Insanity Defense

An unstable beautiful woman is accused of murdering her wealthy husband.

She claims she didn't do it.

She is not to be trusted.

Aidan Collins has his very first large case when his client, Marina Vasiliev, a drop-dead gorgeous mental patient, is accused of killing her wealthy husband. Marina insists that she didn't do it, but Aidan can't trust her. He knows Marina well, too well.

After all, he met Marina in the mental hospital - he originally obtained her as a client when she was involuntarily committed, and he assisted her with getting out.
Diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, Marina's view of reality shifts from day to day. Moment to moment. Wracked with paranoia, suicidal behavior and mental instability, Marina also admits that she has losses of time - entire days where she has no idea what happened.

Marina has no memory of what happened the night that her husband died.

Aidan can never be sure if Marina is guilty or not. He makes the decision that the best way to defend her would be to try for the insanity defense. His client is not on board with this decision, and, to make things worse, she begins to imagine him as her lover, which turns his professional relationship with her upside down.

It also puts Aidan into danger, both professionally and personally.

However, once Aidan gets more into the case, he begins to doubt that his decision to try for the insanity defense was a sound one. Clues lead away from Marina's involvement in her husband's murder.

Before long, Aidan feels that his reality is shifting as much as his client. One day, he's convinced that she's guilty. The next, he's convinced that somebody else did it.

Aidan can never be sure that he's doing the right thing in using the insanity defense. An 11th hour witness throws his entire trial strategy into disarray.

With the lightning pace, twists and turns that you've come to expect from a Rachel Sinclair novel, By Reason of Insanity is a legal thriller that is not to be missed.