Deadly Defense — R. Barri Flowers

Deadly Defense: A Grace Gaynor Christian Mystery is a powerful psychological suspense and legal thriller by bestselling crime writer R. Barri Flowers. Three years ago, Miami defense attorney Grace Gaynor was the victim of a violent sexual assault in which she killed her attacker. She has been undergoing therapy to deal with the trauma. When her therapist Doctor Austin Winchester, whom she had begun to develop feelings for, is arrested and charged with the violent murder of her friend Kara Pedrosa, Grace reluctantly takes on his case for her law firm of Kendall, Francois, and Larosa. She goes up against brilliant Miami-Dade prosecutor Perry MacAlister, a former colleague whom she still considers a friend. He's as tough as they come and believes he has a slam dunk case against Dr. Winchester, a highly respected psychiatrist. In order to prove otherwise, Grace must call upon all of her skills, faith, and gut instincts to win an acquittal in the face of uncertainties and mixed loyalties. The intriguing and complex storyline, three-dimensional characters, and shocking conclusion will keep readers engrossed from beginning to end. Bonus material includes two mystery short stories by the author. In "Target of a Killer," a journalist is targeted for death by a drug kingpin whose operation she had exposed. Staying alive becomes a real challenge when not knowing who to trust, with a ruthless killer taking aim. In "PhD in Murder," a doctoral student's independent study reenactment of the well-known and still unsolved murder of Marilyn Sheppard ends with a modern-day murder and a killer on the loose.