The Widow by John Grisham #AudiobookReview #legalthrillers

Amazon Charts #7 this week

Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Mystery & Thriller (2025)

Book Blurb:

Simon Latch is a lawyer in rural Virginia, making just enough to pay his bills while his marriage slowly falls apart. Then into his office walks Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow in need of a new will. Apparently, her husband left her a small fortune, and no one knows about it.

Once he hooks the richest client of his career, Simon works quietly to keep her wealth under the radar. But soon her story begins to crack. When she is hospitalized after a car accident, Simon realizes that nothing is as it seems, and he finds himself on trial for a crime he swears he didn’t commit: murder.

Simon knows he’s innocent. But he also knows the circumstantial evidence is against him, and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. To save himself, he must find the real killer….

My Review:

What? A dyed-in-the-wool devotee of legal thrillers and I haven’t read a John Grisham book lately? Is it because I equated too closely a Grisham novel with another (which shall remain unnamed) author? I suspect that might be it, but I’m certainly glad I broke down and listened to this one.

The Widow by John Grisham — The Widow cover – US

I do love me a good legal thriller (witness how many David Rosenfelt books I’ve read/listened to with his Andy Carpenter series). Even discounting a good Carpenter legal thriller, I love the courtroom scenes. The rules of the courtroom, details of the law, and the nonsense that has to be plowed through with resulting massive losses of valuable time.

Being an attorney is not all that profitable or glamorous. Just ask Simon Latch, scraping by with his one office assistant, personal life with his marriage in ruins, and a small but significant gambling problem on the side.

Just when he’s wondering how much longer he can keep the door open on bankruptcies (BORING!), in walks Eleanor Barnett, an elderly woman looking to have her will re-written.

I have to admit that at first I took umbrage to that same old gravely, imperious, and high-pitched grating voice and dialogue. But Simon’s boredom vanishes immediately when she appears to present as a wealthy widow—whose miserly husband stashed millions in stocks prior to his untimely death.

OMG, I couldn’t believe the way Eleanor plays Simon. And Simon, always keeping his eye on the carrot, hangs in there, using his own money to play along, betting on the come. He’s supposed to be smart, but so many stupid decisions have me wondering how he ever passed the bar.

Still, as the plot turned dark, my earlier judgment of Eleanor turned to one of antipathy while that same feeling regarding Simon turned to one of empathy.

As a result of many of his faulty decisions and the suspicious timing of her death, he is brought to trial and once again, I thoroughly enjoyed the courtroom scenes and the character of his attorney. Grisham can develop a character down to the southern accent and off-hand sense of humor.

The courtroom tap dance, however, in this case doesn’t work and now he’s in seriously hot water. He must, absolutely must, find the real killer if he is to be exonerated.

So, yeah, it might begin as a slightly slow burn, hover a bit long in the honeymoon period with Eleanor’s perceived millions, but overall, it’s a strongly engaging storyline. The pacing is over-shadowed by the development of the characters, the scenes, and the twists that catch off guard.

The tension escalates toward the reveal. I loved the combination of both the legal thriller and the whodunit. Michael Beck does an excellent job of narrating and I’d recommend the audiobook.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Legal Thrillers, Suspense Thrillers
Publisher: Random House Audio
ASIN: B0F1BGY2PF
Listening Length: 14 hrs 23 mins
Narrator: Michael Beck
Publication Date: October 21, 2025
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: John Grisham is the author of more than fifty consecutive #1 bestsellers, which have been translated into nearly fifty languages. His recent books include The Boys From Biloxi, The Judge’s List, Sooley, and his third Jake Brigance novel, A Time for Mercy, which is being developed by HBO as a limited series.

Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction.

When he’s not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.

John lives on a farm in central Virginia.

Happy Thursday

Worse Than A Lie by Ben Crump – #BookReview #thrillersuspense #NetGalley

A Beau Lee Cooper Novel

Book Blurb:

It’s the night of November 4, 2008. America’s first Black president has just been elected. And fifty-three-year-old Hollis Montrose—a Black ex–police officer from the suburbs of Chicago—has become the latest victim of a brutal attack. As the result of a traffic stop gone wrong, Hollis is shot ten times in cold blood, by four white men who could have been his colleagues back in his police days.

