Undertow by Sydney Bauer

Publisher's Synopsis

"If two people have a conversation heard by only those two, did the conversation actually take place?"

Following an alleged conversation between respected attorney Rayna Martin and teenager Christina Haynes during a boating trip at Cape Ann, Massachusetts, one of them is dead, the other arrested for their murder.

Boston lawyer David Cavanaugh faces his toughest case to date as what appears to be a tragic but blameless accident turns into something else entirely.

With the victim's father one of the most powerful politicians in the US Senate and the Assistant District Attorney prepared to put his personal ambition ahead of legal justice, David finds that his most dangerous battle is taking place outside the court room.

My Review of Undertow by Sydney Bauer

Undertow is the debut novel of Sydney-based author Sydney Bauer and what a stunning legal thriller it is taking what looks like a seemingly tragic accident and turning it into the catalyst for a bitter fight based on racial grounds. From the opening page to the last it is a deeply involving story that represents the epitome of the good little guy versus the bad big guy.

When a boating accident ends in tragedy one girl is left dead, her 3 friends traumatised and the woman who has looking after them in jail charged with murder. Rayna Martin had taken her daughter out on the harbour for a cruise to celebrate her 16th birthday but a capsized boat was the beginning of a terrible nightmare.

Senator Rudolph Haynes got to where he is today by setting ambitious goals and then not letting anyone stand in his way as he walked over people to attain them. He’s a man with power and a man who will use that power in any way necessary to get what he wants. When he learns of his daughter’s death his first thought is for revenge. Fuelled by a deep-seated hatred of blacks, long hidden under a carefully constructed veneer of political correctness, Haynes embarks on a single-minded mission to carry out that revenge on Rayna Martin.

But Haynes isn’t prepared to stop there. Using the services of Vincent Verne, a former secret service agent turned devoted servant, he concocts a series of diversions aimed at affecting witnesses and the family members of the defence team, all in a bid to disrupt their preparation. When Haynes wants something, he generally stops at nothing to achieve it and David Cavanaugh would do well to remember that.

Adding significant spice to the case is a spiteful rivalry between Cavanaugh and the very smarmy figure that is the Assistant District Attorney Roger Katz. He and Cavanaugh have a history as antagonists with Katz’s win-at-any-cost attitude and willingness to bow to Haynes’ every command putting him in the hated rival category.

On the surface the case appears straightforward, accidental death by drowning. But this is a story that demonstrates the ease with which power is misused as well as the insidious bigotry that still dwells deeply within the core of some people.

The pace is frenetic after an early trial date is agreed upon putting Cavanaugh and his team under enormous pressure to prepare their defence. But the effect is a riveting battle to collect enough relevant evidence and indeed, to follow through on a growing number of theories, all the while the spectre of Haynes looms over them and, although they can’t prove anything, his subtle efforts to hamper their cause is felt.

Assisting Cavanaugh in preparing his case is the beautiful Sara Davis, a young attorney who works with Rayna at the African-American Community Service Agency of Massachusetts (AACSAM). Her appearance screams “designated love interest” for David Cavanaugh and while we’re not disappointed by the direction their friendship takes, it is probably the only predictable plotline in the story. Nevertheless, she makes a strong character and is a valuable part of the team as they prepare for trial.

From Cavanaugh and Davis to Senator Haynes and his wife, the District Attorney Loretta Scaturro and the ADA Katz, a telling feature of Undertow is the clearly defined personalities of all of these main characters. Not only their shallow, more basic instincts but also the more difficult to capture motivating deeper emotions are displayed. Each and every one of them has been finely drawn and then richly developed until they were brought fully to life.

Sydney Bauer has hit the crime scene in fine style with a legal thriller that is confronting, touching on relevant and controversial issues with absolute confidence. Undertow leads us through a legal process that takes us from arrest to verdict throwing in some unforeseen developments and culminating in an epic courtroom drama. This is the kind of story that legal thriller fans everywhere would eat up with a spoon and then go looking for more.