Earnest drama, nuanced conflict, and understated intensity with just the right amount of edginess fill every page.
Assistant District Attorney Jamie Jefferson doesn’t work in law enforcement for the paycheck. Working in the Special Victims Unit is emotionally taxing and physically exhausting, but for Jamie, it’s personal, and her newest assignment cuts deeper than ever. Jamie’s case involves the Russian mobster Peter Federov, a man whose long list of suspected unlawful activities includes immigration fraud, selling alcohol to minors, and murder. When a high school girl is assaulted in one of Peter’s clubs, Jaime is determined to stand up for the victim. Her most critical witness is Federov’s grandson Alexander, a teen with unlimited potential but a dark legacy to overcome. And Peter’s crimes are also on the radar of a hard-nosed federal prosecutor. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rostislav Gutin would rather perfect his violin solos than build cases against mobsters, but in this case, his crusade for justice takes priority. As Jaime gets more involved with the key witness in the trial, her path overlaps with ruthless Rostislav more than she prefers. The federal case has been years in the making, and finally bringing down Federov won’t be easy. If anyone stands in Rostislav’s way, he’ll take them down too. Jaime is about to discover that the enemy of your enemy isn’t always a friend.
If you’re drawn to thrillers with morally gray protagonists, layered character dynamics, intense courtroom showdowns, and scintillating family drama, This Side of the Law absolutely delivers! It thrums with the rapid pulse of a crime drama, shifting frenetically from one perspective to another. At its heart is Alexander, a good kid put into a bad position. He feels like an outcast in school and in his family, wrestling against his cultural identity. With an impulsive nature and a lack of self-control, he repeatedly puts himself at risk with a grandfather who will go to any length to preserve his illicit business empire. Though he has moxie than manners, Alexander captures the restless energy of a sixteen-year-old testing boundaries he barely understands as he gradually charms a vulnerable older woman. These complex, relatable characters cross ethical lines in ways that leave readers as unsettled and conflicted as the characters themselves. Earnest drama, nuanced conflict, and understated intensity with just the right amount of edginess fill every page of this smart, suspenseful novel. The stakes couldn’t be higher in This Side of the Law, a grounded story about shedding light on the shadows of our past.