Beau Lee Cooper was born serious, as if on an urgent mission with little time to waste. Raised in the tumultuous world of 1970s Texas, he always dreamed of becoming a lawyer and fighting for what’s right, ever since he was a little boy reading To Kill a Mockingbird. And now, ten years into running his own law firm with his best friend and partner in crime, Nelson “Nellie” Rivers, and his suave right-hand-man, Brent “Cape” Capers, he feels he’s finally making a difference. When Beau Lee learns about Hollis’s situation, he’s determined to help.

Miraculously, Hollis survives the encounter, but the Chicago police department has already spun the narrative in its favor, and Hollis is given a wrongful prison sentence with an unreasonable bail. What really happened that night the car was pulled over? Was it random or was Hollis targeted? Beau Lee knows he’s treading in dangerous waters, and finding evidence of the truth will be his biggest challenge yet, but with troubling powers at play, one innocent man’s life hangs in the balance.

His Review:

Being a police officer in Chicago has never been an easy or safe job. One would think being a security officer might be safer. Also, the pay for a policeman in Chicago wasn’t enough to properly care for a family. Hollis Montrose was a policeman supplementing his income with two other jobs, one as a security guard. It was late at night behind a Macy’s department store when he was pulled over by a fellow white police officer. Hollis was held face down on the pavement and his license was never checked.

It appears that Chicago police have never strayed far from the days of Al Capone. Shoot first and ask questions later. This was Hollis’s fate. Ten slugs were found in his body as he struggled to stay alive after being rushed to the hospital. This book shares the adjustment to life after the election of Barack Obama. The chapters are at times very gruesome but the end result is apparent. White officers had little regard for their African American fellow officers. The south was not dead in Chicago! 4 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

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Book Details:

Genre: Black & African American Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction, Legal Thrillers
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN-13: 978-0593875711‎
ASIN: B0FKG23528
Print Length: 368 pages
Publication Date: February 17, 2026
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Through a steadfast dedication to justice and service, renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has established himself as one of the nation’s foremost lawyers and advocates for social justice. He has worked on some of the most high-profile cases in the U.S., representing the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Stephon Clark, among others. He has been nationally recognized as the 2014 NNPA Newsmaker of the Year, the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers, and Ebony Magazine Power 100 Most Influential African Americans. In 2016, he was designated as an Honorary Fellow by the University of Pennsylvania College of Law. He is the founder and principal owner of Ben Crump Law.

Have a great day!

Judge and Jury by Stephen Penner #BookReview #LegalThrillers #TuesdayBookBlog

in Murder Thrillers

Book 7 A Rain City Legal

Book Blurb:

Seattle attorney Dan Raine is hired by an old friend, Judge Michael Hawkins, to help with a delicate family matter. Hawkins’s son has been romancing Lydia Szabo, the daughter of a local crime lord, and now owes her brother a large sum of money.

The Szabo family is using this debt to blackmail the judge into a favorable verdict on an upcoming case. Raine’s job is to scare them off by digging up some serious dirt on their criminal empire. But before he can do it, Lydia is murdered and Judge Hawkins is found standing over her body, a smoking gun in his hand.

Despite overwhelming evidence, Raine believes Hawkins’s claim that he is innocent and throws himself into finding the real killer. His investigation leads him deep into the Szabos’ organization, where human trafficking, corrupt cops, and deadly secrets lurk around every corner.

But the closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous the game becomes. And when the real killer is finally revealed, Raine discovers that the deadliest betrayals are the ones you don’t see coming.

My Review:

Not our first experience with this author and, of course, we enjoy the Seattle location of the novel. My motobuddy always called it the “great Northwet” and heaven knows the protagonist as well as the series is named well with an average annual rainfall in the area of 37-39 inches per year.

In this installment, attorney Dan Raine has been retained by an old friend, a judge, who appears to have a sticky wicket with the apparent death of his son’s girlfriend in his upstairs study. Unfortunately, his son’s girlfriend is part of a large local crime family thought to run a number of deadly secrets.

An experienced attorney himself, the author knows his way around the legal system and courtroom procedure, and his main character reflects that expertise. In his years of practice, the MC has also accumulated a number of valuable contacts, a few of whom are happy to return a favor when requested. He is also friends with a bail bondsman with deep pockets and a clever way of negotiation.

The courtroom drama puts you square in the jury box, the legalese explained, and the maneuvering suspenseful. Raine comes off as an intelligent and competent attorney as well as investigator. His moral compass both in and out of the courtroom is held in high regard.

