Hazel (2934 KP) rated Conviction in Books
Jun 11, 2023
Neve is a top lawyer so when she is handed the case of defending Wade Darling after his original barrister jumped in front of a train, she sees the opportunities open before her to make her name as a top barrister. Unfortunately, she has a secret that she is desperate to keep hidden but someone knows and threatens to reveal it if she doesn't lose the trial. What should she do? Throw the trial and destroy herself or defend her client to the best of her ability and threaten not only herself but those she loves?
Conviction is a rollercoaster of a ride that builds and builds with tension, full of twists and turns that had me hanging on every page not knowing what was going to happen next. Full of great characters and written at a fast pace, I would recommend to lovers of great thrillers and courtroom dramas.
Definitely one of my reads of 2023 and thanks must go to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Conviction.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Alligator Man in Books
Apr 27, 2018
The Alligator Man starts off with a chapter from the perspective of a murder victim. From the very first chapter, I was hooked. There were two parallel stories going on at the same time, and at one point I didn’t know how they related. About halfway through the book the connection became clear and suddenly every character was a thousand times more important, and every word more interesting. At one point the case seemed hopeless, at others it seemed there could be no other alternate ending. But of course there were several wild twists at the end that totally through me. Yeah, several. Not just one surprise. Like, surprise after surprise. And maybe a little bit of crying at the very end.
All in all, I loved The Alligator Man and am, once again, impressed with Sheehan’s ability to make a dry boring courtroom seem exciting, and to weave a powerful story about humans and love and greed and destiny.
The narration was very good, though not as good as The Lawyer’s Lawyer. In the same way that the narrator didn’t add anything to the book, he didn’t take anything away either.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated A Nearly Normal Family in Books
Dec 13, 2019
The book centres around a seemingly perfect family (they are anything but!) and is separated into three sections each told from the perspective of a family member following the arrest of the daughter for the murder of a man; each of these sections provided insight into each of the characters and a different take on the situation they find themselves in. What it also did was make this a slow burner with the tension mounting gradually towards the great ending which I found very satisfying.
I did have a couple of problems with this book though; one being that I couldn't connect with any of the main characters and struggled to empathise with any of them, the other being that I think there were times when things seem to have got lost in translation which made the story not flow quite as well as I was expecting.
Overall though a pretty good read and definitely worth the time I invested in reading it.
Thanks go to the good people of Pan Macmillan via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Guardians in Books
Mar 19, 2020
Cullen Post works for Guardian Ministries, traveling the country fighting wrongful convictions. Guardian takes on clients forgotten by the system. Post, a lawyer and Episcopal minister, finds himself drawn to their latest client, Quincy Miller, who is serving life in prison. Quincy supposedly killed Keith Russo, a lawyer in Seabrook, Florida. He’s been in prison for over twenty years. And now Post is realizing that Quincy’s case is going to ensnare him and Guardian in a dangerous world—powerful people killed Keith Russo, and they do not want Quincy Miller exonerated.
"I have saddled myself with the burdens of innocent people rotting away in prison while rapists and murderers roam free."
This book has the legal and dramatic hallmarks of a strong Grisham novel. I was drawn to Post immediately and quickly caught up in Quincy’s case and Post and Guardian’s world. There are lots of twists and turns and surprises as Post works to free Quincy. I love the details Grisham throws in, plus the peeks into the courtroom, tidbits about examining evidence, and more. It’s a powerful read that gives you plenty to think about. Definitely worth a read! 4 stars.
Trials of Passion: Crimes in the Name of Love and Madness
7.0
Rate It
Book
This book journeys into the heart of dark passions and the crimes they impel. When passion is in the...
Concussion
7.0
Rate It
Book
This is the story of one man's fight against a multibillion dollar colossus. A man who stood up for...
Crime or Compassion?: One Woman's Story of a Loving Friendship That Knew No Bounds
Book
'I was torn. My best friend needed me. But little did I know then what the consequences of helping...
Death by Cyanide: The Murder of Dr. Autumn Klein
Book
At just forty-one years old, Dr. Autumn Klein, a neurologist specializing in seizure disorders in...
The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It's Broken
6.8
Rate It
Book
"I'm a barrister, a job which requires the skills of a social worker, relationship counsellor,...
