John Grisham has a new hero . . . and she's full of surprises The year is 2008 and Samantha
Kofer's career at a huge Wall Street law firm is on the fast track-until the recession hits and
she gets downsized furloughed escorted out of the building. Samantha though is one of the
lucky associates. She's offered an opportunity to work at a legal aid clinic for one year
without pay after which there would be a slim chance that she'd get her old job back. In a
matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady Virginia population 2 200 in the heart
of Appalachia a part of the world she has only read about. Mattie Wyatt lifelong Brady
resident and head of the town's legal aid clinic is there to teach her how to help real people
with real problems. For the first time in her career Samantha prepares a lawsuit sees the
inside of an actual courtroom gets scolded by a judge and receives threats from locals who
aren't so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town. And she learns that Brady like most
small towns harbors some big secrets. Her new job takes Samantha into the murky and dangerous
world of coal mining where laws are often broken rules are ignored regulations are flouted
communities are divided and the land itself is under attack from Big Coal. Violence is always
just around the corner and within weeks Samantha finds herself engulfed in litigation that
turns deadly.