I thought we had a solid verdict and conclusion when the author threw a gotcha at the end I didn’t see coming and almost had to chuckle.

Okay, that was a good one. If you’re a fan of legal thrillers, this one is for you. The CE read two of the installments in this series, the last one being Body of Evidence and loved it. Even if you aren’t, there are always enlightening moments and the plot and pace are programmed to keep your interest in moving pages. It can be read as a standalone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Legal Thrillers, Murder, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Inkubator Books
ISBN: 978-1837566495
ASIN: B0FYHGK6TV
Print Length: 246 pages
Publication Date: November 16, 2025 – Just Released!
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK

The Author: Stephen Penner is an author, artist, and attorney from Seattle, Washington. He has written more than 30 novels and specializes in courtroom thrillers known for their unexpected twists and candid portrayal of the justice system. He draws on his extensive experience as a criminal trial attorney to infuse his writing with realism and insight.

Stephen is the bestselling author of several top-rated legal thriller series. The RAIN CITY LEGAL THRILLERS deliver the adventures of Seattle attorney Daniel Raine and his unlikely partner Rebecca Sommers. The DAVID BRUNELLE LEGAL THRILLERS feature Seattle homicide D.A. David Brunelle and a recurring cast of cops, defense attorneys, and forensic experts. And the TALON WINTER LEGAL THRILLERS showcase tough-as-nails Tacoma criminal defense attorney Talon Winter and her closest allies. Stephen is also the author of the MAGGIE DEVEREAUX PARANORMAL MYSTERIES, recounting the exploits of an American graduate student in the magical Highlands of Scotland, and several other stand-alone works.

In his spare time, Stephen enjoys painting, drawing, and spending time with his family.

#TuesdayBookBlog

The Proving Ground: A Lincoln Lawyer Novel by Michael Connelly #BookReview #LegalThrillers

Lincoln Lawyer Book 8

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly, the Lincoln Lawyer is back with a case against an AI company whose product may have been responsible for the murder of a young girl.

Following his “resurrection walk” and need for a new direction, Mickey Haller turns to public interest litigation, filing a civil lawsuit against an artificial intelligence company whose chatbot told a sixteen-year-old boy that it was okay for him to kill his ex-girlfriend for her disloyalty.

Representing the victim’s family, Mickey’s case explores the mostly unregulated and exploding AI business and the lack of training guardrails. Along the way he joins up with a journalist named Jack McEvoy, who wants to be a fly on the wall during the trial in order to write a book about it. But Mickey puts him to work going through the mountain of printed discovery materials in the case. McEvoy’s digging ultimate delivers the key witness, a whistleblower who has been too afraid to speak up. The case is fraught with danger because billions are at stake.

It is said that machines became smarter than humans on the day in 1997 that IBM’s Deep Blue defeated chess master Garry Kasparov with a gambit called “the knight’s sacrifice.” Haller will take a similar gambit in court to defeat the mega forces of the AI industry lined up against him and his clients.

My Review:

Does it get much better than the Lincoln Lawyer? I love these books and devour any new installment that comes up in print, digital, or Netflix.

Even better, this one tackles AI, a current hot topic, a novel that grapples with so many moral questions over the legal. Haven’t we been talking about our children watching violent cartoons? Now with computer games the kids of eight years up are playing, do we have any clue what kind of intelligence they are dealing with?

AI generated by Gemini

What about the mind of a sixteen year old? Who has written the code for the chatbot he calls Wren? And who is to blame when that sixteen year old violently acts on a suggestion from Wren?

I love the character of Haller. He has left criminal law for civil. The narrative examines in detail the question: who is ultimately responsible for games coded with possible explosive code? We’ve all heard of GIGO. Garbage in, garbage out, “bad programming, programming contradictory to the purpose of the app?”

The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly — Lincoln Lawyer cover-US

That is the supposition of this extremely complex legal thriller. The storyline boils over with tension, almost from the beginning. All your favorite Haller characters are included, though I never warmed up to a new character who provided deep intel on AI while gathering journalistic juice. A layered plot from main to sub, each adding depth, creating a fully rounded story from professional to personal, those of his family and close associates.

I love the way the writer mentions or includes characters, including Harry Bosch, from his other series in his current narrative, consolidating the Haller world. In his world, he is up against a multi-billion dollar corporation, and he’ll have his work cut out for him.

