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399 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 16, 2025
The Real-Life Fall and Rebirth
~The Arrest:
The story begins with the real-world crisis of Attorney Scott Pratt, who was arrested in December 2005 after being charged with suborning perjury.
~The Rebuilding Process:
It traces Pratt's journey from a "precipitous fall" in the legal community to his decision to rebuild his life through writing.
~Financial & Personal Struggles:
The plot details his life's "vicious tug-of-war," moving from a lavish lakeside estate to living in his mother-in-law's basement with his family.
~The "Birth" of Joe Dillard (A literary stand-in):
The book explores how the character Joe Dillard became a vessel for Pratt's own legal battles and personal demons. It reflects on how Pratt infused the first Dillard novel, An Innocent Client, with his own hardships, including:
~Family Trauma:
A mother with Alzheimer’s and an addicted sister in and out of jail.
~Legal & Physical Danger:
Dealing with clients who escaped prison to commit murder and surviving two assassination attempts by a victim's son.
~Parallel Journeys:
The narrative highlights the "Great American Redemption Story" of a man who used his failures to create a bestselling legal thriller series.
Core Themes
~Sacred Love: Like Dillard, Pratt is depicted as persevering by leaning into his family’s concept of love.
~Authenticity: The book emphasizes that much of the "hell" and struggles Dillard suffers was pulled directly from Pratt’s real-life experiences.
The primary themes include:
~The Great American Redemption Story
~Perseverance through Adversity
~The Sacred Concept of Love
~Art as a Mirror of Life and Personal Demons
~Duty and Honor
~Cynicism and a closer look at the legal system
~Vulnerability and truth
~Resilience and Self-Reinvention