Book excerpt: A store owner and his son are brutally murdered on a cold January 1982 night in Aiken, S.C. Adonis Lee is selected to serve on the jury trying two black men for the crime. His hatred for blacks spurs him to push for a conviction even though the case for the prosecution is weak. On the first ballot, Adonis finds himself the only juror voting guilty, but he relentlessly pressures the other eleven, hoping to change their votes. A recent look into the lives of jurors reveal events that could influence their life and death decisions. Can one man force a conviction? A story of love, dreams and aspirations leading to a startling climax.