A TISSUE OF LIES

In Wilsher’s legal thriller, a Texas attorney revisits a 20-year-old case in which he failed an innocent client and discovers coverups, conspiracies, and misconduct.

Frank Connor’s first murder trial two decades ago did not end well. His client, Tyrell Sikes, was sentenced to 19 years in prison for a murder that he didn’t commit. Now, Sikes has been exonerated, but his $10 million settlement—minus the $5 million for attorney fees—hasn’t mitigated his anger toward Connor, whom he threatens with a lawsuit. “I was framed,” Sikes tells him. “Only question is, was my lawyer in on the frame?...I aim to find out.” However, before can do so, he’s mysteriously murdered. Connor has come a long way since Sikes’ trial, when he had an office in a strip mall. He undertakes a new investigation of Sikes’ case despite warnings from the now-destitute former prosecutor, Arnie de Vries, that there are powerful forces at play.Soon, the body count escalates, and Connor becomes especially concerned for his own safety when he hears a shady figure call him “a loose end” in a taped telephone conversation. Wilsher, the author of Five Tales of Horror and Suspense (2018), is a lawyer himself, and as such, he writes knowledgeably about legal procedure and machinations. Along the way, he not only delivers an engaging mystery, but also crafts some deft character work, as when the anxious prosecutor ominously tells Connor, “There are things I could tell you. Things you never knew. Things you’d never dream of in a million years.” A description of the contents of Connor’s desk drawer serves as an intriguing introduction to the man: “a lien notice from the IRS, the current issue of the state bar journal, and an old birthday card from his ex-wife and son…the five-hundred-count bottle of Tylenol.” Some occasional word choices seem suspect, though, as when the narration approvingly calls a cheeseburger “moist.”

An involving mystery with strong characters and clever plotting.