Return of the Sphynx: An A. J. Hawke Legal Thriller

“Editor’s Pick” by Publisher’s Weekly Booklife Reviews: “Nail-biting legal thriller. A scrappy lawyer must use sophisticated science, and his fists, to aid a client. Sharp-witted lawyer A. J. Hawke uses an unusual genetic condition to defend a client against rape in this sequel to The Sphynx Murder Case. Great for fans of Scott Turow, Phillip Margolin.

The San Diego police have arrested a young man for the so-called Sphynx rapes. The D.A. believes he will finally defeat the suspect’s young defense attorney, A. J. Hawke. The chief evidence? The suspect’s DNA matches the rapist’s DNA.

But is the suspect the real Sphynx rapist? The DNA says “yes,” given that two people having the same DNA, theoretically, is a scientific impossibility—unless they are identical twins.

A. J. Hawke aims to test that theory, claiming the true criminal is the suspect’s twin brother, who remains at large. Yet, how can Hawke prove his client even has a twin brother, let alone such a twin is the true culprit? Can Hawke’s defense, based on the existence of a rare genetic trait, convince a skeptical jury?

Meanwhile, San Diego’s Presiding Judge tries to manipulate Hawke’s personal and professional life in an effort to discourage the young attorney from uncovering corruption in the city.