The #1 LAWYER

5 stars out of 5

Payback can be a you-know-what. Nobody knows that better than hotshot Mississippi defense attorney Stafford Lee Penney, when he finds himself on the receiving end after his latest courtroom win that means a suspected murderer walks out a free man. Shortly thereafter, he becomes the primary suspect in the murder of his estranged wife Carrie Ann and the man found beside her in her bed, and he has a new client to save - himself. But if he didn't do it, who did? 

Finding out is a monumental undertaking that's fraught with danger, but Stafford Lee has a great team to help him including his lawyer friend Mason Burnett and investigator Jenny Glaser. But first, he's got to get his own act together; devastated by Carrie Ann's death, his work ethic and personal life take a nosedive all the way to the beach, where he's forced to take a job as a lifeguard just to make ends meet. Along that path, he finds a law student named Rue, who's the sister of one of his former clients; she interns at his office and crashes at his place at night.

As the investigation progresses, several anomalies turn up as part of the police investigation of Carrie Ann's murder. Stafford Lee and his cohorts are threatened (and worse), and then another person related to Stafford Lee's original case turns up dead. Forget Carrie Ann, the police say, claiming they have an abundance of evidence to prove Stafford Lee is the culprit in the more recent murder. He's arrested, charged and hauled into court for what will be the trial of his life.

Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Stafford Lee, of course, doesn't buy his own guilt - nor do his office colleagues. So the race is on to at the very least find evidence that will give the jury reasonable doubt. Doing that means pretty much nonstop action, with at least one gobsmacking surprise along the way. Definitely a fun read, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The #1 Lawyer by James Patterson and Nancy Allen (Little, Brown and Co., March 2024); 432 pp.

POISON

5 stars out of 5

Getting shot ain't a walk in the park; and the last time it happened to defense attorney Dismas Hardy, two bullets nearly cost him his life. So now - a year later - he's still recovering and seriously contemplating at least a partial retirement. But everyone knows what happens to best-laid plans - and hopefully for better, not worse, he finds himself trying to defend former client Abby Jarvis. Turns out she's been charged with the murder of her boss, a highly successful owner of a closely held family business. Abby was the man's bookkeeper, hired not long after she got out of jail (a shorter-than-expected stint thanks to Dismas' defense). This time, it's claimed that she was embezzling substantial funds from the company; in part because of her prior record, the police believe her boss caught her in the act and she retaliated by putting a deadly poison in his ever-present tea.

The company will continue under the leadership of the "G Team" - owner Grant Wagner's children, whose names all begin with that letter. But as the investigation proceeds, aided by Dismas' loyal private investigator, Wyatt Hunt, it comes to light that relationships among the dead guy's kids may be less than harmonious. In fact, it can be argued that each of them has reason to get rid of daddy dearest. But the question is, did one of them do the deed? And can Dismas and Wyatt get to the truth before someone else gets hurt (perhaps even Dismas or his grown son, Vincent, who has ties to at least a couple of the suspects)?

I do love this character - this is his 17th appearance - what's not to like about a guy who, when it comes to technology calls himself an "old fart?" That he reads books by another of my favorite authors, C.J. Box, endears him to me even more. And while he may be trying to wind down, he's still "got it" in my book - with the action constant from beginning to end. I won't say that the whodunit came as a big surprise - in fact, I guessed it fairly early on - but that didn't diminish my enjoyment a whit. It's a terrific book, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Poison by John Lescroart (Atria Books, February 2018); 304 pp.