Defensive Wounds begins with a murder at a defense attorney convention in the beautiful Ritz-Carlton hotel located in Cleveland’s most recognizable landmark, the Terminal Tower, with its 700 foot high observation deck. Theresa’s daughter Rachael is out of college for the summer and working there at the front desk, in fact she’s the first to alert Theresa to the homicide. This little coincidence begins to complicate Theresa’s life as she realizes that her daughter is falling for a handsome boy who also works there—and finds out that this boy once stood trial for a brutal crime.

In fact, the first victim had been his attorney. But the attorney also had a host of enemies, many of whom are also attending this convention. So Theresa has the walls closing in from every direction—she is trying to work under the scrutiny of people who will use everything she says or does against her in the court of law, if possible.

Her crime scene is a hotel, littered with the microscopic debris of past guests that may or may not be relevant to the murder. Her daughter might be falling under the sway of a very dangerous man. And the killer shows no signs of stopping or even slowing down.