Wrongful conviction at center of ‘Safekeeping’

Can words of apology ever be enough when you’ve sent an innocent man to jail?

Lauren Matthews made a name for herself as a sharp prosecutor nine years ago. She successfully prosecuted a high-profile murder case, convicting Arlen Fieldstone.

Nine years later, the verdict is overturned and Arlen is pronounced innocent. During those nine years, Lauren proved herself a talented jury consultant with an amazing knack for reading people. Meanwhile, Arlen's wife divorced him and his mother died.

The news of Arlen's innocence sends Lauren reeling. She begins rethinking her involvement in the case and travels to Richmond, Va., to find him and apologize for his wrongful conviction.

Expecting just to apologize and go home to her job and promotion, Lauren finds Arlen hostile. His best friend, Will, works as a go-between.

As she tries to gain the trust of both Will and Arlen, Lauren learns a lot about herself, realizing she's not as good at reading people as she thought. The slower pace of life in Richmond helps her take stock of her job and how it affects people, and feelings of love bloom toward Will. However, a change takes place that will affect all those involved in Lauren’s life, both past and present.

With “A Promise of Safekeeping,” author Lisa Dale touches on a topic that is becoming more prominent in the news: wrongful convictions. Bringing in aspects of the fascinating theory of reading people’s body language and the advent of the jury consultant, Dale creates a story that is mesmerizing.