Defiled

by Mike Nemeth

Published 20 September 2016
A Nasty Divorce. A Murder Plot. A Dogged Detective. Unpredictable Results.

Lady Justice isn't blind; she sees the world through the corrective lenses of flawed statutes, fallible judges, cutthroat lawyers and avenging cops. When Randle's high tech company files its IPO, his wife, Carrie, files for a divorce, expecting to walk away with a financial windfall. Instead, Randle fights back and their simple divorce becomes a twisted tale of treachery, betrayal and perilous miscalculations. For Randle, the divorce is about more than money: It is about guilt and shame and the apportionment of blame, motives that compel him to take matters into his own hands. Outmoded divorce laws provide the kindling; Randle's lazy lawyer, an aloof judge, a misanthropic mediator, a publicity-seeking prosecutor and Carrie's capricious twin sister fan the flames; and one disheveled, easy-to-underestimate detective douses the blaze with dogged police work. But, Randle and Carrie, operating beyond the boundaries of the Justice System, determine the fair apportionment of blame.