The Burning Man A Novel

Peter Hale is a young attorney struggling to make his own mark in his father'svenerable law firm when he is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime.During the trial of a multimillion-dollar case, Peter's father, the leadcounsel, suffers a heart attack and asks Peter to move for a mistrial untilhe's feeling better. Peter decides this is his only chance to prove to hisfather that he is the terrific lawyer he knows himself to be, and he chooses tocarry on with the case against his father's wishes. In his zeal to provehimself, Peter neglects his client and ends up losing everything--the case, hisjob, and his father.

Unemployed and disinherited, Peter takes the only job he is offered--that of apublic defender in a small Oregon town. He hopes that if he can make goodthere, he can reinstate himself in his father's good graces. But his ambitionagain gets the best of him when he takes on a death-penalty case, representinga mentally retarded man accused of the brutal hatchet murder of a college coed.He's in way over his head, and it's only when Peter realizes that his greed andhis ego may end up killing his client that he begins to understand what itreally takes to be a good lawyer--and to become a man.

The "Chicago Tribune" said "It takes a really crafty storyteller to putpeople on the edge of their seats and keep them there. But Phillip Margolindoes just that." In "The Burning Man," with its intricate plotting, legalintrigue, and many twists and surprises, Phillip Margolin has done it again.This is sure to be his biggest bestseller yet.

Praise for "The Burning Man" and PhillipMargolin:

"Margolin specializes in characters who make your skin crawl."
"--People"

"Margolin's perfectly crafted plot provides plenty of chills"
"--Chicago Tribune"

"[Margolin] weaves disparate subplots and surprise twists into aterrific whodunit."
"--San Francisco Chronicle"

"Intricate plotting and warp-speed suspense. The man knows how to writea legal thriller."
"--Publishers Weekly"