The Plinko Bounce

New York Times Best Thriller of 2023New York Times Editors'' Pick 2023For seventeen years, small-town public defender Andy Hughes has been underpaid to look after the poor, the addicted, and the u ...

New York Times Best Thriller of 2023New York Times Editors'' Pick 2023For seventeen years, small-town public defender Andy Hughes has been underpaid to look after the poor, the addicted, and the unfortunate souls who constantly cycle through the courts, charged with petty crimes. Then, in the summer of 2020, he’s assigned to a grotesque murder case that brings national media focus to rural Patrick County, Virginia—Alicia Benson, the wife of a wealthy businessman, is murdered in her home. The accused killer, Damian Bullins, is a cunning felon with a long history of violence, and he confesses to