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Set against the backdrop of the turbulent late 1960s, two twenty-two-year-old queer men find their lives publicly scrutinized by judge and jury in Chicago’s judicial system. Colin Doyle, the gay son and grandson of two of the CPD’s toughest and most corrupt cops, is indicted on a capital murder charge after his wealthy older patron, Oliver Bradford, dies of a heart attack while the pair have consensual sex. The death may not have been notable had Bradford’s angry nephew been included in his will, but Oliver had given Colin joint ownership of his property and his extensive financial fortune despite the relationship with his young personal secretary not being a conventional love affair. In a youthful, foolish decision, Colin moves Tyler Voight, his brand-new lover, into the home the day after Oliver’s death, making the older man’s demise look more sordid and suspicious and an intentional homicide.
Author Fritsch’s real-life courtroom representation of indigent clients for over thirty years and his life experiences as a gay man and supporter of LGTBQ causes lend a strong note of authenticity to the court scenes. His craft-worthy courtroom scenes add spice to the otherwise routine legal proceedings, as do his supporting characters: the angry, homophobic nephew, a lackey prosecutor manipulated by the DA’s office, a dynamic pair of lesbian lawyers, and an independent presiding judge—a dignified African-American woman uninterested in bribes and resistant to coercion. The compelling plot, like Fritsch’s previous law drama set in the 1960s, has a magnetic undercurrent of potential disaster that holds the reader's attention until the climax and resolution are revealed. The foreshadowing and timing are not always impeccable in scenes outside the courtroom in this particular tale. However, the competent writing and heartfelt plot make it well worth a read.