The Case Against William (40 page)

He
understood the other justice system, the one called life. That justice system
had accused, tried, and convicted William Tucker. Because he was guilty as
sin. He was an arrogant, egotistical, self-centered star jock. A jerk. A
lousy human being. A lousy teammate, friend, brother, and son. Especially
son. Life had given William Tucker what the gangbanger next door had wanted
most in life: a father. Not a biological father, but a real father. A great
father. A father who had always been there for him. A father who stood by him
when the world had turned against William Tucker. A father who loved him more
than life itself. But he had treated his father like a fan wanting an
autographed football. He didn't have time for his own father.

Now
life had come down hard on William Tucker. Life had rendered its verdict, and
it was harsh. He had to be punished—how can life be just if the guilty are not
punished? He was a bad son. He was guilty as sin, and he had to pay for his
sins. He understood life now, so he accepted his punishment. It was his destiny.
He stood tall and faced the judge.

"Yes,
Your Honor, I am—"

"Innocent!"

William
whirled around to see Billie Jean burst through the courtroom doors holding an
iPad high.

It
was Christmas Day on the beach. Lights were strung on the bungalow, and
Dwayne, Chico, and Chuck wore red Santa caps. Dwayne smoked a cigar, Chico a
joint, and Chuck a turkey. They played poker and drank eggnog. And Jack
Daniels Tennessee Honey.

"Belize,"
Dwayne said.

Chuck
and Chico groaned. But they were happy. William Tucker had signed footballs
for each of them. Chuck carried his with him always; Chico put his on eBay and
made $10,000. But somehow it seemed less exciting when it was a lawful
transaction.

Billie Jean Crawford, her daughter, Bobbie Jo, and Becky
Tucker played with Rusty on the beach. Billie Jean had finally found her Prince Charming, a
broken-down, recovering-drunk, beach-bum lawyer who didn't think he was a
Prince Charming. Life had stomped all the bullshit out of him, and he was a
better man for it. A good man. All the man she needed.

Becky
Tucker flung the Frisbee down the beach for Rusty. She had finished her
novel. It wasn't a tragedy after all. She gazed out to sea at the hero of her
story.

Frank
Tucker stood in knee-deep water in the Gulf of Mexico. He stared at the
newspaper photo of Sarah Barnes, the photo he had carried with him always and
the image that had haunted him for six years.

"I'm
so sorry, Sarah. I pray you're in heaven. But I have to let you go now. I
hope you can find a way to forgive me."

He
laid the photo on the water and watched the tide carry Sarah out to sea. He
wiped tears from his face then cast his line. Only two kinds of men find their
way to Rockport, Texas: fishermen and losers. As the sun set beyond the Gulf
of Mexico, Frank Tucker stood in the surf and fished. With his family on the
beach and his son next to him. His son stood six feet five inches tall and
weighed two hundred thirty-five pounds, but to his father he would always be
that twelve-year-old boy who thought his dad was—

"You're
the best dad in the whole world."

And
he would be the best son in the whole world. Frank Tucker deserved such a
son. William Tucker had been granted a last-minute reprieve by life. A second
chance at life. Because of his father. His father had saved his life. He
turned to his dad and held up an open hand.

They
high-fived.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Gimenez grew up in Galveston County, Texas, and attended
Texas State University and Notre Dame Law School. He was a partner in a large
Dallas firm. He is the author of seven novels—
The Color of Law, The
Abduction, The Perk, The Common Lawyer, Accused, The Governor's Wife,
and
Con
Law
—as well as a children's novel,
Parts & Labor: The Adventures of
Max Dugan.
His books have sold over one million copies and received
critical acclaim around the world; they have been bestsellers in the UK,
Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and India and translated into fifteen foreign
languages.
The Perk
won a spot in
Books to Die For: The World's
Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's Greatest Mystery Novels
, edited by
John Connolly and Declan Burke. Mark has two sons and lives in Texas.