He has his flaws but he brings an intelligence to the legal science of law that is downright compelling. He has wit, energy, and charisma you can’t beat. And, by the way, I enjoyed the author’s little humorous zinger by naming the judge in the case, Judge Ruhlin. RUHLIN? Funny, Mr. Connelly.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

PS: No AI was used in writing this review. (Or perhaps that’s obvious. )

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Legal Thrillers, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 978-0316563840
ASIN: B0DZ24GYPN
Print Length: 400 pages
Publication Date:
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of more than forty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty-nine million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. A former newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Connelly has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fiction. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly’s 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include The Waiting (2024), Resurrection Walk (2023), Desert Star (2022), The Dark Hours (2021), The Law Of Innocence (2020), Fair Warning (2020), and The Night Fire (2019). Michael is the executive producer of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime/Amazon Freevee. He is the executive producer of The Lincoln Lawyer, streaming on Netflix, starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. He is also the executive producer of the documentary films, “Sound Of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story’ and ‘Tales Of the American.’ He spends his time in California and Florida.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Her Cold Justice by Robert Dugoni #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Keera Duggan Book 3

Book Blurb:

To save a client accused of murder, defense attorney Keera Duggan must fight a complex web of corruption in a riveting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

In a quiet South Seattle neighborhood, a suspected drug smuggler and his girlfriend are murdered in their home. When a young man named Michael Westbrook is accused of the brutal double homicide, his uncle JP Harrison turns to Keera Duggan to defend him. JP is Keera’s trusted investigator, and he desperately needs Keera to save his nephew against escalating odds.

The evidence is circumstantial—Michael worked with one of the victims, drugs were found in his possession, and he bolted from authorities. Ruthless star prosecutor Anh Tran has gotten convictions on much less. With the testimony of two prison informants, the case looks grave. But Keera never concedes defeat. To free her client, she must dig deep before Tran crushes both of them.

As the investigation gets more twisted with each new find, Keera is swept up in a mystery with far-reaching consequences. This case isn’t just murder. It’s looking like a conspiracy. And getting justice for Michael could be the most dangerous promise Keera has ever made.

My Review:

The CE doesn’t get to have all the fun! I got Book 3 of the Keera Duggan series, Her Cold Justice and Book 2, Beyond Reasonable Doubt. Between the two of us, however, we’ve read a number of Dugoni’s books, particularly Tracy Crosswhite, his last, A Dead Draw, early this year.

Keera was a chess champ as a girl, often played with her dad, who taught her the strategies of the board that could parallel her work as an attorney, facing off in high-stakes cases with equals in court room drama. She followed in her father’s legal footsteps, now often recognized as the daughter of the “Irish Brawler,” known for his unexpected and swift courtroom gotchas.

No question Michael Westbrook has all the circumstantial evidence stacked against him, made more credible by a few small omissions he failed to divulge until the twists caught up with him. Still, it appeared he was an innocent pawn in a game of power, broken justice, and weak kings.

You might guess that the plot gets complex, sussing out conspiracy, secrets, and an end game you might not have imagined. The plot is well paced.

No question I’m a fan of the author and feel all his books are great, with varying degrees of great, of course. I’ve come to love the Keera Duggan series, the characters relatable with complicated personal lives. This series hints at the possibility of a blooming relationship between Keera and Rossi, a good thing.

If this were read as a standalone, I’d wish for more character development of Keera, whereas we got a clear and definitive picture of Kim Tran, described beautifully down to the cold, impervious stare. There may have been a deeper dive into Keera and family in Book 1, but the CE caught that one, and I came into the series with Book 2.

As the book weaves its way through the twists and revelations, the storyline moves smoothly into the conclusion with, at this point, some predictability. Any reader who enjoys legal thrillers, though, will certainly appreciate the Dugoni writing style. It’s intelligently written, gripping, and entertaining.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Legal Thrillers, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: 978-1662524646
ASIN: B0DFZ47Z2B
Print Length: 380 pages
Publication Date: January 27, 2026
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite police series set in Seattle, which has sold more than 10 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, the David Sloane legal thriller series, the Keera Duggan legal thriller series, and several stand-alone novels including the literary novel, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – One of Newsweek Magazines Best Books of All Time and Suspense Magazine’s Book of the Year. Dugoni’s narration won an AudioFile Earphones Award. He has also written critically acclaimed historical novels based on true events: The World Played Chess a coming of age story and the Vietnam War; Hold Strong an untold story of WWII; and A Killing on the Hill, about a 1933 killing and trial in Seattle. HIs nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. His novels have been optioned for movies and television series. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and multiple awards for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He has also been a finalist for many other awards including the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award.

