When fourteen-year-old foster child Johnathan Thomas Woods is suspected of murder, an old letter and a tacky billboard advertisement lead him to the office of attorney Brian Stone. Recognizing the sense of hopelessness lurking under John's angry façade, Stone is soon convinced of his innocence. When John offers up his lawn-mowing money as payment, Stone realizes this is a case he can't refuse.

In the face of overwhelming evidence assembled by the prosecution, Stone and his team find themselves in a race against time to save an angry boy who's experienced more than his fair share of betrayal, a boy who more often than not doesn't seem interested in saving himself.

Melinda Clayton is an award-winning author of southern psychological suspense. In addition to novels, she's written two family genealogies and numerous articles and short stories published in various print and online magazines. Clayton is also a writing tutor, an editor, and an MFA instructor.