Sign of the Cross

Winner of the Arthur Ellis Award, Best First Novel
Father Brennan Burke is the main suspect in the murder of a young woman. Defense attorney Monty Collins steps up to defend him, but realizes the only way to exonerate him is to dive into the secrets of his past ...
Be careful what you wish for, his mother used to say. Yet how many times, in his twenty years defending the underprivileged, has Monty Collins wished for a client who is intelligent, articulate, and tattoo-free? Now he has one, but it's not long before his mother's warning comes back to haunt him. Father Brennan Burke was born in Ireland, raised in New York, and educated in Rome - he's equally fluent in Latin and the language of the street. And he is the prime suspect in the killing of a foxy, young woman whose body was found carved with a religious sign, a sign that points straight to the priest.
From their first meeting, Monty finds Burke acerbic, arrogant, and evasive about his relationship with the victim. Conflict between lawyer and client simmers throughout the ordeal that lies ahead, as evidence piles up and murder charges seem inevitable. With Burke remaining tight-lipped about his past, Monty has no choice but to go behind his back and conduct a probe into the life of his own client. Never in his career has Monty been so lost for answers, until a long-forgotten incident takes on new and ominous meaning ...