Robert Dugoni’s books are sold in more than forty countries and have been translated into more than thirty languages.

Visit his website and follow him on Amazon, Goodreads, twitter, Facebook, Tik Tok and other social media sites.

#TuesdayBookBlog

False Witness: A Novel by Phillip Margolin #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlob

Book Blurb:

A lawyer who was set-up, imprisoned, and disbarred, only to be vindicated and reinstated, is determined to find out who set her up and cover their tracks with a trail of dead bodies

Defense Attorney Karen Wyatt exposed corruption in the police force and the District Attorney’s office while getting her client exonerated in court. But in doing so, she put a target on her back and she was set-up on fake drug charge, imprisoned and disbarred until the conspiracy unraveled and her innocence was proven. Now reinstated to the bar, Wyatt is still interested in finding out who ordered her to be set-up – but the key figures were either killed or are in Witness Protection.

In the meantime, Wyatt is a practicing defense attorney, whose current client is either guilty of a heinous murder, or is a too-trusting patsy for an acquaintance set-up for a crime he didn’t commit. It will take all of Wyatt’s genius to defend her client successfully but that’s just one piece of an increasingly complex puzzle.

With a deadly criminal drug gang, a powerful, corrupt figure hiding in the D.A.’s office, and a Congressman who turned up with an unbelievable story after disappearing for days, False Witness is twisty, breathtaking, and unpredictable thriller.

My Review:

I do enjoy a good legal thriller from time to time. The last I read by this author, An Insignificant Case was a good standalone case in point. Unique main character and one I hoped would signal the beginning of a new series. Maybe not.

Defense Attorney Karen Wyatt definitely got herself in a pickle when she exposed corruption, not only in the police force, but the District Attorney’s office as well. She set herself up to take the fall, and fall she did, deep into prison. When she was finally exonerated, she came out with a bit of a chip on her shoulder and a burning desire to get some well-earned retribution.

The author keeps the tension ratcheted up as she goes about the business of practicing law and three years later taking pro bono cases. In the meantime, she continues to filter through her list of suspects, working to find the mole in the DA’s office. So much going on, the plot can get complex and there is a real mixed bag of characters from every spectrum.

All the twists and turns are there, moving the storyline along fairly briskly.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Legal Thrillers, Murder Thrillers, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 978-1250356901
ASIN: B0DPTVQM58
Print Length: 304 pages
Publication Date: November 11, 2025
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: PHILLIP MARGOLIN has written over twenty-five novels, most of them New York Times bestsellers, including Gone But Not Forgotten, Lost Lake, and Violent Crimes. In addition to being a novelist, he was a long time criminal defense attorney with decades of trial experience, including a large number of capital cases. Margolin lives in Portland, Oregon.

Website:

http://www.phillipmargolin.com/

#TuesdayBookBlog

Body of Evidence by Stephen Penner #BookReview #legalthriller

A Rain City Legal Thriller Book 6

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

She was murdered ten years ago. Now she has a story to tell.

Seattle Attorney Daniel Raine is hired by one Jim Carpenter who has been charged with a cold case murder.

A body has been discovered, buried under Carpenter’s business. When the remains are identified as a missing girl who was responsible for the DUI death of his own daughter, he instantly becomes the prime suspect.

It’s a clear case of a grief-stricken father out for revenge.

Believing Carpenter’s vehement protestations of innocence, Raine sets out to find out what really happened on that fateful day ten years ago.

But the case gets increasingly difficult as Raine finds himself battling a power-hungry prosecutor with an eye on higher office.

Even worse, all the witnesses seem to have something to hide, and as he digs for the truth, Raine has to fight through a tangled web of secrets and lies.

A web that will soon turn deadly…

His Review:

Attorney J. Daniel Raine enjoys his role as a Prosecuting Attorney. He is noted for his ruthlessness in getting criminals off the street. They are wards of the courts, usually for their remaining lives. However, he is assigned the task of being a defense attorney trying to keep a lovely mid-thirties defendant out of a life sentence. She is very pretty and is like a lost puppy needing rescuing.

