Annabeth Chase has just had a baby with her husband, Jack, and returning to work, she is ordered to prosecute Molly McNeil, a woman who lives only six blocks from Annabeth, and confesses that she set fire to her home while she and her children were locked inside. Molly claims that she set the house on fire as a cry for help, though she will not say why. This leaves Annabeth to uncover that the father abused the two children, both physically and emotionally, giving Annabeth chills that something so dark could happen in their quiet suburban neighborhood. Annabeth slowly becomes unsure of whether she should drop the case...
Annabeth must choose between making a case against a kidnapping suspect or saving his victim's life.
Annabeth takes a big gamble when she denies a kidnapping suspect his right to have a lawyer present during his interrogation in order to force a confession with the hope that he will lead the police to his victim's whereabouts so that she can be brought home alive. Meanwhile, Maureen must decide whether or not to prosecute a detective who obstructed justice in order to protect a fellow cop.
Annabeth prosecutes a case involving a madam who runs a prostitution ring consisting of middle-class, suburban soccer moms.
Annabeth finds it difficult to convince the women working for the ring leader to testify against her because they are afraid that their husbands will leave them and take away their children. Meanwhile, Steve urges Maureen to push for more drug convictions so that their office can receive a $7 million grant from the federal government.
Annabeth tries to convince a jury of the guilt of an extremely religious woman who claims she was divinely directed to murder her husband.
Annie Potts Dr. Marla Dodds, the defendant's razor sharp, media-loving lawyer.
After a competency hearing finds that the woman is fit to stand trial, Annabeth tries to find a motive for the murder and discovers several skeletons in the church-going couple's closet. Meanwhile, Maureen finds out there is more to the story behind a seemingly open and shut case of justifiable homicide.
Annabeth and Maureen prosecute a case involving two step-siblings, Scott and Tracy Fields, whose parents are found murdered after discovering a secret about the teenagers. Meanwhile, Maureen and Annabeth admit that they sometimes envy each other's life--Maureen wishes she had a family at home, while Annabeth wishes she did not have to be responsible for anyone but herself.
Annabeth must contend with a sharp defense attorney whose tactic for getting his client acquitted of murder is to put the victim’s parents on trial.
Annabeth must combat the defense’s strategy of putting the victim’s parents on trial by claiming their lifestyle and the father’s relationship with the defendant is to blame for their son’s death. Now, Annabeth must find evidence that will convince a jury that the defendant is guilty of the murder of the 6-year-old boy.
Annabeth prosecutes a woman in what initially seems to be an obvious case of reckless homicide and fleeing the scene of the crime after she runs down another woman outside a mall.
During the investigation of the crime, Annabeth discovers a picture of the defendant and the victim's husband, leading her to believe that the murder of his wife may not have been an accident. Meanwhile, Steve asks for Maureen's help after he must recuse himself from the appeal of a death penalty case after a key witness accuses him of suborning perjury.
Annabeth is given police protection during a gangster's trial after members of the defendant's gang use Haley to scare Annabeth off the case.
Annabeth prosecutes a case involving a gangster who resorts to violence to prevent a key witness from testifying against him. When the defendant realizes that Annabeth might be able to convince a jury to convict him of the crimes he is accused of, he then has members of his gang threaten to harm Annabeth's daughter in order to scare her from trying the case.
Annabeth prosecutes two men for murder and discovers that one of the defendants, who was high on meth at the time of the murder, was paid to commit the crime but accidentally killed the wrong people.
During the murder investigation the defendant reveals the identities of the intended targets. Annabeth attempts to track them down in order to convince them to testify against the drug lord so that he can be brought to trial. Meanwhile, Steve worries that the nature of the crime will cause a media circus and asks Maureen to keep the press at bay.
Annabeth tries to determine why a teenage boy would attack a member of the opposing team after his team loses an important baseball game.
During the investigation prior to the boy's trial, Annabeth discovers a videotape of the attack which causes her to suspect the boy's coach may have encouraged him to hit his opponent after their team lost the game. Meanwhile, Maureen's younger sister is arrested for shoplifting.
Annabeth must prosecute involving a well-known and beloved local doctor who has accused a teenager of murdering his wife. She soon learns that the teenager has an alibi and careful investigations shows that the wife was actually planning on divorcing her husband because he hid a deep secret from her.
