THE COMPANY WE KEEP: A Legal Thriller of Bribery, Buried Records, and Murder

A bribery trial leads prosecutor Jo Calder back to her sister’s murder. As evidence vanishes, Jo must decide how far she can trust the law—and those sworn to uphold it.

Deputy Mayor Grant Ashford is charged with taking payments from Draymore Holdings for a favorable waterfront zoning vote. Jo traces the money through shell companies as defense attorney Adrian Voss challenges her case. The scheme may reach far beyond city hall.

The district attorney has ties to Draymore, political pressure surrounds the trial, and a whistleblower faces retaliation. Then retired detective Ray Odom reveals that Curtis Boyle, Teresa’s killer, once worked for the Draymore family. Jo’s personal loss and public duty collide.

An old murder file hints that “family counsel” arranged Boyle’s defense. When records at the firm that defended him are destroyed, the trail points to Eleanor Vance, a founder who knows Jo is investigating. Jo must preserve the evidence without derailing Ashford’s trial—or giving Vance time to bury more.

Follow Jo through financial records, jury selection, and a courtroom battle over coded messages and circumstantial evidence. Who designed the scheme? Who protected Boyle? And what can Jo prove when the records are gone? Each answer draws her closer to a truth with a personal cost.

Ashford may answer for the bribe. The people who buried the past are still waiting.