Denial A Novel

A tough-as-nails defense attorney takes on a high-profile murder case that makes her question her own truths in this “deliciously complex mystery” (James Patterson) from the former Chief Justice of Canada.

When everyone is in denial, how do you find the truth?

Jilly Truitt has made a name for herself as one of the top criminal defense lawyers in the city. Where once she had to take just about any case to keep her firm afloat, now she has her pick—and she picks winners.

So when Joseph Quentin asks her to defend his wife, who has been charged with murdering her own mother in what the media are calling a mercy killing, Jilly’s first instinct is to say no. Word on the street is that Vera Quentin is in denial, refusing to admit to the crime and take a lenient plea deal. Despite her misgivings, something makes Jilly believe Vera’s story—but can she prove her innocence in a court of law?

As Jilly scrambles to find a crack in the case, she discovers that underneath the pristine image the Quentins present to the public is a family divided. Each has their secrets, including Vera’s late mother. Is that why she was murdered? And is the truth enough to clear Vera’s name? Or is Jilly in denial herself? Only the trial will tell.

Thrumming with tension, Denial is a riveting thriller about the lengths we will go to for the ones we love and the truths we hold dear.

Beverley McLachlin is the #1 bestselling author of two novels, Full Disclosure and Denial, and a memoir, Truth Be Told, which won the prestigious Writers’ Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize and the Ottawa Book Award for Nonfiction. From 2000 to 2017, McLachlin was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. She is the first woman to hold that position and the longest-serving Chief Justice in Canadian history. In 2018, McLachlin became a Companion of the Order of Canada, the highest honour within the Order. Visit her at BeverleyMcLachlin.com.