Stephanie Ellison is found assaulted and near death in a park, late at night. Her husband, Richard, and their closest friends, Brent and Wendy, arrive at the hospital too late to say good-bye. Richard is filled with grief when Brent voices concerns about his lack of an alibi. He suggests that they lie and say that Brent is his alibi to keep police focused on finding Stephanie's killer. It is a small lie that spirals out of control and soon consumes the investigation.

Jack Mallory is handed the case and he soon finds that the victim, an accountant, was loved by most everyone. But despite that, the suspect list is long, from coworkers to friends. At the top is her husband who has that alibi. The victim, herself, had lied about where she was that night, making it difficult to know who she was with before her death. As Jack wades through the clues and lies, every interview seems to lead to another motive. In the end, Jack must push to reveal the truth of why the victim was left to die alone in a park.

A LEGAL ACCOUNTING is the third installment of the Jack Mallory Mysteries series.