★ 2012年哈波‧李法律小說獎的決選小說

(Harper Lee Przie for Legal Fiction，《梅岡城故事》榮獲首屆哈波‧李法律小說獎)

★ 全美最暢銷犯罪驚悚小說家詹姆斯‧派特森 推薦

愛倫坡獎的最佳小說得主暨全美暢銷小說家David Ellis筆下最令讀者熟悉青睞的小說主角莫過於年輕的刑事辯護律師傑生(Jason Kolarich)。作者以傑生作為故事主角的小說有《The Hidden Man》(Putnam, 2009)、《Breach of Trust》(Putnam, 2010)以及將於本月出版的《The Wrong Man》，每本皆是獨立故事。

《Breach of Trust》是2012年哈波‧李法律小說獎的三部決選小說之一，作者David Ellis將與另外兩位強勁入圍對手──麥可‧康納利的《The Fifth Witness》、美國作家杜戈尼的《Murder One》──爭取獎座。得獎者將於今年八月公佈。

小說描寫：這些年來，刑事辯護律師傑生一直活在懊悔與愧疚之中，因為他最摯愛的老婆與女兒遭人殘忍謀殺的那個晚上，他竟然在辦公室苦候一名告密者埃內斯托(Ernesto Ramirez)的電話，結果電話沒響過，卻傳來埃內斯托遇害的消息。傑生對老婆與女兒的死相當自責，同時更對埃內斯托的離奇死亡感到抱歉。他無法救回至愛親人的生命，也無法還原一個完整家庭，他現在唯一能做的就是找出殺死埃內斯托的兇手，並且將兇手繩之以法。

在傑生調閱每個可能遺留下來的證據時，意外發現埃內斯托的死不僅是冰山一角，而涉案殺人事件的藏鏡人可能與一名貪污的州長以及他的好朋友有關。他為了調查幕後真相，鋌而走險進入一個危險又違法的竊聽頻道，以及處處充滿口是心非、雙面人和收取佣金回扣的地下世界，在這裡他必須讓自己避重就輕刑事責任，同時致力挑戰公權力與遲來的正義。

本小說已在美、英(Quercus)、德國、荷蘭和土耳其等4國出版發行。

 

David Ellis won the 2002 Edgar Award for Best First Novel with his debut novel of suspense, LINE OF VISION and is the author of six other thrillers. The first Jason Kolarich novel, THE HIDDEN MAN was nominated for the LA Times Book Prize for Best Crime Novel. Ellis is also the co-author of the James Patterson novel GUILTY WIVES.

 

"David Ellis understands political corruption like no other writer out there-and lucky for us, his pages throb with action and suspense. Trust me, you won't be able to put Breach of Trust down." ──James Patterson

"In Breach of Trust, you think you're signing on for a sharply written, expertly plotted thriller with a wink-and-nod relationship to recent events in Illinois politics. In the end, you get that and a lot more: You get a morality tale, bleak and brutal and tender, about a broken man's hunt for justice." ──Chicago Tribune

"With The Hidden Man and the just-released Breach of Trust, Ellis has created an iron-willed, unbreakable character who can take the novelist's best punch and come back for more." ──Chicago Sun Times

"The reality of ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich's trial (Ellis was the impeachment prosecutor) lends credibility to this intense, suspenseful tale set in a political cesspool. Ellis has turned out a sharp political thriller that should appeal to fans of David Baldacci and Vince Flynn." ──Library Journal