I grew up in Galveston County, Texas. I attended Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, and earned a B.A. in Political Science with honors. I then attended Notre Dame Law School in Indiana and earned a J.D. degree magna cum laude.

I practiced law with a large Dallas law firm and became a partner. After ten years, I left to practice solo and to write. I live in Texas

City lawyer Beck Hardin hasn't been back to the small town in Texas where he grew up for more than twenty years. He has history there. Bad memories.

But when his wife dies, Beck decides to return to Fredericksburg with his two young children. Leaving the rat race behind, he re-enters a beautiful but troubled small town simmering with ancient feuds, class rivalries and racial tensions.

As he tries to reconcile with his tough, stubborn father, and adjust back to the pace of small-town life, Beck learns of an unsolved case that has haunted Fredericksburg for the past five years. The statute of limitations on the case is fast approaching, and although Beck vowed to leave the law behind him, he can't resist the opportunity to seek justice.

Yet in taking the case on, Beck has made one of the most dangerous decisions of his life . . .