THE WIDOW

5 stars out of 5

It's been a while since I read a book I really, really didn't want to put down. When I find one, it's likely to be by one of my favorite authors like the prolific Mr. Grisham - but even he outdid himself on this one. It's a titch off center from his usual fare, but viva la difference.

Simon Latch has a decent but boring life as an attorney in backwoods Virginia, struggling to keep his office open and his long-time secretary Matilda paid after 18 years. To keep his sanity, he's also a sort of under-the-table gambler whose losses typically outweigh his wins. Then one day, in walks elderly Eleanor Barnett, who claims to need a new will. So what, Simon says (to himself, which is a good thing since the old bag also claims to be loaded). Her late husband, it seems, racked up a fortune in corporate stock before he died - and also told her he didn't want either of his two grown sons to inherit a cent. She's got a will drawn up by an attorney across the street, but she's not happy with it and wants Simon to write a new one that will make the previous one - even though it also excludes her stepsons - null and void.

Simon's nose does twitch a bit at her story, but that's soon overwhelmed by the smell of financial opportunity. He can, he decides, draw up a better will - one that gives the bulk of her money to the charities she wants, but also provide a more than comfortable future for him (make that way more). First, though, he needs to gain her full confidence (not to mention rack up fees and expenses) as well as details she's reluctant to reveal about her financial situation. So for a time, he becomes a frequent companion, making sure she gets where she wants to go and eating what she wants to eat - while his nose twitches with every dollar spent.

Then comes a major roadblock; she's hospitalized as a result of an auto accident. And from that point on, Simon's life takes on a life of its own - ending with his realization that in many ways he's been had and his arrest for a murder he didn't commit.

At that point, my job as a reviewer is done - just as Simon's terror that his life outside jail will be over unless he can somehow prove his innocence begins. How he tries that - and whether or not he's successful, makes up the rest of the book and is for readers to learn (as well, of course, as the juicy and intriguing details of everything I spoke of in previous paragraphs). In the end, it's an engrossing tale told by a master of engrossing tales. My advice? Don't miss it. And while I'm still writing, I'll say many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the pre-release copy. Loved it!

The Widow by John Grisham (Doubleday, October 2025); 416 pp.

DOGGED PURSUIT

5 stars out of 5

For at least a half-dozen years, I've bemoaned the fact that I found this wonderful series late in the game; I've read only the most recent six, and this is the 31st. More's the pity; but I'm also not one to go back and read dozens of books that came before the one with which I started. That doesn't mean, though, that I'm not interested in how it all began. Well, that itch has now been scratched. This installment basically is a prequel to the others - answering a ton of questions as well as being a doggone good book all on its own.

As it begins, former prosecuting attorney Andy Carpenter is nearing 30 years of age, newly married and, according to his retired highly regarded prosecutor father, heading for the dark side to start his own firm as a defense attorney in Paterson, New Jersey. Readers are introduced to Tara, Andy's lovable golden retriever (and, I assume, the force behind the dog rescue Tara Foundation that keeps Andy busy in his retirement years). We're also introduced to Laurie Collins, who serves as his bodyguard (but who followers of the series know comes to play a much different role in future books).

Tara the dog, in fact, is directly responsible for the beginning of this tale. When Andy goes to the shelter to look for a small-ish dog for himself, he finds her and loses his heart. But when he sees that Tara and her shelter companion, Sunny, seem inseparable, he can't resist taking them both home. Problem is, Sunny isn't up for grabs; his owner, Frank Tierney, is in jail, awaiting trial for the murder of his former boss. Unless Frank gives the go-ahead, Sunny must stay right where he is.

Not wanting that to happen to the poor pup - and a bit curious about Frank's situation - Andy visits him in jail (Frank, that is). One thing leads to another, and poof - Andy has taken Frank's case - and as he soon learns, a difficult case to win it will be. Frank meets all the requirements for conviction: he has means, motive and opportunity - some of which has been documented by the very capable prosecution. But for whatever reason - maybe Frank's penchant for dogs - Andy is pretty sure they're barking up the wrong tree and his client is innocent. Proving that, however, will be a challenge for his entire team, and ultimately put his own life in danger.

All of this, of course, is laid out for readers like me to enjoy right up to the end - and enjoy it I did. Many thanks once again to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to get my eyes on a pre-release copy. Series lovers, heads up - this one's a don't-miss. And it seems to me to be a great beginning for those who want to start reading a wonderful, thoroughly entertaining series.

