bring a relentless killer to justice before he strikes again. From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Edgar-winner Ellis ( Line of Vision ) is off to an exhilarating start with this first in a series set in an unnamed Midwestern city featuring grief-stricken attorney Jason Kolarich, who blames himself for his wife and child's death in a car accident. Jason is shaken out of his emotional coma when a stranger called Mr. Smith hires him to defend an old friend, Sammy Cutler. About 26 years earlier, Sammy's two-year-old sister was kidnapped from her bedroom during the night. Suspicion centered on Griffin Perlini, a convicted sex offender who lived a few blocks away, but police could never prove that he took the child. Now Sammy is accused of killing Griffin, who he believes murdered his sister. Mr. Smith demands Jason get an acquittal for Sammy, conveniently supplying witnesses and a scapegoat for the case. Ellis avoids clichés in a multilayered legal thriller that depends on precise character studies, an original plot and a surprising but logical twist at the end. Author tour. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review 'A well-written, surprising, completely original gem. The best suspense novel I've read in a while' James Patterson. 'A triumph for Ellis and a sheer pleasure for the reader' David Baldacci. 'Who does he think he is - John Grisham? The answer has to be - yes, with any luck. Ellis writes as well as his Georgia colleague, and his plotting is certainly sharper' Chicago Tribune. 'A fresh take on the legal thriller, crackles with unexpected twists - like Patricia Highsmith with an extra shot of adrenaline' San Francisco Chronicle. 'David Ellis has been compared to big names such as Harlan Coben and John Grisham and his terse thriller, The Hidden Man, ticks a lot of the same boxes ... the fast-moving plot is ingenious and surprising' The Sun. 'A searing and suspenseful tale of law and murder and long-nurtured revenge... the best yet' Scott Turow. 'The ingenious plot takes many turns before its unpredictable ending. Ellis's intelligent, inventive thriller is a splendid introduction to his work. More, please!' Sunday Telegraph. 'A great mix of Harlan Coben and John Grisham' crimesquad. 'Grisham's heir apparent... a fresh, fast-paced thriller' Daily Mail. Mystery,Thriller,Suspense Another exhilarating thriller from Edgar Award winner David Ellis, introducing the new series protagonist Jason Kolarich.J ason Kolarich is a midwestern Everyman with a lineman's build and an easy smart-ass remark. He's a young, intelligent maverick, but he's also struggling with an overwhelming emotional burden—one that threatens to unravel his own life, and possibly the lives of those around him.Twenty-seven years ago, two-year-old Audrey Cutler disappeared from her home in the middle of the night. She was never found. All the detectives had to go on were vague eyewitness accounts of a man running down the Cutlers' street, apparently carrying someone. Without enough evidence to suggest otherwise, Griffin Perlini—a neighbor with prior offenses against minors—was arrested, but never convicted.The case is long closed when Perlini is murdered nearly thirty years later. Now a man named Mr. Smith appears in Jason Kolarich's office, saying only that he represents a third party who wants the man charged with murder off the hook and that Kolarich is perfect for the job. The new client: Audrey Cutler's older brother, Sammy—Kolarich's estranged childhood best friend—a man he hasn't seen in nearly twenty years.But when Kolarich starts receiving violent threats from Mr. Smith's enigmatic employer, he figures out that the secrecy behind this nameless third party—and the key to winning Sammy's case—is entangled with the mystery of Audrey's disappearance. With his own life and Sammy's in the balance, Kolarich has to put aside not only the mounting anxiety of the job but also a heart-wrenching personal tragedy in order to find out what really happened to Audrey all those years ago. A finalist for the LA Times Book Prize A little girl, snatched from her bed in the dead of night... They knew who killed her. They couldn’t prove it. 26 years later, her brother Sammy doesn’t care about proof. He only cares about justice. Now, only his childhood best friend, attorney Jason Kolarich, can save Sammy from a life sentence for killing a killer. To defend Sammy, Jason must do what authorities could not, decades ago—prove the guilt of the pedophile who killed Sammy’s sister. But a mysterious benefactor, “Mr. Smith,” suddenly appears, offering money, resources, even alibis for Sammy’s defense. And he will stop at nothing—threatening the lives of Jason and his family—to control the outcome of the case. As the trial draws near, Jason races against time to save his family from Mr. Smith’s team and his friend Sammy from life in prison, while two crimes, decades apart, converge in a stunning verdict. Jason Kolarich is a midwestern everyman with a linebacker's build and an easy smart-ass remark. He's a young, intelligent, and successful attorney; but he's also struggling with a horrific tragedy that threatens to unravel his own life, and possibly the lives of everyone he holds dear.--From publisher's description