PRAISE FOR MURDER IN THE COURTHOUSE
“Nancy Grace fans rejoice! Hailey Dean is back on the case. There’s murder and mayhem in Savannah, the lush jewel of the south, a city steeped in mystery, folklore, and romance. Hailey is all business on the bench, but after hours, she falls in love with the dreamy setting and into the arms of a handsome stranger, who woos her with more than a mimosa. Pure escape from Ms. Grace, who knows her way around the law but when it comes to love is at the mercy of the court. A fabulous read, y’all!”
—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of All the Stars in the Heavens
“Nancy grabs the readers by their proverbial throat from the very first paragraph and refuses to let go. She is a terrific storyteller and keeps the twists and turns coming page after page. Her latest thriller, Murder in the Courthouse, is sure to please her many fans.”
—Kathie Lee Gifford
MURDER IN THE
COURTHOUSE
OTHER BOOKS IN THE HAILEY DEAN MYSTERIES SERIES
The Eleventh VictimDeath on the D-List
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Nancy Grace
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
BenBella Books, Inc.
10440 N. Central Expressway, Suite 800
Dallas, TX 75231
Send feedback to [email protected]
First E-Book Edition: October 2016
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon reqeust.
e-ISBN: 978-1-942952-89-3
| Editing by John PaineCopyediting by Katie BuniakProofreading by Brittney Martinez, Jenny Bridges, and Sarah VostokCover by Sarah Dombrowsky | Text design by Aaron EdmistonText composition by Integra Software Services Private LimitedDust jackets printed by Phoenix ColorPrinted by Lake Book Manufacturing |
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Special discounts for bulk sales (minimum of 25 copies) are available. Please contact Aida Herrera at [email protected].
Murder in the Courthouse is dedicated to my father, Walter Malcolm “Mac” Grace, who filled our lives with joy.
Please read this book in Heaven, my sweet dad. You gave me
strength to finish it.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hailey Dean was born in my heart and mind many years ago. Bringing her to life has been quite a journey, down a very long and winding road full of ups and downs.
Thank you to Glenn Yeffeth, Leah Wilson, Sarah Dombrowsky, Jennifer Canzoneri, Jessika Rieck, and the rest of the incredible crew at BenBella, along with John Paine, for making Murder in the Courthouse a reality.
Thank you to my Bama friend and anchor throughout, Dee Emmercson, a.k.a. “Moon Pie.” What good is anything without a friend to share it with?
Thank you to my dear friends Dean Sicoli, Eleanor Odom, and Mike Walker, all of whom you can spot in these pages whether named or not.
Thank you to my partner in crime, Josh Sabarra . . . you believed.
Thank you to my sweet twins, who love Mommy even when she’s working on her book instead of going on an adventure with them out in the swing or