Dogged Pursuit by David Rosenfelt (Minotaur Books, July 2025); 288 pp.

'TWAS THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

4 stars out of 5

Honestly, I'm not altogether sure what Christmas has to do with the story here except that the events transpire over the holiday season, but it's a fun tale anyhow - especially since it's got plenty of the courtroom drama I love best. It does begin at an early holiday party at the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue organization founded and run by Andy, a canine lover who's also an attorney. Near the end of the evening, foster volunteer Derek Moore, a local businessman, is arrested for murder.

Needless to say, Moore vehemently denies he did the dirty deed. He does not deny, however, that he's in New Jersey's Witness Protection Program under his new name after having ratted on a nasty gang to which he admittedly once belonged. But the evidence against him is almost overwhelming - almost too much to be believable; but clearly, Moore (actually Robert "Bobby" Klaster) desperately needs a lawyer, so who better than his friend Andy?

Even though there's a real possibility that Bobby is being framed for the murder, Andy quickly realizes that proving it will be an uphill battle; the best he can do, most likely, is create reasonable doubt. As the investigation moves along - aided by Andy's wife, ex-cop Laurie Collins, and other familiar (this is the 28th book in the series) and likable team members Cory, Sam and Marcus (the latter a bruiser capable of giving anybody a bump in the night to remember), they may not be much closer to finding a motive - or who's out to get Bobby - but they do discover that a plan with far-reaching ramifications may be in the works.

So carefully, Andy and the crew follow clues, with the primary objective of keeping Bobby out of jail for the rest of his life. As I mentioned before, much of the story - narrated by Andy - takes place in the courtroom, where Andy can show off his considerable chops and humorous asides. It's a very entertaining addition to the series, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

'Twas the Bite Before Christmas by David Rosenfelt (Minotaur Books, October 2023); 304 pp.

THE BOYS FROM BILOXI

4 stars out of 5

Despite the fact that this prolific author is one of my favorites, after reading the first couple of chapters of any of his books - including this one - I always suspect I'm not going to enjoy it very much. And every single time - including this one - once I get back in the no-dialogue groove and start paying attention to the expertly crafted narrative that centers on intriguing characters and places, I'm hooked.

So it was with this one, which takes place in the coastal town of (as the title suggests), Biloxi, Mississippi, a popular destination for those looking for great beaches and scrumptious seafood. But to those who lived there, it was also a haven for corruption, with much of the vice under the tightly held reins of the so-called Dixie Mafia. Here is was, in the 1960s, that Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco first became friends as teenagers; but once the glow of their school baseball team faded, they went their separate ways: Rudy to law school, following the path forged by his successful lawyer father, Jesse; Hugh, to follow in the path forged by his equally successful mob boss father, Lance. As Keith's father makes it his mission to rid the city of ne'er-do-wells, Hugh's father vows to bring down those in government and law enforcement who are not in his pocket. That puts the two fathers and their two sons squarely at odds - in and out of the courtroom - that makes readers constantly question who, if anyone, will emerge triumphant and suspect that the story won't end well (some will argue, no doubt, that it didn't).

And that's all I can say without spoiling it for other readers, except to say it's a captivating story that I really didn't want to put down. Kudos (once again)!

The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham (Doubleday, October 2022); 453 pp.

MYSTIC WIND

4 stars out of 5

Given the chance to read a mystery or thriller that involves courtroom drama to me, saying yes is a no-brainer; it's more a matter of how fast I can get it in my hands. When it's the start of a new series, it's even more intriguing. When I'm done, will I be bellying up to the bar to read the next?

Happily, I breezed through this one with enthusiasm that lasted from the first page to the last. While I the trial parts seemed a little heavy-handed at times and the main character, former prosecuting attorney Jack Marino, was a little too pitiful, I cheered him on. And yes, I look forward to reading about him in action again soon.

As a hot-shot prosecutor, Jack has a stellar track record against some pretty nasty defendants - until one fights back, literally. The perpetrators make such a mess of Jack that he refuses to take on any more gangbangers and druggies, which doesn't sit well with his District Attorney bosses who think putting bad guys in jail is a sure-fire path to greener pastures. Since he won't play ball, Jack is fired, but he lands on his feet at his wealthy wife's father's hoity toity firm representing hoity toity clients. He hates it, of course; so when he gets a chance to defend an accused murderer - a man who comes from the streets where Jack himself grew up - he jumps in with both feet. And once again, he angers his bosses (including the aforementioned wealthy wife).

