The Dreamer (Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez Legal Thrillers)

Publisher's Summary The chef's knife was in the wrong place...wedged deep in the gut of celebrity chef Carlos Cruz. With her bloody discovery, Mercy could lose it all. And not just for her. Her entire family is at risk, too. Carlos Cruz, San Francisco’s hottest young chef, rose from modest beginnings to getting a James Beard Award for his upscale Mission District eatery El Conquistador. In addition to creating cutting-edge cuisine, the mercurial Cruz has been accused of sexual harassment multiple times. Smart, ambitious, and tenacious, Mercedes “Mercy” Tejada was granted "dreamer" status while studying to become a nurse. The waitress job wasn’t ideal, but the tips paid the bills.  When she finds her boss dying in the alley behind his trendy bistro, she knows she’s in a lot of trouble. Mercy’s fingerprints and blood-splattered sweatshirt make her a prime suspect. It doesn’t help that she and Cruz were seen fighting, and Mercy had threatened him. In the 11th installment of The New York Times best-selling author Sheldon Siegel’s iconic San Francisco series, ex-spouses and public defenders Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez are thrust into the middle of this politically charged case and tasked with finding the truth. The case is personal for them, too. Mercy’s mom Perlita is the longtime housekeeper for Rosie’s mother Sylvia. It is Sylvia who asks Rosie and Mike to handle Mercy’s case. There are political ramifications, as well. Rosie is running for reelection as public defende…