Heart of Justice

Beautiful New York heiress and divorcee Hope Scott has almost given up on love…

Then she meets Judge Paul Murray, whose working-class Irish roots couldn’t be more different than Hope’s blue-blooded ancestry.

Tough, honest, and dedicated to the law, Paul’s fought his way up the ladder and dreams of one day presiding in a federal courtroom — but knows that that dream is unlikely to ever come true.

But in marrying Hope, Paul finds that a whole new world has opened up to him through his wife’s many friends and connections.

Determined nevertheless to progress in his career on his own merit, he declines offers of assistance — but Hope is willing to do anything for love, including asking one of her oldest friends to advance Paul’s judicial career by dropping a few words to the right people.

But Jordan Crandell is a ruthless power broker whose affection for Hope doesn’t stand a chance against making advances in the business world.

Unfortunately for Hope, she doesn’t realise the cost behind her request: what she sees as a favour between friends becomes leverage for Crandell to use in the courtroom as he seeks to acquire computer company Starwares.

For Paul, who has no knowledge of the role that Hope and Crandell played in promoting him to the Federal bench, the opportunity to preside over the legal battle for one of America’s biggest corporate takeovers is hugely exciting.

The outcome of the case is worth billions, but when Crandell threatens to expose a long-buried secret, and dangles Paul’s federal appointment over his head, Paul finds himself trapped by his love for his new wife and his dedication to the law.

As he faces a decision that will change the course of his life, everything is on the line: his honour, his reputation, his marriage, even his personal safety.

Both as a man and a judge, he must confront what is truly at The Heart of Justice…

Praise for William J Coughlin

‘First rate entertainment.’ — Booklist

‘A fine legal drama from a splendid writer.’ — Poisoned Pen

‘A sharply observed tale.’ — Publishers Weekly

William J. Coughlin has combined a career as a United States administrative judge in Detroit with that of a best-selling novelist. His five previous highly acclaimed and successful novels are The Twelve Apostles, His Father’s Daughter, Her Honor, In the Presence of Enemies and Shadow of a Doubt.