When a public defender receives a letter from a client on death row, he is forced to reexamine his role in the murder case he cannot shake; a gripping and thought-provoking legal thriller that redefines the genre—by critically acclaimed writer and criminal defense attorney What if justice isn’t something the legal system is truly capable of? Law school graduate Santi Elcano’s idealism is wearing away by the cases and clients he’s assigned. When a young mother, Anna Weston, is brutally murdered and her body is found near Reno’s infamous silver mines, Santi and his mentor in the public defender’s office, C.J., are tasked with defending Michael Atwood, a man arrested for Anna's murder on scant physical evidence. Eight years later, a shocking letter from Atwood—now on death row—forces Santi to reexamine his role in the case. At the time, public obsession with Anna’s disappearance and intense pressure on the police to make an arrest led to a rushed trial. As they investigated the case, Santi and C.J. became increasingly convinced they were defending an innocent man. Now, a horrific discovery leads Santi to reconsider everything he once believed, and all that it has cost him—love, family, and friendship. Illuminating the deals that get cut in the name of justice, The Silver State explores the murkiness between victim and perpetrator, and the cost of a life in the law. Turning the legal thriller on its head, Urza tells an electrifying, emotionally charged tale of systemic failure and moral ambiguity that asks: What if justice isn’t something the legal system is truly capable of? For readers of Scott Turow’s  Presumed Innocent  and Bryan Stevenson’s  Just Mercy." “A propulsive, hallucinatory, urgent novel. This book will haunt you." —Sierra Crane Murdoch, author of Yellow Bird CrimeReads Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of Summer 2025 "A humane and empathetic examination: this novel serves as a thoughtful character study, and an indictment of our flawed, thorny criminal justice system. Gabriel Urza writes with elegance and compassion, as he dissects the toll our system takes on this country's most reviled criminals, its most vulnerable subjects, and the noble people struggling to help within the confines of a graceless institution." ― Danya Kukafka, author of Notes on an Execution "With unassailable honesty and empathy, former public defender and criminal attorney Urza demonstrates that there are no good guys or bad guys, just flawed human beings caught in the morass of a complicated and corruptible legal system. Gripping from the get-go, Urza’s legal thriller holds its own against lions of the genre.   Riveted readers will want to see a Santi and C.J. series."― Booklist (starred review) "Astonishing. Urza's tour of the American jurisprudence apparatus is intense and stunning. What makes it terrifying, and utterly riveting, is the cast of humans he sends into the teeth of that apparatus—people conjured with such deft perception, such deeply felt empathy, that one is physically relieved to come up from these pages and realize it is not one's own life, one's own soul, being decided.  The Silver State  does this wondrous and exceptional thing: it takes you into custody and will not let you go until its final and devastating revelations—and not even then. A breathtaking novel by a first-rate writer."― Tim Johnston, bestselling author of Descent, The Current, and Distant Sons "In Urza’s new novel, a public defender receives a letter from a client on death row and the world subsequently drops out from beneath him, as he’s forced to reexamine an old case, a disappearance, and his own role in the case.   Urza is a supremely talented storyteller with a subversive take on the classic legal thriller, turning the form on its head while still maintaining all the propulsive suspense these novels have to offer, and shocking readers with what they’ll find."― Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads "This intricate, hilarious, heartbreaking novel takes us deep into the American criminal justice system, as seen by a young public defender whose clients are often condemned—by poverty, racism, addiction, and indifference—long before they enter a courtroom.  The Silver State is as riveting as a thriller, yet it is also the story of a society’s ethical erosion. Asking us to think hard about what passes for “justice for all” in the 21st century, it speaks powerfully and directly to our political moment."― Leni Zumas, author of Red Clocks "Former public defender Urza draws on his professional experience to craft a memorable legal thriller. . .Urza wisely keeps readers guessing. . .but the book’s real strength lies in its nuanced portrayal of a public defender’s work and the psychic friction it creates between personal advancement and the pursuit of justice. In the crowded courtroom suspense field, this stands out."― Publishers Weekly With  The Silver State , Gabriel Urza marries a poetic legal thriller with midlife crisis noir