Mystic Wind: A Legal Thriller

Set in the early 1980s, Barretto’s strong debut centers on Jack Marino, who as the head of the district attorney’s Urban Gang Unit in Mystic, Mass., amassed a reputation as an aggressive and skilled prosecutor. Following the conviction of a gang leader despite the nonappearance of his star witness, Marino was assaulted in his house by three masked men and only narrowly escaped death. Marino’s ambitious boss, Trevor Cameron, a career politician hoping to become governor, fired him when his work suffered in the home invasion’s aftermath. Two years later, Marino has landed a job at his father-in-law’s upscale firm, where he practices corporate law. Meanwhile, DA Cameron, eager to burnish his electoral prospects by pursuing the state’s first death penalty case in decades, hopes for an easy conviction of murder suspect David Lamb. The DA arranges for Marino, whom he regards as damaged goods, to represent Lamb, but Marino, who’s eager for redemption, works tirelessly to find the truth. Barretto, a Massachusetts judge, makes the legal maneuvering and courtroom scenes convincing. Fans of Robert Dugoni will hope to see more of Marino. (Sept.)