A Death in Live Oak by James Grippando

A Death in Live Oak by James Grippando

From New York Times bestselling author James Grippando, a riveting, timely story ripped from the headlines. Defense attorney Jack Swyteck defends a white college student charged in Florida's first racial terror lynching in more than a half century. 

When the body of Jamal Cousin, president of the pre-eminent black fraternity at the University of Florida, is discovered hogtied in the Stygian water swamps of the Suwanee River Valley, the death sets off a firestorm that threatens to rage out of control when a fellow student, Mark Towson, the president of a prominent white fraternity, is accused of the crime.

Contending with rising political tensions, racial unrest, and a sensational media, Towson's defense attorney, Jack Swyteck, knows that the stakes could not be higher--inside or outside the old Suwanee County Courthouse. The evidence against his client seems overwhelming. Then Jack gets a break that could turn the case. Jamal's murder bears disturbing similarities to another lynching that occurred back in the Jim Crow days of 1944. Are the chilling parallels purely coincidental?

With each twist and turn, Jack is convinced that his client may be the victim of something even more sinister than the case presented by the state attorney. For Jack, it's about the truth. And he's determined to find it, no matter what the cost.

James Naughton has received Tony Awards for his performances on Broadway in City of Angels and Chicago, as well as a Mac Award for his one-man show James Naughton: Street of Dreams. He was the director of the critically praised revivals of Our Town and Arthur Miller's The Price on Broadway. He appeared in Brooklyn Bridge, The Cosby Mysteries, and Ally McBeal on television. The Devil Wears Prada, The Good Mother, The Glass Menagerie, and The Paper Chase are among his films.