Sam Williams

Once the brightest star in the legal firmament, Sam Williams has hit rock bottom, with barely a client to his name and a short-term cash problem that's looking longer by the minute. So when he's summoned to Manchester to help a friend crack a case involving the murder of two unarmed police officers and a suspect who won't say a word, he jumps at the chance to resurrect his career.

Renowned human rights lawyer Elizabeth Maurier lies dead, her body mutilated, her killer unknown. For DI Olivia Martins and her team, it’s a mystery. For the victim’s daughter Lizzy, a poet and academic with a shaky grasp on reality, it’s a tragedy. But for Sam Williams, the man Elizabeth fired a decade ago and hasn’t spoken to since, it’s a whole new world of pain.

Everyone needs to be heard: If there’s one thing Sam Williams has learned, it’s that. Which is why he finds himself defending Richard Fothergill against accusations that date back decades. But Sam’s real problems are closer to home. His nemesis, Trawden, is finally dead, but so are those he once called friends. The people he used to count on, the ones who aren’t in the ground, aren’t what they once were, either.

A secret prisoner holds the key to a 30-year old crime. Sam Williams was meant for great things, until a fatal misstep crashed his career. Trying to salvage the remnants is a path which leads him to the wrong place at the worst time - a high security prison in the middle of a riot, and face to face with a man the world believes is long dead. Sam quickly learns someone is willing to do whatever it takes make sure things stay that way. The truth to a decades old mystery might save Sam’s skin, but the clock is ticking.