He's also going up against his former employer, a DA who's intent on getting a win he thinks will play well politically and doesn't care what corners he cuts as long as the verdict is in his favor. Throw in a judge who isn't exactly Jack's fan, a reluctant defendant and corruption that comes from unexpected places, and Jack clearly is at a disadvantage. He turns to his on-parole, ex-military brother, Matt, for help, but that may be too little, too late.

Is Jack's client really innocent, and if he is, will justice prevail? Of course, I'll never tell, except to say that the whole thing ended pretty much as I figured it would. All in all, it sets the series off on a solid start. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a prerelease copy. 

Mystic Wind by James Baretto (Oceanview Publishing, September 2022); 402 pp.

SNAP JUDGMENT

5 stars out of 5

Just like its two predecessors, I loved this book. So much, in fact, that I really hope the author reconsiders the three-book series and brings readers more tales about super-cool but flawed attorney Samantha Brinkman.

For those thinking about diving in, I will say the water will be more comfortable if you start at the beginning (Blood Defense followed by Moral Defense). I had no trouble following the goings-on in any of the books including this one, but I'm also sure I got far more out of each one just because I read the one that came before. And lest I forget, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review (as was the case with the first two books as well).

This one begins as college freshman Alicia, daughter of well-known attorney Graham Hutchins, is murdered. Not long before that, she dumped her abusive boyfriend Roan - and apparently he retaliated by posting online extremely personal photos she'd taken of herself for his eyes only. Nothing screams payback more than a spurned lover, so it's not surprising that Roan is considered the prime suspect. But then Roan is found dead - an apparent suicide. His mother insists he was murdered, though, and the coroner's report is inconclusive. Alicia's father had every reason to avenge his beloved daughter's death, so he suddenly finds himself in the crosshairs of the police.

Samantha, better known as Sam, knows Graham; when he calls for help, she agrees despite not really wanting to get involved in the case (he's a well-heeled customer and she's having a tough time paying the bills, so she can't afford to say no). Soon enough, she and her tech-savvy, hunky investigator Alex are up to their eyeballs in pot-smoking college students, secret lives of the rich and famous and pulling out every trick in their bags (some legal, some not so much) to ferret out evidence sufficient to get their client off the hook. In fact, one of the most interesting components of this series is being privvy to the legal goings-on inside and outside a courtroom - told through the eyes of someone who knows (we all remember the infamous trial of former NFL star O.J. Simpson, at which the author was the lead prosecutor, don't we )?

As if that weren't enough, Sam gets a very unwelcome visit from a big-time gangster from her past (and from past books in this series). He's privy to one of Sam's big secrets, and he's not above calling in a chit now and again when it suits his purpose. This time, he wants Sam, with help from her police officer father Dale, to locate the only witness to a murder committed by one of his relatives. Sam is convinced that her success will mean certain death for the witness, who's set to spill the beans at that relative's trial. But if she refuses, it just as certainly will mean her own death - so saying no just isn't an option.

Can she juggle both cases and come out a winner (or at least still alive)? Everything is resolved in the end, but of course I won't reveal how it all plays out. Now, the only question for me to ask is can we have more of Samantha? Please?

Snap Judgment by Marcia Clark (Thomas & Mercer, August 2017); 462 pp.

THE MURDER GAME

4 stars out of 5


By and large, I enjoyed this book. Now that I'm finished, though, I'm having a heck of a time coming to terms with what I read - but I'll give it the old college try. College, in fact, is a good place to start; that's where the four main characters - Meredith, Lilly, Jonathan and Julian - met as law students at McGill University in Toronto in the mid-1990s. Ten years later, they've graduated and, for the most part, have all grown up.

Now a prosecuting attorney, Meredith gets assigned to a grisly murder case, and surprise (or maybe not), the accused is old friend Julian, who is being defended by none other than Jonathan. Lilly, an attorney who works with Meredith, mostly stays behind the scenes to offer cryptic advice while Meredith grapples with her mixed feelings about the outcome. Will the talented Jonathan work his magic and get his client home free? Can Meredith prove her old friend is lying and convince the jury to return a guilty verdict? Perhaps more to the point, does she really want that to happen?

