Join author R. Michael Cassidy for a discussion of his debut novel, When the Past Is All Deception. Inspired by the murder of New England Law Professor Mary Joe Frug in Harvard Square in 1991, When the Past Is All Deception tells the story of Professor Mark Price, who has been removed from the classroom due to an explosive conflict with his students over issues of political correctness. As his problems on campus escalate, they pose complex challenges for his spouse, Susan Price, a partner at a prestigious Boston law firm who has been nominated for an appointment to the State Supreme Court. One night, Susan is murdered in Harvard Square on her way home from work. The murder investigation then unfolds through shifting perspectives: those of the Prices, their two teenage children, and the lead detective assigned to investigate the murder. Everyone is hiding something, but what? And why?

In addition to writing legal thrillers, R. Michael Cassidy is a law professor at Boston College, where he teaches and writes in the areas of criminal law, evidence, and professional responsibility.