A master manipulator accused of murder. An attorney sworn to defend her. Keera Duggan returns in a riveting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.
When Jenna Bernstein, disgraced wunderkind CEO of a controversial biotech company, is accused of murdering her former partner and lover, she turns to Seattle attorney Keera Duggan to defend her. Keera is more than a master chess player who brings her intuitive moves into court—she’s Jenna’s childhood friend. But considering their history, Keera knows that where Jenna goes, trouble follows.
Five years earlier, Keera’s father successfully defended Jenna when she was tried for the killing of her company’s chief scientist who threatened to go public with allegations of corporate fraud. Keera knows Jenna too well. When she was a kid, Keera saw Jenna for what she was: a manipulative and frighteningly controlling sociopath. Now, with only circumstantial evidence against Jenna, Keera is willing to bury any trepidation she might have to defend a woman she believes, this time, to be innocent.
As the investigation gets underway and disturbing questions arise, Keera puts her trust in a client who swears that this time she's telling nothing but the truth. If this is all just another devious game, Keera might be working to set a murderer free.
The series
In the quiet corridors of Seattle’s justice system, where strategy often matters more than truth, Keera Duggan plays a game few dare enter—one where the stakes are life and death, and the rules are ever-shifting.
Read full series description
Born into a family of criminal defense lawyers and raised with the ruthless discipline of competitive chess, Keera walks a tightrope between legacy and independence. After a fall from grace in the prosecutor’s office, she returns to her family's faltering law firm—not just to salvage her reputation, but to find her footing in a courtroom where every move feels like part of a larger, more dangerous board. Each case she takes pulls her deeper into a web of moral ambiguity, legal maneuvering, and personal reckoning.
What makes this legal thriller series stand out isn’t just the intricately plotted courtroom drama—it’s the emotional depth layered beneath it. The tension between justice and loyalty, the shadow of past mistakes, and the chilling realism of high-stakes criminal law create a noir-tinged atmosphere that’s as psychological as it is procedural.
The stories move with the deliberate intensity of a chess match—quiet moments loaded with consequence, sudden turns you don’t see coming, and a lingering sense that the next case could cost more than just a verdict. With a protagonist who thinks three steps ahead and a narrative voice steeped in quiet tension, this series offers a fresh, cerebral twist on the legal thriller genre.
Perfect for readers who appreciate smart, character-driven crime fiction with emotional nuance and sharp legal insight, the Keera Duggan series doesn't just tell you a story—it draws you into the game. Are you ready to make your move?
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