Dismas Hardy teams up with David Freeman for the defense of a triple murder charge against Jennifer Witt. Witt, a stunning blonde, is charged with a capital offense - killing both her husbands for money, and her son, who just happens to be in the way. Witt vehemently denies all these charges, and Hardy believes her. However, Hardy discovers Witt's secrets and suddenly, he is faced with a motive for murder. Yet Hardy just cannot reconcile the fact that Witt would kill her son, even if she had reasons to kill her husbands...
Or is Jennifer Witt, in truth, a cold-blooded murderer?
The 13th Juror is courtroom drama at its best. The banter between the lawyers - prosecutors and defense - add up to the already interesting plot. Up util the end, the readers are kept in suspense as to who really killed Larry and Matt Witt. The fact that Jennifer admitted to killing her first husband brilliantly muddles the plot. Throw in a financial scam (which I thought was a bore and tried too hard for a subplot); a few angry characters; and a stubborn, lying Jennifer, and you have an exciting whoddunit novel. It's a thick book - 544 pages of small print - but it kept me up late nights. Plus, I enjoyed the travel back to a courtroom scene which I had not had in ages.