Power Blind

a Dana Hargrove legal mystery

2022 Readers’ Favorite Award Finalist, Best Legal Mystery

An unsolved murder. A teenager in peril. Two cases, lives in turmoil, fates manipulated by officials who wield the power to help—or harm.

In the dead of night, on the eve of New York City’s pandemic lockdown, a well-respected man is murdered, setting off a perplexing tangle of missed clues and political scandal. Former prosecutor Dana Hargrove, now an appellate judge, is determined to expose the media lies and false accusations targeting her friends and former colleagues. A limping criminal justice system fails to solve the murder by 2022 when another heartbreaking case is heard in Dana’s court. A state agency has ripped a terminally ill teenager from her home to forcibly impose medical treatment against her will.

Hindered by ethics rules, Dana carves a role for herself in these cases only to come up against her own children. Her son Travis, now a rising star in appellate advocacy, takes a legal position in the teen’s case at odds with Dana’s strongly held beliefs. Her daughter Natalie, a doctoral candidate in cognitive psychology, has a personal reason for meddling in the murder investigation. Will Natalie’s curiosity throw her into danger?

In a compelling story of families in crisis, Power Blind exposes the lure of power, blinding those in authority and control to the consequences of their actions.
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“Dana replaces the receiver. Her heart races, palms sweat, muscles tense. That was good news, wasn’t it? She should feel relieved and she does in a way, but the angst remains. Random facts drift aimlessly, seeking a link. Something tells her this isn’t over…”

— from Power Blind