These excerpts outline a complex New York City thriller centered on corporate corruption, political maneuvering, and criminal justice, primarily following attorney Duncan Riley and investigative reporter Candace Snow. Duncan, a junior lawyer at a prestigious firm, is initially tasked with defending the powerful developer Roth Properties from the fallout of a fatal construction accident at their Aurora Tower project, a situation fueled by massive embezzlement and illicit payments. Simultaneously, Duncan takes on the pro bono defense of Rafael Nazario, a young man from the Jacob Riis housing projects falsely accused of murdering security guard Sean Fowler. Candace Snow is relentless in pursuing the truth about the Aurora corruption and the suspiciously frequent drug-related evictions at Jacob Riis, eventually uncovering that the Roth family used Fowler to push out tenants before having him murdered to stop him from blackmailing the company. Ultimately, Duncan risks his career to expose the cover-up ...