Attorney Paul Madriani defends a highly decorated soldier who is on trial for murder and unwittingly steps into a maze of secrets and lies that the government - and even this client - would rather leave hidden and undisturbed. Madriani is faced with arcane ballistics evidence, the so-called double-tap - two bullet wounds tightly grouped to a victim's head, from shots that can have been made only by a crack marksman. Madriani's client is an enigma, a career soldier who refuses to talk about his past, though clearly, he is a battle-tested pro. The victim was an alluring businesswoman and software tycoon whose empire catered to the military, and the most damning evidence is the weapon that killed her: a handgun used solely in special operations where the double-tap is the trademark of the most skilled assassins. Madriani begins to have new fears about his client, a man who would rather sit on a legal time bomb than talking about his past and get a chance at acquittal. And yet more troubling, Madriani discovers that the victim was involved in a controversial government contract to combat terrorism by combing through the private computer records of millions of American citizens. Madriani faces a wilderness of mirrors in a courtroom battle where every witness can hide behind "national security," where information is power and digital information is absolute power. It is a war in which the scales of justice are being tipped by evasion, deceit - and murder. Finding the unvarnished truth has never been so elusive - or so dangerous.

This paperback book is in great condition and weighs 7.1 oz - 202 g and 7.2 oz - 203 g.