Eyes of a Child - Softcover

Patterson, Richard North

Softcover

ISBN 10: 031238162X ISBN 13: 9780312381622

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2010

Synopsis

A man has been found dead, a gun still wedged in his mouth. It looks like Ricardo Arias killed himself...but the physical evidence tells a different story. The police investigation turns up all sorts of troubling data―a bitter estrangement between Ricardo and his wife, Terri; an ugly custody battle over their six-year-old daughter, Elena; charges of child molestation. And before long there's a murder suspect: San Francisco defense attorney and political hopeful Christopher Paget.

But where's the motive? It could be that Paget is Terri's new lover. Or that Paget's own teenage son is the one who's accused of abusing Elena. But a series of long-hidden secrets―on both sides of the case―are slowly rising to the surface...and threaten to explode in the courtroom, where the final verdict will be delivered. Where the truth about what really happened to Ricardo Arias will either be revealed―or buried for good...

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"GRIPPING...THE INTELLIGENT READER'S JOHN GRISHAM."―CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

A man has been found dead, a gun still wedged in his mouth. It looks like Ricardo Arias killed himself...but the physical evidence tells a different story. The police investigation turns up all sorts of troubling data―a bitter estrangement between Ricardo and his wife, Terri; an ugly custody battle over their six-year-old daughter, Elena; charges of child molestation. And before long there's a murder suspect: San Francisco defense attorney and political hopeful Christopher Paget.

"MASTERFUL. EYES OF A CHILD DAZZLES...RIGHT UP TO THE VERY END."―SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

But where's the motive? It could be that Paget is Terri's new lover. Or that Paget's own teenage son is the one who's accused of abusing Elena. But a series of long-hidden secrets―on both sides of the case―are slowly rising to the surface...and threaten to explode in the courtroom, where the final verdict will be delivered. Where the truth about what really happened to Ricardo Arias will either be revealed―or buried for good...

"A TAUT NAIL-BITER...[THAT] PROVIDES THE THRILL OF A LEGAL HUNT."―USA TODAY

From the Inside Flap:

Richard North Patterson's thrilling new novel tells a multifaceted story that pierces the public drama of a sensational murder trial to probe the inner lives of the men and women at its heart.

In San Francisco, Ricardo Arias is found dead in his apartment. The evidence might confirm suicide, but it also strongly suggests murder. The police investigation quickly uncovers a maze of conflict that surrounded Arias: an estranged wife, Terri Peralta; an ugly custody fight over their six-year-old daughter, Elena; and sexual abuse of the child. But then the police uncover a murder suspect -- Terri's new lover, Christopher Paget, a high-profile attorney.

Now defense attorney becomes defendant, and we begin to see that what comes to light in the courtroom may be fatefully intertwined with what threatens to remain hidden: by Paget's refusal to testify, by Elena's tangled loyalties, and by Terri's inability -- or unwillingness -- to recall her own childhood trauma.

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 031238162X
• ISBN 13: 9780312381622
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 752