Synopsis
Rosa Norway moved upward through the ranks of legions of attorneys practicing in Nashville, until she had finally become one of the premier criminal attorneys in the city. But, she crossed the line and suddenly found herself on the cusp of losing everything she had worked so hard to achieve.
She woke up one morning in the arms of John Hampton, the Criminal Court Judge presiding over a pending case of manslaughter involving her client, Jake McKay.
Later, while still involved in the trial, as a result of a disastrous turn of events she suddenly found herself positioned to lose her right to practice law and potentially her own freedom. While she contended with a mixture of ethical and personal issues, she continued to struggle not only with a client who insisted he was not guilty of the gruesome crime with which he was charged, but also with his overbearing, controlling friend, whom she both loathed and feared.
She had one person she felt she could trust. Unfortunately, he was the cop that was investigating those yet publicly undisclosed issues, most of which directly involved her.
Each move she made seemed to only drag her deeper into a swirl of ethical and legal violations that also seemed to adversely affect every one close to her, finally culminating in a most unexpected conclusion.
Below find a portion of the prologue from An Absence of Ethics:
Interstate 87, North of New York City
If his passenger had only known the purpose of this journey! Would he continue to insist on offering paltry, insignificant dialog or would the conversation suddenly turn meaningful? Would he be so quick to criticize the Family and its purpose as an integral part of society? If he knew, would he get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness or take his punishment like a man? These were all questions which would never be answered because at the precise moment Joey understood the purpose of the journey, he would die.