Rent Matters of Doubt: A Cal Claxton Mystery

Synopsis

Cal Claxton is determined to reinvent himself as a small town lawyer in the aftermath of his wife's suicide.  Once a hard charging L.A. prosecutor, he now lives in solitude in an old farmhouse overlooking the Oregon wine country.  When a scruffy, tattooed kid shows up asking for help in solving his mother's cold case murder, Cal wants to say no:  times are tough, and he's no private eye, anyway.  But the kid, who calls himself Picasso, has ridden a bike all the way from Portland in the rain, and something about his determination touches Cal.

It turns out Picasso is homeless, joining the legions of kids who are drawn to Portland's Old Town.  He is also a gifted artist painting a mural on the side of a health clinic operated by an idealistic doctor named Anna.  Things take an ugly turn when Picasso is charged with the murder of a prominent Portland businessman. The evidence against him is overwhelming, but, at Anna's urging, Cal steps in to defend Picasso. Suddenly Cal finds himself pitted against the police, the media and some of Portland's most powerful citizens.

Is Picasso being framed?  And if so, is there a connection between the two murders?  As he peels back the layers of truth, he realizes too late that he has put both himself and Anna in the crosshairs of a ruthless killer.

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