Satisfying legal suspense that is also a captivating slow burn mystery.
Small-town lawyer Simon Latch is barely keeping his Main Street office open dealing with bankruptcies, divorces, and simple wills. When elderly Eleanor Barnett hires him to draft a new will, claiming that she and her late husband had accumulated a multimillion dollar fortune that she controls, Simon gets dollar signs in his eyes. He’s already financially desperate and between his gambling and his own impending divorce, sees a way to take on his richest client ever to make bank. Then Eleanor gets injured in a car crash she caused and ends up hospitalized. Simon scrambles to maintain control of the vast estate with power of attorney and other legal instruments that he executes when the worst happens. Now Simon is fighting in the courts to clear his name and save himself from a miscarriage of justice.
A very satisfying and dramatic drama that is more whodunit than high octane corporate courtroom thriller. It’s more centered on a small town attorney’s moral decay and questionable ethics so is more character driven than usual for this author. As Simon tries desperately to track down the real killer, he comes into contact with some interesting people. He makes a wonderfully ambivalent protagonist as he comes off as a greedy and desperate shyster while also retaining enough humanity to garner empathy despite his poor choices. I always enjoy the courtroom scenes and the behind the scenes trial preparation and legal maneuverings. The book points out how corruptible the legal system can be and also the high temptation to sacrifice the high road for ambition and money.
I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. The narrator, Michael Beck, did an excellent job using a Southern drawl to lend authenticity to the locale and the different characters. The only thing that would have made it better would be to use a female voice for those roles. The production provided an immersive experience that enhanced the story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Tags and genre - legal thriller, crime thriller, mystery, murder, serial killer, poison
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