Author Stephen Murphy brings latest thriller to Readers’ Books

El Verano resident Stephen Murphy brings his latest legal thriller “Abiding Conviction” to Readers’ Books this week.

The book will be released July 5 by Oceanview Publishing and Murphy will be at Readers’ on July 10 at 2 p.m.

In the book featuring lawyer Dutch Francis, the intrepid attorney faces an impossible situation: search for his missing wife or defend his high-profile client.

According to a synopsis of the book, Dutch Francis is a defense attorney in the case of a judge accused of killing his wife. Just as the trial is about to begin, Ginnie Turner, Dutch’s wife and TV news broadcaster, goes missing. Under extreme duress, Dutch tries to extricate himself as the judge’s attorney—or at least postpone the trial. The judge insists that the trial proceed without delay and that Dutch remain his attorney. Exhausted by the murder trial, Dutch confronts an ineffectual police department, suspicious that he is involved in his wife’s disappearance. He takes matters into his own hands as he struggles to balance both responsibilities — the trial and finding his wife — pushing him to the brink of losing everything he holds dear. At first Dutch suspects that Ginnie was kidnapped in retaliation for her recent stories about sex scandals. But after receiving bits of her in the mail — fingernails, hair — he realizes the kidnapper’s intent may be to punish him. Could his defense of the judge be the reason?

Readers’ Books is at 130 E. Napa St. Visit readersbooks.com.