The Price Hardcover - 2003

From the publisher

"New York Times" bestselling author Joan Johnston has captivated millions of readers with her sprawling, sensuous novels about the two opposing dynasties of Bitter Creek, Texas -- the Blackthornes and the Creeds. Now in her highly anticipated hardcover debut, Johnston tells an impassioned story of love and danger, ambition and family, that features the popular character Luke Creed, a young man who has turned his back on his family's ranch to pursue his fortune as an attorney at Houston's most powerful law firm.

Even though the stress and the punishing hours of his job as a litigation associate at DeWitt & Blackthorne have cost him his marriage and quality time with his two young daughters, Luke Creed remains fiercely driven to succeed. When Luke takes on the defense of a pharmaceutical company in an explosive wrongful death suit that could make or break his career, he is surprised to find himself squared off against the woman he has always loved, Amy Hazeltine Nash, his high school sweetheart. A single mother recovering from a failed marriage, Amy is a passionate advocate for her bereaved client and is shocked that once-rebellious Luke is now a member of the Establishment, representing corporate interests. But Amy cannot deny the feelings that seeing Luke rekindles in her heart.

Concerned that his client may be lying, Luke investigates the case more closely, which means spending more time with Amy with whom a new romance begins to blossom. But when one of Luke's colleagues dies under suspicious circumstances, he finds he is in danger of losing not only the case but his life. With help from Amy and a trio of fearless colleagues, Luke delves into a dangerous web of corruptionthat involves his client and his firm. In doing so he has no choice but to question the price of his own ambitions.

From the towering skyscrapers of Houston to the majestic plains of south Texas ranch country, "The Price" sweeps readers into a powerfully engrossing, passionate novel that will keep them on the edge of their seats as it explores the questions of what is truly important in life and how high a price a person is willing to pay to achieve his or her ambitions.