OTTAWA -- Retired Supreme Court chief justice Beverley McLachlin has gone from writing decisions that affect the lives of thousands of Canadians to writing fiction, with her first ever novel hitting shelves Tuesday.

Full Disclosure, a legal thriller, centres on a Vancouver criminal defence lawyer named Jilly Truitt who delves into the murder of a wealthy client鈥檚 wife. In the 340-page book published by Simon & Schuster, McLachlin鈥檚 protagonist handles two main cases: an acquittal and a wrongful conviction.

In an interview with Don Martin, host of CTV鈥檚 Power Play, McLachlin acknowledged that the imperfect justice system in her book sometimes reflects reality.

鈥淚 really believe, and I think my heroine believes, in the right to a fair trial, but sometimes it doesn鈥檛 work,鈥� she said.

鈥淧art of what (the story) portrayed is how the system functions at its best and the difficulties that arise also in the functioning of the system, and (that) guilt and innocence is not always as uncomplicated as we might wish,鈥� she added.

In the novel, McLachlin makes reference to herself indirectly, having Truitt note a portrait of Canada鈥檚 chief justice on the wall of the B.C. Supreme Court.

鈥淪ometimes women actually do get to rule,鈥� she told Martin with a smile.

McLachlin also admitted that the book touches on the 2016 decision in R. v. Jordan, which clarified that most cases in Superior Court should reach trial within 30 months from the time a person is arrested and lower court cases should go to trial within 18 months. The decision has caused judges to stay charges in serious cases like murders, due to the accused person鈥檚 right to a timely trial.

鈥淲e have a Charter right to be tried within a reasonable time and that has to be enforced,鈥� McLachlin said. 鈥淎nd the difficult thing is, how do you enforce it? If you just let it go every time, that right disappears.鈥�

McLachlin explained that she had toyed with writing fiction before she became a judge and had even developed her protagonist before she was called to the bench.

She started writing again just before retiring 鈥渁t 5 a.m. in the morning before court, before I walked my dog,鈥� and on airplanes and weekends, she said.

Next year, McLachlin will begin a new job at the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. But that doesn鈥檛 mean her writing career is over.

鈥淚f I live long enough, I鈥檇 love to do a sequel,鈥� she said.