Acts of Malice Hardcover – July 13, 1999 by Perri O'Shaughnessy
Book 5 of 13: Nina Reilly
 
New York Times bestselling author Perri O'Shaughnessy has created a true American original in the character Nina Reilly, a tough but tenderhearted attorney who has been hailed by readers and critics as one of the most interesting heroines in legal thrillers today. Now, in Acts of Malice, Perri O'Shaughnessy has crafted her most spellbinding novel to date, raising the level of suspense and narrative tension to nail-biting new heights as Nina Reilly takes on a murder case that exposes the dark side of Lake Tahoe's glamorous ski resorts.

With his brother Alex recently killed in a headline-making accident that occurred while they were skiing together, Jim Strong, the scion of one of South Lake Tahoe's most prominent families and the owners of the posh Paradise Ski Resort, fears he may be indicted in his brother's death. When the coroner announces that Alex died from injuries unrelated to the accident, Jim is charged with murder. As Nina prepares to defend her client, she has no idea that the case will lead her to a terrifying confrontation with a psychopath or threaten all that she holds most dear.

She never expects to witness a perplexing and tangled set of loyalties and alliances within the Strong family: a father obsessed with his dead son's ghost and who wants nothing to do with the surviving son; Alex's widow, a mercurial snowboarding champion who still carries a torch for Jim; and Jim's beautiful wife, Heidi, who may have been having an affair with Alex. Further complicating matters is Assistant District Attorney Collier Hallowell, back from sabbatical. Determined to put Jim Strong behind bars, he's equally resolved to pick up romantically where he and Nina left off.

As Nina works a flawed and troubling case and gets involved in an unexpected love affair, the two sides of her life come crashing together...in the ultimate act of malice.
 
4.5