PRAISE FOR MARK GIMENEZ'S BOOKS

CON LAW

"There cannot be any dispute. Gimenez has taken
over John Grisham's mantle. This is his seventh legal thriller, and his work
is now faster and fresher than Grisham, his characters are stronger, and his
plot lines reek of tomorrow's headlines. This one centres on 'fracking'; the
removal of gas from shale oil deposits, which is now the subject of fierce
political debate in Britain as well as America.… It takes a positive
delight in the intricacies of the law, but with a good helping of action thrown
in, and it underlines just how much Gimenez has taken over Grisham's
territory."
Daily Mail (UK)

Same brilliant storyteller, brand new character to
follow. Gimenez does law mysteries every bit as good as John Grisham, and this
latest effort won't disappoint fans of that master.… Gimenez is a great
and growing writer who hasn't let his readers down yet, and doesn't look likely
to."
Weekend Sport (UK)

"A fracking good read."
The Times
(South Africa)

THE GOVERNOR'S WIFE

"A breathtaking read." –
Joburg.co.za
(South Africa)

"A gripping story, well told."
–
Literary Review
(UK)

"It could have been the kiss of
death—to be described as the next John Grisham—but so far Mark Gimenez has dodged the bullet. The Texas lawyer
has quietly carved his own path, seemingly unworried about any expectations
triggered by his debut thriller making the
New York Times
bestseller
list. He writes legal thrillers—good ones. His latest novel,
The
Governor's Wife
, however, is not set in a courtroom but rather the
governor's mansion in Texas and the no-man's land on the border of Texas and
Mexico. His hero is not a smart, quick-stepping lawyer but a jaded governor,
set for life in his home state but who hankers after the adrenaline rush of one
more political adventure, a tilt at the White House.… Gimenez's dialogue
breathes street cred, his characters are larger than life, almost bigger than
Texas, but it is the state itself that is pivotal. His books exude Texas.
Violence hovers like the acrid whiff of gunpowder after the fatal shot. Here
it explodes into massacre and betrayal in the raw world of illegal immigration,
drug cartels and politics." –
Dominion Post Weekend
(New Zealand)

"Mark
Gimenez delivers another powerful
thriller with his latest release
The Governor's Wife
.… Gimenez has
built a solid reputation for being a skilled storyteller and in this latest
release he kicks things up a notch, intensifying the action, increasing the
emotion and going all in with a plot that twists and turns, and creating
multi-layered, captivating characters that are impossible not to care
about." –
Houston Press

"Here's a heady mix of drugs, sex, politics and
gunfights played out in a modern Texas, a big tale that gallops along at
mustang pace.… Mark Gimenez already has a reputation as a fine thriller writer
and doesn't disappoint here.… VERDICT: HEADED FOR THE BESTSELLER
LIST." –
The Courier-Mail
(Australia)

"The no-man’s land hugging the Mexican border
with the United States forms the pivotal area for plot. An ambitious politician;
his estranged wife; a scheming political advisor; the politician’s mistress; a
missionary doctor, ruthless lobbyists and a vengeful Mexican drug lord, the
story has all the elements in their best to keep you turning pages.…The
biggest player, history, is least mentioned but is the most powerful driving
force. The Governor’s Wife is a reflection of the distribution of good and
bad within us. Each character is carefully constructed with enough attention
paid to detail to ensure the seamless flow of the story without compromising
on the suspense. Each of them is faced with difficult choices as their personal
lives are intertwined with bigger affairs in the making."  --
Postnoon
(India)

"Politics, drug lords, the rich, the poor,
racism, sex, love and hate … The Governor's Wife has a bit of everything.… Mark Gimenez keeps the story cracking along at a furious
pace." --
Wairarapa Times-Age
(New Zealand).

