The Manipulator (Tom Berte, #1)

When the scales of justice are tipped, lawyer Thomas Berte's brilliance is put to the ultimate test.

“…a masterful debut novel. Outstanding!” —James Chandler, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Misjudged

Thomas Berte, a Harvard-educated attorney at the peak of his career with a corporate law firm, is catapulted into the legal battle of a lifetime when the U.S. Attorney General offers him the position of Deputy Attorney General. Though a testament to his meteoric rise in the legal field, this career jump seems too good to be true.

Accepting the role, Tom is charged with a daunting bring down Cosimo “Nino” Benedetto, the enigmatic leader of an international crime syndicate. But as he digs deeper into his new responsibilities at the Department of Justice, Tom uncovers a disturbing connection between his former law firm—a bastion of his past achievements—and the very underworld empire he's determined to dismantle.

Blackmailed into betraying his principles, Tom is forced to question the foundations of his career and the legal system he has sworn to uphold. The chase for Benedetto becomes a personal crusade, challenging Tom's intellect, ethics, and resolve. This mission, fraught with life-threatening risks and shadowy adversaries, becomes not just a professional endeavor but a pivotal moment of reckoning.

The Manipulator intricately weaves the high-stakes drama of a man ensnared in the most defining trial of his life, where a stunning conclusion pits the pursuit of justice against the ultimate sacrifice of moral certainty.

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Praise for The Manipulator:

“The action is fast paced, with a likable hero…” —Phillip Margolin, New York Times bestselling author of An Insignificant Case

“Well written and intricately plotted, Tom Berte is a character worth rooting for.” —Chad Zunker, bestselling author of Family Money and The Wife You Know

“…fast-moving…intriguing settings…replete with a lively cast of characters” —Joseph Badal, bestselling author and Military Writers Society of America Writer of the Year