carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

This was really good! I have had this book for a long time and I have to say that right now I am kicking myself for not picking it up sooner. I was totally sucked into the story and had a hard time setting it aside once I got going. I think that one of the reasons that I hesitated for so long is because it is the third book in the series and I wasn't sure that it would work out of order but it works perfectly as a stand-alone novel. I am so glad that I finally decided to give this book a try.

This book covers two different cases at different points in time that share the same cast of characters. Thirteen years ago, Bennie represented Jason who was twelve years old at the time. Jason was sent to juvenile detention over a relatively minor incident where he stood up to a bully in the school cafeteria. The punishment of 90 days in juvenile detention seemed quite harsh for such a young child and Bennie worked hard to get him released. Unfortunately, she was pulled off the case by Jason's father because of a personal relationship. The current case has Bennie defending Jason who is being charged with murdering the same bully from all those years ago. 

I liked how different the two cases were in this book and thought that they were both equally interesting. I really enjoyed the fact that this book really focused on all of the legal maneuvers. I found all of the motions and appeals to be very interesting in the way it was presented. I also liked getting the chance to learn Bennie's thought process during the trial as she made decisions to object and question witnesses. 

I did like the characters in this book. Bennie is incredibly competent as a lawyer and there was never a doubt in my mind that she would always do what was in her client's best interest. She does have a romantic relationship in this story and I think that seeing her in a more vulnerable situation really helped to make her feel authentic. It was interesting to see the contrast between Jason as a child to the man being tried for murder. 

I thought that Kate Burton did a fantastic job with the narration of this book. She just pulled me into the story and held my attention. I think that she did a wonderful job with all of the character voices and brought a lot of emotion into the story anytime it was warranted. I believe that this is the first time that I have had the chance to listen to Kate Burton's work but I plan to look for her in the future.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a well done legal thriller that kept me guessing. This was quite the page-turner in the end and I cannot wait to read more from Lisa Scottoline very soon.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

Initial Thoughts
I thought that this book was very well done. There are really two cases that are detailed in the book. The first case happens when Bennie's client is a middle school age child and the second case occurs about 13 years later when the same client is an adult. I liked that this book stayed pretty focused on the court proceeding and rationale behind the lawyer's moves. There is a romance that comes into play but the main focus is on the cases. The audiobook narration was easy to listen to and added to my enjoyment of the novel.