Annabeth is forced to find other evidence to tie a suspect to a crime after the incriminating statements he made after his arrest are thrown out by a judge. As she begins to investigate the crime, Annabeth discovers that what started out as a kidnapping case might actually be a homicide. Meanwhile, Maureen and Danny interrogate the suspect's friends and family and discover that the crime may have been racially motivated.
A young woman who lives in Annabeth's neighborhood is attacked a knife point as she tries to enter her own home. A recently released sex offender who moved into the area becomes the automatic suspect and the neighbors become worried.
Meanwhile, Maureen tells Steve that she believes that they need to ease Annabeth's work load because she doesn't think Annabeth can handle many cases and a baby.
Annabeth's job is to convince a mother to testify against her own son after he confesses to killing three people. The case begins to fall apart when one of the women he is accused of killing turns out to be alive.
After Annabeth begins prosecuting a man for killing his mother-in-law, his defense attorney states that the man's wife killed her own mother in order to create a reasonable doubt.
An escaped jewel thief is recaptured and his case takes a new twist when it is discovered he has been holding a hostage---the woman he used to help him break out more than a year ago. Her testimony is what Annabeth plans to use to put the man away for good this time, but the woman appears to be suffering from Stockholm syndrome and is unwilling to speak against her captor.
Annabeth and her office must investigate a shady housing developer who scams homeowners. Soon Annabeth learns that the man will do anything to win his case, including firing her own husband from his construction job.
The D.A.'s office has to prosecute a man who died while playing touch football. It turns out he was poisoned and that he also was a old high school friend of Annabeth's. Soon, some of Annabeth's former classmates are considered prime suspects, including his murdered man's wife, business associate, and best friend.
During a murder trial Annabeth discovers that the victim, who was strangled the night before her wedding to another man, was hiding a secret from her friends and family which may have led to her murder.
Annabeth learns that the seemingly straight-laced victim had never disclosed her previous marriage to her family or fiancé, who believed her to be a virgin. Although bruises and cuts on the victim seem to indicate that a rape occurred, the defense tries to maintain that the victim engaged in consensual sex with her ex-husband.
Annabeth brings a high school basketball player to trial for the murder of his teammate after he confesses to accidentally shooting him.
During the teenager's trial, a witness comes forward to testify that the shooting was intentional. Soon after hearing the testimony, the defendant's father changes his initial statement and confesses to the crime. Convinced that the teenager's father is lying to protect his son from prosecution, Annabeth digs deeper and stumbles upon a secret the boys were keeping which may have been the motive for the shooting.
A professional baseball player is arrested for murder after his mistress' sister claims she witnessed him throwing her sibling over a balcony to her death. Annabeth tries to prove the witness' story by destroying the defendant's alibi and proving that he had a strong motive to commit the crime. However, she must contend with the a tough defense attorney who will do whatever it takes to win, including using the baseball player's celebrity to portray the victim and eyewitness as unstable groupies.
Annabeth learns there's more to the story after a middle-aged man is shot and killed by a teenage boy who claims he was protecting his friend from a sexual predator whom she met on-line.
During the murder investigation, the D.A.'s office learns that the murder victim was an investigative reporter who was writing a story about the dangers of the internet. Annabeth must determine if the victim's story is true, or if it was cover which allowed him to act on his pedophilic behavior. Meanwhile, Annabeth agrees to take a much needed vacation with Jack after he points out that she has been over-worked and distracted lately. However, a tragic death cuts short their romantic get away and will change her life forever.
Annabeth and the new team in the D.A.'s office investigate the multiple homicide of a family. Under pressure from her new boss, James Conlon, to swiftly bring the killers to justice, Annabeth must employ new tactics to draw out a confession. Meanwhile, Annabeth tries to smooth over the animosities between Ed Williams, a tough no-nonsense cop, and Ray Blackwell, Conlon's right hand man from New York, two new detectives assigned to work in the D.A.'s office.
When the defense attorney discovers the weak evidence Annabeth has against his client he claims the murder was in self-defense because the husband, a psychiatrist, was using hypnosis to manipulate his family. Conlon orders Annabeth and Maureen to play hardball when the defendant fires her attorney and chooses to represent herself during the trial so she can cross-examine her children, who are divided on their feelings toward their parents.
