The 13th Juror by John Lescroart

The 13th Juror is a powerful courtroom drama.Dismas Hardy is asked by a colleague David Freeman to assist in defending Jennifer Witt, a battered woman who is accused of killing her husband and young son. Jennifer vehemently insists that she is innocent, but almost everyone including Freeman - her own lawyer - have their doubts. Idealistic Hardy believes her story and desperately clings to that belief even as Jennifer refuses to cooperate with her defense team's best strategy. Even as it is revealed that Jennifer lied about several key elements of her case. Can he alone save her from execution?The first part of the story - pre-trial - moved a bit slow but I was intrigued enough to want to see how it ends. However once the trial starts the pace picks up considerably and the surprise ending pulls it all together nicely. All in all a good story.