Habeas Corpus by Jake Needham

The year is 1992. Charlie Trust is a divorce lawyer from Virginia and hates his job. So, when a client offers his house in Malibu, California, he quits his job and heads west. Charlie plans to spend his days drinking beer and watching the Pacific while he figures out his future.

He shares the beach with an assortment of television and movie stars. One of whom is Martin (“Marty”) Cole, the star of a long-running TV police procedural. Marty interrupts Charlie’s quiet life when he asks for help because the LAPD’s Robbery‑Homicide Division suspects him of murdering Marty’s missing wife.

Charlie feels reluctant to return to law and lacks criminal-law experience, but Marty pressures him into becoming his lawyer, while media attorney Laticia “Tish” Webb helps maneuver him into the role. As police scrutiny intensifies and inconsistencies in Marty’s story emerge, Charlie realizes his client and supposed friends are hiding key facts, forcing him to navigate lawyer–client privilege, questions of loyalty, and his own doubts about Marty’s innocence.

As the story unfolds, Charlie finds himself constantly suspicious that something is not right. The police are holding their cards close to the chest as they leak teasing tidbits. The reader is kept guessing and the ending may not be apparent, even when one thinks it is.

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