Chapters about the trial are interspersed with flashbacks to the friends' days as carefree students whose most pressing life question is, "Will that be on the test?" Gradually, readers get a fairly in-depth look at their individual personalities and rather complex interactions. Lilly and the off-kilter Julian, for instance, apparently are an item; Lilly is aloof and fond of bragging about her high IQ. Meredith, the only one who doesn't come from a monied background, seems stuck in inferiority complex mode -  likely contributing to the off, on, off, on ad nauseam relationship she's had with Jonathan lo these many years.

Although I never really warmed up to any of the characters, they're certainly interesting. The plot, too, is well crafted and intriguing; the courtroom preparation and procedures in particular really held my attention (but then it's rare for me to read a book with a legal or medical focus that I don't love). For whatever reason, I wasn't thrilled with the ending  - not the verdict, which I won't reveal, but the actual last page (nope, won't discuss that here, either). 

Then, when I read the author's notes at the end - the part where she explains why she wrote this book under the pseudonym Julie Apple - I realized that if I'd known that ahead of time, it probably would have greatly influenced my take on the book - and I'm not at all sure in a good way. The author does suggest reading another of her books, Fractured, hinting that it will shed some light on this one.

At any rate, I give this book as it stands 4 stars and, as I said before, I enjoyed it. If you want to see the author's explanation of how it came about, you don't have to wait to the end; turns out it's in the "From the Author" on the book's page at Amazon.com. And if you want to read that other book first, that's your choice as well. As for me, I'm going back to trying to make a dent in my stack of to-read books, for now simply saying many thanks to the author and publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read an advance copy of this one in exchange for an honest review.

The Murder Game by Catherine McKenzie writing as Julie Apple (Amazon Digital Services LLC, November 2016); 303 pp.

BLOOD DEFENSE

5 stars out of 5

Like many folks, I was glued to the TV set during the infamous police chase and subsequent capture and trial of former NFL star O.J. Simpson, charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and waiter Ronald Goldman. The trial was riveting, and it was especially interesting to me to watch the teams of attorneys on both sides in action. The lead prosecutor was Marcia Clark from the Los Angeles District Attorney's office. She impressed me - maybe in part because I'd never before seen a female prosecutor in such a high-profile, high-stakes trial - and when the glove came off, so to speak, I suppose I even felt more than a little sympathetic (in case there's a living soul out there who doesn't know, O.J. was acquitted). Later, when I found out she'd turned to fiction writing, I told myself that one day I'd give one of her books a try.

But life intervened, the multi-hundred page Harry Potter books hit the stores and my good intentions went by the boards. Apparently, though, somebody up there likes me; out of the blue, the publisher of this book - Clark's most recent and the first in a series featuring rather hard-boiled criminal defense attorney Samantha Brinkman - offered me a copy in exchange for an unbiased review. That was, of course, an offer I couldn't refuse.

And guess what? I'm impressed all over again. I admit to favoring mysteries and thrillers with a legal flavor - every so often I even drag out one of Erle Stanley Gardner's classic Perry Mason books to reread, for goodness sake - but I never fail to cross my fingers when I find one by a new-to-me author. This time, I'd uncrossed them by the end of the first handful of chapters; no worries here - I was hooked.

At the beginning, Samantha's tiny firm (consisting of Sam, her longtime friend Michelle and ex-con and hacker Alex), is hired to defend a veteran LAPD detective who's charged with the murder of two young women - one of whom is a popular TV star. If she's successful (and maybe even if she isn't), it's a case almost guaranteed to grab the media's attention and catapult Sam and her firm to the criminal defense elite. 

As might be expected, though, there's many a slip between the cup and the lip; one particularly noteworthy piece of news, in fact, almost derails the whole case (and certainly makes it harder for Samantha to do her job effectively and objectively). But do it she does - with her usual fools-rush-in overlooking of the "rules" when it suits her purpose - and there are more than a few other twists as the drama shifts from the courtroom to out-of-the-office sleuthing (the latter of which put the lives of Samantha and her crew in danger). 

My favorite parts, though, happened in the courtroom; I've always been intrigued by legal strategy, be it how to "work" the media, craft meaningful opening arguments or pick the best possible jurors during voir dire. There's no shortage of that here, and I loved it; take, for instance, Samantha's instructions to her client not to laugh, smile or frown anywhere near the jury no matter what. "No innocent man on trial for murder laughs," she tells him. "At anything."

In the end, I'm delighted to award this book 5 stars; reading it was time well spent  Not only am I eager to read the next installment of this series, I've already looked into getting my hands on her Rachel Knight books. 

Blood Defense by Marcia Clark (Thomas & Mercer, May 2016); 400 pp.

