With this extraordinary novel, Kate Wilhelm returns to the marvelous milieu of Death Qualified, bringing us a page-turning legal thriller of the finest caliber. After the harrowing events of Death Qualified, attorney Barbara Holloway isn't looking to take on any new courtroom cases - she's happy working from a booth in a cafe in one of Eugene's working-class neighborhoods. But when the sister of "Baby Killer" Kennerman asks for help, Barbara reluctantly looks into matters...and finds that incompetent lawyers and a smear campaign from the local right-wing press are going to allow a killer to go free. The deeper Barbara delves into the case, the more atrocities she finds - and the more she believes that the best defense may not be enough. A gripping, poignant, and masterful courtroom novel, The Best Defense is a major new work from one of America's most popular writers.