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he labyrinth of the law, the dark secrets of the human heart, and the forces of lust, greed, ambition, and power fuel the explosive chemistry of this new thriller by the best-selling author of Mitigating Circumstances and First Offense. Once again Nancy Taylor Rosenberg presents a breathless, page-turning drama of a brave and beautiful prosecuting attorney forced to defend herself against deadly odds.

Brilliant, hard-driving Stella Cataloni is the star of the Dallas District Attorney's office, with an amazing 100 percent conviction rate. But the conviction she most desperately wants agonizingly eludes her. The fire that years ago killed her parents and scarred her life remains unsolved. When her ex-boyfriend Tom Randall, who Stella is convinced set the fire, suddenly reappears in Houston, Stella vows revenge.

But when Randall is brutally murdered, his death puts the arson case in a new light and gives Houston D.A. Holly Oppenheimer the ruthless opportunity to put Stella behind bars for both crimes. Once Stella's friend, Holly becomes a formidable adversary, willing to use her knowledge of Stella's personal secrets to her own advantage. As headlines scream BATTLE OF THE WOMEN D.A.'S and the media circus begins, Stella's key hope of proving her innocence is to do what the police cannot or will not do: find the killer who has mocked the law not once but twice.

Stella finds herself in a maze of intrigue and corruption stretching back fifteen years - and leading to ugly revelations behind flawless masks of innocence. Plagued by suspicions that seem too horrible to be true yet refuse to be denied, she realizes she is being shadowed by a murderer as she seeks the truth in her own defense. Even as she uses every tool - from forensic animation to virtual reality - to turn the tide of the courtroom battle, Stella must apply every ounce of her nerve and brains to escape the unseen enemy who will stop at nothing to see her dead.

With tension that turns tighter at every searing exposure and disclosure, and total authenticity in every line, Trial By Fire again proves that Nancy Taylor Rosenberg is the most compelling writer of legal thrillers today.

First two pages of Trial by Fire

he corridor outside the courtroom resembled the inside of a TV station. Lights, tripods, steel equipment cases, twisted cords, and heavy cables were strewn around in the narrow corridor while technicians sprawled out along the walls, sipping coffee and talking among themselves. A reporter for the Dallas Morning News spotted the prosecutor, Stella Cataloni, and the Dallas County District Attorney, Benjamin Growman, huddled in a corner in the corridor. Thinking he might be able to get a statement during the recess, he rushed over. “Do you think Gregory Pelham will be convicted this time?” he said, holding his portable tape recorder up close to the district attorney’s face. “Absolutely.” Tall and lean, Growman was dressed in a dark Armani suit and a white starched shirt bearing his initials. His nose was pronounced, his eyes closely set, and his lips thin. At fifty-seven, his hair was sprinkled with gray, but he was still a handsome man, accomplished and confident. “Why did he get off the first time?”

“The trial resulted in a hung jury,” Growman answered. “You know all of this, Abernathy. Give us some space here.” He turned back to his conversation, but Abernathy continued thrusting the tape recorder at him. “Pelham was recently arrested for attempting to molest a child,” the reporter said. “Is this why you decided to retry him on the old homicide charges? Why didn’t you just prosecute him on the new crime? Aren’t you afraid the jury will acquit him this time? Once he’s acquitted, he can’t be retried again. Isn’t that true?” “Once he’s convicted on the murder charges, we’ll prosecute him on the new charges,” Stella Cataloni interjected. “Turn off the tape recorder, Charley. Ben and I have some things to discuss right now.” At thirty-four, Stella was an intelligent and determined woman whom the press had dubbed the “Italian Wildcat.” She was also a Texas beauty: Dressed in a yellow linen suit, she had ebony hair that fell to her shoulders in natural, soft waves. Her luminous brown eyes were flecked with gold, and her skin appeared flawless. She wore the left side of her hair pushed back behind one ear allowing the other side to spill forward and obscure her face. Her walk was purposeful and her footsteps heavy, belying the lightness of her slender yet curvaceous body. “How long is the recess?” Growman asked once the reporter had walked off. It was the second week in August and the temperature was a scorching hundred and five degrees. The air-conditioning in the Frank Crowley courts building in downtown Dallas was operating, but when it got this hot, it seldom brought the temperature down below eighty degrees. Taking out his handkerchief, Growman wiped his face and neck. Stella glanced at her watch. “Only five minutes left,” she said, “and I didn’t even have time to stop by the office. I wanted to see if the coroner’s report on the Walden case has come in yet.” Growman frowned. “Worry about your closing argument right now,” he said. “Everything else can wait.”

© 1996 Penguin USA

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