Story Concept and Synopsis
The Fifth Letter is a political thriller with a 1940s historical fiction memoir—Hattie’s Story—tucked in the middle. It is about the struggles of Katherine Helena Ross, the first black female on the United States Supreme Court, to do what is right. Her mother’s memoir influences Katherine’s actions and emotions. The Fifth Letter is similar in style and concept to Steve Berry’s The Jefferson Key and William Martin’s The Lost Consitution.
During Katherine’s confirmation hearings it is revealed that her legal father is not her natural father—with her manipulating mother refusing to reveal the name of her natural father.
The drama is high. An old love pulls her through.
Once on the Court, Katherine gains the power to ignite an involuntary retirement process to remove a conservative black justice from the bench. Justice John T. Galt, an outspoken egoist, survives an assassination attempt. Pressures for Galt’s removal from the bench mount with his prolonged absence from the Court.
But John Galt will not resign his seat.
While weaving through Katherine’s personal challenges, The Fifth Letter puts a spotlight on the most important issue currently facing the Court today: Who is a person with inalienable legal rights in America?