"Excellent . . . a thriller that simply oozes southern charm and atmosphere." - Booklist

With sass and wit, Deborah Knott, formerly a defense attorney in North Carolina's Colleton County, is putting herself firmly on the seat of power - a district judgeship. She's also making good on a campaign promise: helping to build houses for battered women. Here Deborah expects muscle aches, not the near-rape of a young woman and the murder of her attacker. And she certainly never expects that her hammer - complete with her fingerprints - will be the murder weapon . . .