THE CASE OF A LIFETIME. THE EVIDENCE DOESN'T LIE. OR DOES IT?

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2025
Verified Purchase
This book is outstanding. It met most of my criteria - well drawn and believable characters, interesting subject, suspenseful, and satisfying ending. I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys this type of book. I'm looking forward to reading Carstens' other books.

Broke, divorced, and desperate for clients, Minneapolis defense attorney Marc Kadella is one case away from bankruptcy when the phone rings with an offer he can't refuse -- defending an accused serial killer in the city's most watched trial.
The evidence against Carl Fornich is overwhelming: the murder weapon in his house, an eyewitness, DNA samples, and blood from two victims. The cops want him convicted. The media has already declared him guilty. And Fornich? He's a convicted sex offender fresh out of prison with no alibi.
It's the perfect setup for a quick conviction -- except Kadella smells a frame job.
Teaming up with tough-as-nails investigator Maddy Rivers, Kadella dives into Minneapolis's dark underbelly, where crooked cops cut backroom deals and corruption reaches all the way to the governor's mansion. But someone doesn't want them digging too deep, and they're willing to kill to keep their secrets buried.
In this gritty legal thriller, every piece of evidence tells a lie, every witness has an agenda, and justice comes at a deadly price. As bodies pile up and the trial date looms, Kadella faces an impossible choice: expose the truth and risk everything he loves or let an innocent man rot in prison.
From the author praised as delivering "a shot in the dark, right in the gut" comes a pulse-pounding courtroom drama where the real criminals wear badges -- and the only thing more dangerous than the truth is trying to prove it.
Perfect for fans of John Grisham and Scott Pratt.
"A shot in the dark, right in the gut, that's what Carstens is good at. The Key to Justice is full of twists and turns as the Twin Cities live in terror of a violent stalker. Carstens aims to be realistic about the law and its enforcers, and he hits it right... The plot is as full of surprises as a Minneapolis Jucy Lucy and ultimately just as satisfying." -Tony Dunbar, Anthony- and Edgar-nominated author of the Tubby Dubonnet legal thriller series.

• We started tracking this book on January 27, 2013.
• This book was $0.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 82 times in the past 4,644 days.
• The current price of this book is FREE last checked 4 hours ago.
• The lowest price to date was FREE last reached on October 15, 2025.
• This book has been FREE 21 times since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $3.99 last reached on August 18, 2025.
• This book has been $3.99 13 times since we started tracking it.
• This book is currently at its lowest price since we started tracking it.

• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 370 Pages
• File Size: 25 KB