Chilling Effect

"Wesson turns legal wrangling over the First Amendment into a great read in her third novel featuring Boulder attorney Lucinda Hayes. In Chilling Effect, the reader is treated not only to a hotly paced plot and compelling characters, but to what seems to be a thorough examination of the legal and social quandaries surrounding the scourge of child pornography and the problem of censorship.... There are lots of reasons to read this lawyerly book, but the excellent and thoughtful story and the Colorado setting ought to be enough to send you straight to the bookstore."
- The Rocky Mountain News

"A startling journey into pornographic film and elsewhere."
- Library Journal

"...a very absorbing read indeed."
--Moira Richards, Moondance.org

Boulder attorney Lucinda Hayes pulls the gruesome page from the fax machine, not suspecting it will draw her into the repugnant realm of pornographic film and pit her against the giants of the mainstream film industry. Her reluctant agreement to represent Peggy Grayling, mother of a slain child, requires her to reach out to her law partner Tory Meadows and private investigator Linc Tolkien, but troubles her long-distance love affair with New York lawyer Sam Holt. As the case unfolds Cinda must call upon all her legal talent and argue for a new understanding of the law of free speech; it also forces her to revisit her past and face its ghosts.

Equal parts courtroom drama, intellectual journey, and character study, Chilling Effect is Marianne Wesson's most provocative Lucinda Hayes mystery to date.

Marianne Wesson is professor of law, Wolf-Nichol Fellow, President's Teaching Scholar, and senior scholar of the Women's Studies Program at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her previous two novels featuring Lucinda Hayes - Render Up the Body and A Suggestion of Death - received international acclaim and were translated into numerous languages.

Praise for Marianne Wesson

"When it comes to exploring dark, ambiguous terrain - such as paranoid politics and possible incest - Wesson writes with a rare blend of fearlessness, insight, and wit. She's now clearly on the short list of the best practitioners of the genre."
- Publishers Weekly

Praise for Chilling Effect

"From the beginning of her career as a novelist Marianne Wesson has been fearless, taking on topics that cause other writers to shy away. Chilling Effect is not only her most courageous book yet, it is also a wonderfully accomplished legal thriller. She deftly juggles life and death stakes, great characters, and serpentine legal issues into a tight, compelling tale of suspense. You won't know whether to hurry toward the twisting ending, or slow down to savor the details."
- Stephen White, author of Blinded and Privileged Information

"Chilling Effect is a searing look at violent pornography, its victims, and the professionals (legal and otherwise) who live well off its profits. It is also a gripping suspense story centered on a murdered child, her grieving mother, and the lawyer who tries to help, as well as a funny send-up of postmodern academic feminism. This entertaining book may change the terms of our debates around pornography and its harms. Everyone who cares about our children, our freedom, and the nature of our desires will enjoy this story, and will learn much from Wesson's characters."
- Robin West, professor of law, Georgetown University

"I love the Lucinda Hayes stories - each tougher to put down than the last. Chilling Effect shows Wesson as both mystery writer and law professor. I couldn't decide whether to take it to the beach or assign it to my first amendment class. Ultimately, I did both."
- Gene R. Nichol, Dean and Burton Craige Professor of Law, University of North Carolina

Praise for Render Up the Body

"Wesson's characters are convincing and the story is gripping throughout, with a shocking final twist. This is a remarkable debut."
- The London Telegraph

"Newcomer Wesson . . . melds Dead Man Walking with the legal thriller formula in her provocative debut."
- Kirkus Reviews

"It is hard to believe that Render Up the Body is a debut novel, so skilled is the writing. Scott Turow fans will devour this intense legal drama."
- Sara Paretsky

"Most legal thrillers are essentially theatrical and romantic; in them, great lawyers are gods. Wesson's gaze is deeper, sadder, and more illuminating. This is a superior work."
- San Jose Mercury-News

Praise for A Suggestion of Death

"Wesson pulls it all together with wit, great style, and wonderful characters."
- Toronto Globe & Mail

"A first-rate legal thriller."
- Library Journal

"A gem among the plethora of modern legal thrillers: a gripping story that touches on hot topics, including repressed memories, citizen militias, and the limits of the law"
- Boulder Daily Camera