Liv Baird has dedicated her life to advocating for death row inmates. Eager as she is to retire, she sticks it out for one last case, unexpectedly finding herself in the crosshairs of a global conspiracy to destroy the very fabric of American society. Liv's case takes her to the small town of Atwar, Alabama to defend Ned, a death row inmate with mental disabilities. Fleeing a notorious Russian assassin, Special Agent Cole Greysen has taken up refuge in Atwar. He's haunted by memories of his government intelligence past. He's also filled with regret over a brutal crime of passion he never would have committed if he'd been sober. A crooked Atwar cop and his sister-Cole's lover-want him dead over what he knows about them and their past. They're also watching the newly arrived legal specialist Liv Baird like a hawk. Curious as to why, Cole seeks Liv out. Their trajectories collide and trigger a global chain of events that puts the SVR-a savage Russian intelligence agency-on high alert. An assassin is dispatched from Moscow; the cop and sister team close in; and all the while, a politically motivated Alabama judge could order Ned's execution at any minute. An expansive cast of characters with converging motives populate this tale of small-town corruption pitted against global conspiracy. Revealing cracks in America's judicial system and the savagery of government military operations, The Gemstone Peridot is a gripping international spy thriller pulled straight from today's headlines.