Jack Hilliard has the perfect life. A family man with two young sons and a supportive wife that he has loved since the day they met, he’s also on the verge of being elected District Attorney of St. Louis. As secure at home as he is in the courtroom, he has plenty to fight for and nothing to hide.

 

But everything in Jack’s life is not nearly as perfect as it seems, as he learns when he finally admits to being attracted to one of his old friends and colleagues, Jenny Dodson. Jack tries hard to put his feelings for her aside, but his attraction develops into an obsession that he can’t control. What should have been a terrible mistake never to be repeated turns into even more when Jenny is accused of the murder of one of her clients, and Jack is her only alibi. Now Jack’s in the painful and precarious position of being trapped between saving a friend and protecting his family.

 

Julie Compton’s searing debut novel, Tell No Lies, is as much a whodunit as it is about why---why does Jack Hilliard do what he does, even when it seems he can’t win, why does Jenny Dodson let him, and why is human nature as much about love and conviction as it is about trust and betrayal?

Praise

“Tell No Lies has all the requisites of legal thrillers including courtroom dramas and lawyers' behind the scenes work… Compton proves she has real storytelling skills. Tell No Lies' final twist is as stunning as that classic surprise in Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent.”
--Florida Sun-Sentinel

 

“Compton’s debut is a taut, tense cautionary tale complete with courtroom drama and a surprise ending.”
--Kirkus (starred review)

 

“Readers will like this debut by a practicing attorney for its fluid prose and insight into the legal system.”
--Library Journal

About the Author(s)

Julie Compton

Julie Compton is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, the setting for her internationally published debut, TELL NO LIES. She earned her English literature and law degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and most recently worked as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice. Spending several years in Boston and then Philadelphia before moving to Florida in 2003, her new home became the setting for her second novel, RESCUING OLIVIA. Julie now lives near Orlando with her husband and two daughters. Learn more at www.julie-compton.com.

photo: Photo: Cynthia Graham

Visit Julie Compton's Website

Excerpt

Chapter One
Jack drove his car a little too fast out of the parking garage, his tires screaming as he rounded the coiled curves of the down ramp. He fum­bled with the radio, looking for a song to match his upbeat mood, all the while keeping his eyes ahead and his left hand on the steering wheel. A slight grin graced his face, though he  wasn’t aware of it.
That morning, the jury had returned a verdict in the most publicized murder case he had ever prosecuted.

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