When a federal judge and his secretary fail to appear for a scheduled trial and panicked clerks call for an FBI investigation, a harrowing murder case ensues and culminates in the imprisonment of a lawyer who imparts the story of who killed the judge and why. Given the importance of what they do, and the controversies that often surround them, and the violent people they sometimes confront, it is remarkable that in the history of this country only...

In a minimum security federal prison, home to drug dealers, swindlers, and tax evaders, three former judges meet each day to write briefs, handle cases for other inmates, and dispense jailhouse justice. They also spend hours hatching schemes to make money. When one of their schemes goes awry, snaring an innocent on the outside, the Brethren's days of quietly marking time are over.

In a future world where teenagers are taken, imprisoned, and forced to fight for their survival, well-behaved Cassie will do whatever it takes to save her rebellious twin sister from Death Row.