Prior Convictions

A New York Times Notable Book: Sour parents, a sleazy ex, ’70s radicalism, and murder spoil a California lawyer’s homecoming in this mystery by the author of Hidden Agenda.

Working in the LA office of a Wall Street law firm, attorney Willa Jansson was drowning in bankruptcy codes and mourning the loss of her love life. But now, after almost a year in that purgatory of dull men in thousand-dollar suits, she’s landed a new position clerking for a federal judge back in her hometown of San Francisco.

Driving up the coast, Willa should feel happy about her chance for a fresh start—except her hippie mother’s still upset with her for becoming a corporate sellout, her despicable ex needs her to do a favor for his new girlfriend, and her new boss is getting hate mail about her. Plus, she’s not even sure she wants to be a lawyer anymore.

But when a murderer strikes, Willa is forced to set aside her self-reflection and dig into the victim’s past, one full of lies, betrayal, and a few people holding grudges worth killing for . . .

Praise for the Willa Jansson Mysteries

“One of the most articulate and surely the wittiest of women sleuths at large in the genre.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Almost every paragraph is eminently quotable.” —The Plain Dealer

“Blessed with pungent prose, an affecting, funny, realistic heroine/detective and pressing moral and emotional issues.” —San Francisco Chronicle