Raine is up against a very seasoned prosecuting attorney who really wants to see him fail at his new role in defense. The judge does not allow him a motion to free him from this task. His attitude is “if I am the defense attorney then she is not guilty!” He finds every loophole possible and ignores evidence that implicates his client.

C E Williams This is a very interesting book and is engaging and interesting. I can thoroughly recommend to any who enjoy a solid legal thriller! 5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Legal Thrillers, Murder, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Inkubator Books
ASIN: B0FB9LNVXQ
Print Length: 295 pages
Publication Date: June 8, 2025
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK

The Author: Stephen Penner is an author, artist, and attorney from Seattle, Washington. He has written more than 30 novels and specializes in courtroom thrillers known for their unexpected twists and candid portrayal of the justice system. He draws on his extensive experience as a criminal trial attorney to infuse his writing with realism and insight.

In his spare time, Stephen enjoys painting, drawing, and spending time with his family.

Sunday reading — AI generated graphic courtesy Gemini flash 2.5

An Insignificant Case: A Thriller by Phillip Margolin #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

A new standalone legal thriller from the international bestselling author of GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.

Charlie Webb is a third rate lawyer who graduated from a third rate law-school and, because he couldn’t get hired by any of the major law firms, has opened his own law firm, where he gets by handling cases for dubious associates from his youth and some court appointed cases. Described as “a leaky boat floating down the stream of life,” Charlie has led unremarkable life, personally and professionally. Until he’s appointed to be the attorney for a decidedly crackpot artist who calls himself Guido Sabatini (born Lawrence Weiss). Sabatini has been arrested – again – for breaking into a restaurant and stealing back a painting he sold them because he was insulted by where it was displayed. But as Lawrence Weiss, he’s also an accomplished card shark and burglar and while he was there, he stole a thumb drive from the owner’s safe.

Not knowing what else Sabatani has stolen, Webb negotiates the return of the painting and “other items’ for the owner dropping charges against Sabatini. But the contents of the flash drive threatens very powerful figures who are determined to retrieve it, the restaurant owner (Gretchen Hall) and her driver (Yuri Makarov) are being investigated for the sex trafficking of minors, and there are others who have a violent grudge against Sabatini. When a minor theft case becomes a double homicide, and even more, Charlie Webb, an insignificant lawyer assigned to an insignificant case, is faced with the most important, and deadliest, case of his life. Going back to his long-time bestselling roots, Phillip Margolin returns with a brilliant standalone legal thriller in the tradition of John Grisham.

My Review:

I have read and enjoyed a number of Margolin’s books but usually in the Robin Lockwood series. This one, as a standalone, creates what could be the start of another great series.

The reader is introduced to Charlie Webb, definitely not caliber class attorney material who barely scraped by from a third-rate school to become a third-rate lawyer. No problem, he opens his own office and, again, barely scrapes by with what business he can glean, most often lately from a motorcycle gang often finding its members in a hassle with law enforcement.

Gees, I loved him already!

So when he gets a file for Guido Sabatini, local artist and nut case, he takes it on thinking it’s a simple B and E. Well, then, of course, there is the small matter of his also lifting something from the safe he got into while on a mission to steal back his painting that found him insulted by its placement. He felt it should have been hung where the public would have full view—not in someone’s back office. Oops.

It’s not the painting so much as the little device he stole and that sets up a whole different breed of case and one not in Charlie’s bailiwick. He is badly in over his head, knows it, tries to refuse the case. Guido insists it must be he. I guess you have to start somewhere, but Charlie has to find some help—quick.

As you might suspect, it’s a fast read, engaging with unusual characters, and entertaining. Yes, there are some twists and it’s possible that a reader who enjoys not only a legal thriller, but mysteries, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas would enjoy this one. If you like Grisham, you’d surely like this as well.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Legal Thrillers, Murder Thrillers, Murder
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN-10: ‎1250885825
ISBN-13: ‎978-125088582
ASIN: B0CQHMJKWN
Print Length: 304 pages
Publication Date: November 5, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: PHILLIP MARGOLIN has written over twenty novels, most of them New York Times bestsellers, including Gone But Not Forgotten, Lost Lake, and Violent Crimes. In addition to being a novelist, he was a long time criminal defense attorney with decades of trial experience, including a large number of capital cases. Margolin lives in Portland, Oregon.

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