INJUSTICE FOR ALL

5 stars out of 5

This is the third book I've read in the author's series featuring Tennessee lawyer Joe Dillard, and I continue to be amazed at how much I'm enjoying them. This is the best so far, IMHO - I didn't want to put it down (just ask my husband, who was forced to eat an extra-late dinner one day because I had just a few chapters left to read). 

Dillard has moved from a defense attorney to the prosecutor's office, but from both sides now he's had to deal with the same hard-nosed, unfair and vindictive criminal court judge. When that judge's body turns up charred and hanging from a tree, Dillard isn't exactly crying, but then he finds himself at the center of the investigation. The son of his son's best friend, it turns out, is the prime suspect (the judge, it seems, had done his daddy wrong). Worse, the young college student has, in a panic, given critical evidence to Dillard's wife, who in turn destroyed it - thus committing a potentially criminal act that puts Dillard square in the middle of an ethics dilemma.

A second story line follows a young girl who loses her entire family - then most of another - and a third focuses on the sudden disappearance of a young woman who recently joined the district attorney's office. There's even a fourth as Dillard struggles with his unsuccessful defense of a client who was convicted and has just been executed - a client Dillard continues to believe was innocent. 

All these situations are brought to closure by the end, of course; some happily, others not so much, depending on who you're rooting for. And, a big change at the end makes me eager to read the next installment (not that I wasn't already). Bring it on!

Injustice for All by Scott Pratt (Phoenix Flying Inc., December 2013); 367 pp.

IRREPARABLE HARM

4 stars out of 5

Legal and medical thrillers always top my list of favorites, most often in that order. So when I got an email from eReader Cafe early this month informing me that this one - the first in a series featuring attorney Sasha McCandless - at no cost, I read the description and took the plunge. Worst case, I told myself, it will cost nothing to find out I don't like it; but on the other hand, it could open up the door to a solid series.

Now that I've finished it, I'm happy to report the best-case scenario won out, and I've added the rest of the books in the series to my want-to-read list. 

I must admit, though, that part of the attraction is the Pittsburgh connection. While I'll never be a Steelers fan (go Browns!), we live about 15 minutes west of the Pennsylvania border and have more than a nodding acquaintance with the city and its attractions, many of which are mentioned here. My taste buds kicked into high gear just thinking about one of those all-inclusive Primanti Brothers sandwiches (meat of choice topped with slaw and fries). Now that they're branching out, in fact, we'll be enjoying a new location closer to home in Boardman Township, Ohio, sometime this fall - although to my mind, at least, the satellite locations never will have the cachet of the original that's been going strong in Pittsburgh's Strip District since 1933.

This story begins with the crash of an airplane into a mountain, killing everyone on board.  Because the airline is a client of her successful and hoity toity law firm, Sasha, who is close to making partner, is tapped to be one of the lead attorneys who will defend the lawsuits that no doubt will follow. But early on, she begins to suspect the crash wasn't an accident; rather, some kind of device was installed on the plane that allows remote control from a smart phone.

Enter a federal air marshal (a relatively attractive single guy, naturally), who's investigating the disaster from a different standpoint. When they learn that a second plane crash is about to happen, they must dive full-on into finding out who's responsible and prevent another disaster. Meantime, Sasha's supervisor at the law firm - the one who heads up the client's legal team - meets an untimely (and suspicious) end, thus putting Sasha in full charge of the investigation. Things turn ugly when the bad guys realize full-on that Sasha and her air marshal buddy are getting too close; all I'll say about that is that it's a good thing she's well trained in a particularly effective defensive form of martial arts.

The book moves along quickly (I read it over the space of two days in spare time), but I'll point out that there's quite a bit of discussion of the ins and outs of legal procedure (which is of considerable interest to me but might be a bit of a drag for other readers) as well as detailed descriptions of Sasha's martial arts moves (interesting to me not so much). Also, it's important to keep in mind that this is a novel. Believing that some of the things described here could happen in the real world - among them installation of a device on an airliner that isn't detected at some point in the inspection process, that a barely 5-foot tall woman could overpower two gigantic thugs in seconds and end up with no serious injuries and that Sasha's air marshal seems to be the only one from the feds who is investigating the airplane crash - is a stretch. 

Overall, though, this is a solid debut novel in the series, and as I said before, I'm now up for finding out what happens in the next one (Inadvertent Disclosure). Stay tuned!

Irreparable Harm by Melissa F. Miller (Brown Street Books, April 2011); 456 pp.