His wife Claire feels responsible for the suicide because she did not believe his protestations of innocence. All kinds of complications arise when Karen discovers that the videotape depicting Robert and a ten-year-old girl is a fake.

All signs lead to billionaire Walter Stockman as the instigator of the tape, who then confounds the situation by confessing to the hoax, claiming it to be a practical joke that backfired. Karen and Robert's twin sons Richard and Michael devote their lives to receiving restitution from Stockman for all the harm he has cost the family. Meanwhile, the widow has a series of strokes, further leading her sons to their vigil for justice and/or vengeance.

The legal issues are handled very carefully, leading the reader into a fascinating look at slander and defamation of character suits. There are less actual legal issues than deduction involved in this thriller. Karen's mother maintains that Robert would not commit suicide, and Karen tends to agree with her. The search for a killer is tantamount to the story, yet sometimes gets lost.

The characters are very important to the plot. The main characters – Karen, Claire, the twins, and the heinous Walter Stockman – are mostly well drawn, revealing depths (both good and not so good) that drive them. Stockman tends to be a bit stereotypical and one dimensional – evil, powerful, controlling figure who wants only what HE wants. The twins are poor souls who have never had anything bad happen to them. Their extreme reactions indicate less integrity than they should have.

The surprise ending is actually well foretold, although not overtly. This story has many subplots; just when the reader thinks everything is solved, up crops another hitch in another subplot.

The story of Wrongful Death is interesting but too many subplots tend to drag it down.

--Kay Black