"An intense, exciting read." -
The
Citizen
(South Africa)

"The State of Texas is a world unto
itself, and nowhere is more grimly fascinating than the corridor of badlands
where the Lone Star meets the Mexican border. It is a constant source of
material for novelists, politicians, environmentalists to name but a few. Here
bestselling writer Mark
Gimenez takes on the
Grisham mantle with a politico-legal-romantic thriller that fairly whips along.… You can see the movie coming a mile away, and it’ll be a cracker." –
The Melbourne Review
(Australia)

"He's been described in parts of the
media as the next Grisham but Mark
Gimenez's sixth novel,
The
Governor's Wife
, zeroes in on a larger-than-life political and family drama
set in Texas.… As the Governor of Texas, Bode Bonner has it all but a
ticket to the White House and a wife willing to play second fiddle to his
rapidly expanding ambitions.… Just as the cut-throat tactics set the pace
for a final showdown, the unexpected depth presented by both governor and wife
makes for a compelling, if slightly unusual, love story." -
The
National
(Dubai)

ACCUSED

"Some critics are
calling the Texas-based lawyer Mark
Gimenez 'the next Grisham'—but I think
that's far less than fair. This, his fifth novel and the second featuring
attorney A. Scott Fenney, shows he's now better than the one-time master of the
American courtroom drama. For my money, Grisham has grown stale over the past
five years while Gimenez has gone from strength to strength. If you doubt me,
sample this cracking thriller which sees Fenney defend his former wife against
the allegation that she killed the man she left him for, millionaire golf
professional Trey Rawlins.… This is one of the best legal thrillers since
Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent in 1987 … Superb." –
Daily Mail
(UK)

"Brilliant writing,
masterful plot and all the thrill of the courtroom in one. Grisham, step
aside." –
City AM
(UK)

"Gimenez has set his
bloody murder trial
Accused
against the background of a failed marriage,
single-parenting issues and male infidelity.… This mix of family values,
sex, sleaze and intrigue holds together in a gripping read with unexpected
twists that ranks with anything Grisham has done in years." –
The Times
(UK)

"Gimenez writes smart vernacular dialogue, hip and
street-wise, with a nice line in social commentary, and his plotting leaves the
over-rated John Grisham in his rear-vision mirror." –
The Australian

"Courtroom drama at its
finest.… Great ending, too." –
Perth Now
(Australia)

"Gimenez's latest novel
Accused
is classic Grisham at his best." –
Gisborne Herald
(New Zealand)

"A great read.…
Gimenez is a thriller writer of quality." –
Oamuru Mail
(New
Zealand)

"You’ll be handcuffed
and imprisoned from the first page." –
Joburg.co.za
(South Africa)

"If you enjoy suspense
and a fast-paced courtroom drama, this one's for you." –
Foschini Club
Magazine
(South Africa)

"
Accused
 is an
engaging and character-led legal thriller. Gimenez's dialogue and prose are as
fluid and natural as we've come to expect, and the pacing of the plot will keep
pulling you along. When we're finally brought into the court-room, the author
actually makes it gripping and tense, even though we've been following Scott
and his team's investigation every step of the way.
Accused
, therefore,
offers the reader everything they could want from a thriller, and is a very
satisfying read."
–
Civilian
Reader (UK)

"Gimenez's
plots are driven by surprises and twists, while the stakes are much higher than
what one can possibly imagine at the beginning of the book. What's more, the
Texan lawyer, A Scott Fenney, grips our interest with his mind games, and we
are compelled to turn one page after another to discover where the story is
headed. Gimenez is in good form in Accused. He is equally good in the companion
book, The Color of Law. Unputdownable for those who love the genre." –
The
Times of India

THE COLOR OF LAW

"First novelist Gimenez
draws on his experience as an attorney in this taut legal thriller that echoes
To
Kill a Mockingbird
. With fast-paced and edgy prose, dramatic tête-à-têtes
between attorneys, and an explosive courtroom conclusion, Gimenez effectively
weaves elements of race, class, and justice into a story of a lawyer who
rediscovers the difference between doing good and doing well." -
Library
Journal
(starred review)

"Gimenez delivers an
authentically creepy debut novel. A big part of this thriller's appeal is its
moral backbone.… This is a well-calibrated contemporary morality play, set
in get-rich-quick Dallas, with tours of country clubs and gated communities,
and knowledgeable forays into Darwinian legal tactics. Gimenez also gives us a
hateful character who becomes more sympathetic the more he fails. Fast-paced
and thought-provoking fare." -
Booklist
(starred review)