When a teenage girl is found bound and raped, Annabeth tries to convince the defendant's wife to testify against her husband, who is the prime suspect in the case. Shortly after the woman testifies, Annabeth suspects the seemingly normal couple may be hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, Ed and Ray learn more about each others' pasts during a stakeout.
While Annabeth investigates a suspect who is arrested for destroying evidence from a murder, she learns that the suspect told her ex-boyfriend that her father, a church deacon and law enforcement officer, actually committed the murder. When Annabeth confronts the woman about her statement, she denies it, but Annabeth presses forward, convinced that she's on the trail of something big.
Since the Brooks family owns half of Indianapolis, the Mayor asks Conlon to treat the case as aggressively as possible and swiftly bring the murderer to justice. However, under tremendous pressure by the influential family, the team realizes they may have rushed to judgment and made a premature arrest when the tangled story of the murdered woman, her rich husband and richer father-in-law begins to unravel.
In a community with a strong allegiance to the local college football program, Annabeth and Conlon find themselves up against angry parents and coaches when they charge the two star players with murdering a teammate at a homecoming party. But as the investigation into the players continues, Annabeth realizes that in addition to finding a murderer, many more secrets threaten to be exposed.
While they investigate the murder, Annabeth and Maureen unravel a culture of obsession and rivalry amid a group of formerly employed mothers who run their children's after-school activities like they would a major corporation. As they focus on one mother who they suspect of having an affair with the victim, they discover that the parents' activities included a lot more than just taking care of their children.
At first, Annabeth thinks that this is the classic case of either the wife becoming jealous of her cheating husband or the mistress becoming angry when her lover won't leave his wife for her. However, when the team discovers that church's building fund is missing, which was the minister's highest priority, they begin to realize that this case isn't about envy or anger, but another deadly sin -- greed.
Annabeth takes the case of a man who is being charged for the murder of his co-worker. However, the case becomes increasingly complicated when the fingerprints of the son of the accused are found on the murder weapon.
Bob Peters and his wife introduced their daughter, Barbara, to Dale Hopkins. Hopkins later married their daughter and then killed her. But when Hopkins' team of lawyers are able to get him off, Mr. Peters takes the law into his own hands and attempts to kill Hopkins outside of the courthouse. However, Mr. Peters' plan goes horribly wrong and ends up killing Kelly Joffe, one of Hopkins' lawyers and Annabeth's old friend, and wounds Doug Hellman, another one of Hopkins' lawyers. Now Annabeth must find a way to bring justice to Barbara's death.
A woman is murdered the night she gets engaged and the suspect is her overly obsessed uncle, a recovering alcoholic who was found drunk near the scene of the crime. The defense pleads insanity, but Annabeth feels she has a strong case---until she learns of another crime the man committed that has similar characteristics and demonstrates his instability.
Annebeth prosecutes a man who killed a man who, he says, attacked him in a traffic altercation.
A woman dies during a minor plastic-surgery procedure, and her husband insists it was murder and not an accident. Annabeth is reluctant to take the case, but the evidence shows there was a troubled past between the victim and the doctor that provided ample motive.
While investigating the murder of a college student who is found dead a few days after he robbed a bank, Annabeth and the DA's office stumble upon a corrupt gambling operation that's duping college kids out of their money.
Annabeth prosecutes a woman for killing the surrogate mother of her baby.
Annabeth prosecutes the dean of a prep school for murdering his Internet bride.
While prosecuting a capital case, Annabeth and Conlon disagree about seeking the death penalty for a defendant who is diagnosed as being border line developmentally disabled.
When a reformed alcoholic writes a letter to his victim trying to make amends for raping her 11 years earlier, Annabeth tries to get the statute of limitations lifted, based on the fact that the victim was drugged.
Annabeth discovers how far a mother will go to protect her son after she retracts her statement identifying her son as the person who is responsible for attacking her and killing his father.
While prosecuting a drug dealer for murder the team uncovers a possibility of a group of cops gone bad.
Although she is still receiving death threats from the first trial, Annabeth pushes to prosecute an accused dirty cop again after a missing witness, who could have helped convict him, is found dead.
A murder occurs in the D.A.'s office and the court case against the alleged corrupt police officers continues.