DARKNESS DROPS AGAIN

In this debut thriller, a lawyer reluctantly joins her first criminal case while trying to stay focused on her family.

As one of the few women at a large Chicago law firm, Maeve Shaw hopes to make partner. But after her second maternity leave, there’s little work available for her, and she struggles to maintain billable hours. Regardless, she steers clear of an imminent pro-bono murder trial. She has an apparent hatred of criminal law, stemming from her troubled childhood with an addict mother and a perpetually angry attorney father. But “the murder team,” wanting a female counselor, requests Maeve. The client is Tammy Sanford, a mom who supposedly strangled her 23-year-old daughter, Kyleigh, a frequent child beauty pageant winner who later became addicted to opioids. Maeve delves into the trial, but a recent discovery about her husband, Patrick, is distracting. He may be having an affair. Though a text message and further evidence aren’t rock solid, they’re certainly suspicious. She’s determined to keep her family together while her boss implies she’ll lose her job if her billables wane. And as she’s sure Tammy is innocent, Maeve and her best friend, Zara Patel, do some investigating of their own. Manning’s novel convincingly mingles Maeve’s personal and professional lives. This character-driven story reveals a woman thriving under intense pressure, even if she occasionally stumbles. As readers only know as much as Maeve does, there’s mystery surrounding both the murder trial and Patrick’s possible adultery. The tale is mostly gloomy, as the mother of two deals with a sexist boss; seems to blame herself, at least partly, for what Patrick may have done; and, via intermittent flashbacks, endures negligent parents. Fortunately, instances of humor offer relief, including scenes involving an odd Brazilian and a webcam failure. The author reinforces her taut narrative with punchy dialogue while each subplot concludes memorably.

An assured and wholly absorbing legal tale.