Innocence

Struggling Boston attorney Scott Finn is happy to do any legal work-until he lands the most twisted case of his career. Fifteen years ago, a female cop was viciously beaten and shot. Fingerprint evidence sent a man named Vincente Salazar to prison for fifty years. But today new DNA clues suggest he's innocent-and Finn is determined to find the truth. Then the cops block his investigation and the victim, who survived, won't talk to him. As his case unravels, Finn is shocked to discover that many of Boston's finest are risking their badges-and even their lives-to lie about this crime. Now the thin blue line between guilt and innocence stretches from Central America to the Boston suburbs . . . and is about to entangle Finn in its deadly web.

Publishers Weekly

In Hosp's strong third novel (after 2006's disappointing The Betrayed), Boston lawyer Scott Finn, the hero of Hosp's debut, Dark Harbor(2005), has resigned from his white-shoe law firm and gone into practice for himself, along with cop-turned-PI Tom Kozlowski and legal intern Lissa Krantz. Finn gets roped into the case of Vincente Salazar, an illegal El Salvador immigrant with gang ties who was convicted of shooting a policewoman. Salazar has spent 15 years in prison, but new DNA evidence might exonerate him. Finn bitches and moans about pro bono cases, but readers know that underneath his cynical shell lies an honest straight shooter who loves the law and will go to his grave defending it-which he nearly does as a host of bad guys set out to convince Finn it's unhealthy to reopen the Salazar case. Clever banter, interesting legalities and compelling characters put Hosp, an attorney who has worked on New England's Innocence Project, back in the running for a top spot in the Boston legal thriller stakes. (July)

David Hosp is a Boston attorney. He received his B.A. from DartmouthCollege and his J.D. from GeorgeWashingtonUniversity. He lives with his wife, son, and daughter south of the city.