Defiance County — Jay Brandon

Galilee, Texas, is not far from Houston, but it might as well be in another world--which is why a hideous double murder that rocks Galilee's ruling family knocks the town to its knees. Lorrie Beaumont and her husband have been shot to death, and their infant daughter has been kidnapped. And Alice Beaumont, the family's powerful matriarch, is pressing for swift justice against Billy Fletcher, the chief suspect.

Enter Kelsey Thatch, a young prosecutor sent by the Texas attorney general. She immediately feels the heavy hand of Alice Beaumont pushing for a speedy trial. But Kelsey also discovers that in Galilee, loyalties are easily twisted, and nobody seems to have a plausible answer to two key questions: Where is the baby? And why has there been no ransom demand? As the trial fireworks begin, Kelsey senses that the truth lies in the forbidding pine woods at the edge of town. But to penetrate the mystery, she will have to unearth a shocking secret--one that could destroy Galilee forever.