A Criminal Defense

A new week, a new book: this time, it’s A Criminal Defense, by William L. Myers, Jr.

A Criminal Defense by [Myers, Jr., William L.]

At first glance – at the summary, not the cover, so flip the book over and look at the back (or read the summary if you’re online) – it seems like a pretty standard crime novel. A young woman is murdered in her own home. A wealthy businessman is probably guilty, presumably caught red-handed. It’s up to a prosecutor-turned-defense-attorney to secure his client’s freedom.

Okay. Now flip the book over and look at the front again. See that guy on the front who’s been splintered in pieces and is a little abstract looking? Yeah. That’s this book. You think you know what you’re getting, but there are many components, pieces, and twists.

You have Mick, the defense lawyer. He used to have a pretty bright career in the District Attorney’s office working as a prosecutor. Then he decided he wanted to switch gears and become a defense attorney. He would rather spend all his time and effort defending those who he truly feels are innocent, but he still takes cases from the rich-and-guilty because he’s got bills to pay.

Enter Piper, his pretty little wife who has a wealthy and prominent father who definitely thought his daughter was marrying a future DA instead of a weasel defense attorney. Let’s just say Piper has expensive tastes, and it’s a very “keeping up with the Jones’s” lifestyle for them.

Then there’s Tommy, Mick’s brother, who has had several run-in’s with the law but is excellent at what he does: helping people when they need it and working as an investigator in Mick’s law firm. And we have David, the friend from school who stands accused of murder. The victim is a reporter named Jennifer, who broke a story about a police crime ring right before her death.

So, those are our major players. And boy, howdy, do they play. David is determined not to go to jail for something he claims he did not do, and it’s up to Mick to make that happen come hell or high water. The deeper he gets involved with the case, the more Mick struggles to find a way out without jeopardizing his life, career, or family.

I liked this book. It’s very crime-focused, and there is a lot of detail that happens in the courtroom. The author actually is a trial lawyer, and that’s evident. The story sometimes plods along, but I thought it was probably a realistic depiction of a trial and what goes into it. Some of the “back when” story parts were a little dull and were not, I felt, entirely necessary to understand the characters. Ultimately, I had very little issue with the characters – they seemed very believable and realistic.

As for the twists and turns – just when you think you’ve got it figured out, there’s a curve ball. And then another. And then, remember that twist you had a few chapters back, well that twist is about to double back and then go off another tangent. It kept things interesting and changing and wondering how Mick was ever going to come out on top.

Overall: 8/10

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