Attorney Kate Sullivan is tapped as lead counsel on a huge case against a massive pharmaceutical company and their cover-up of their latest drug. When a whistle-blower comes to Kate, she hires private detective Landon James to check out her authenticity--but the woman is murdered before giving Kate the details. As Kate prepares for the trial and Landon looks further into the woman's death, it becomes clear that someone in the pharmaceutical company is intent on winning trial, and they're not afraid to hurt--or kill--to do it.This book is pretty much exactly what I was hoping for in a legal thriller--lots of digging to find the truth, danger and suspense, and a dash of romance. And the hint of conspiracy always livens things up. While I enjoy romance, I appreciated that it doesn't compete for the main focus of this story; instead, the case is most important, with the romance and Kate's friendship with the opposing lawyer, Ethan, coming in a tie for second.
I never, ever want to become a lawyer; sitting on a jury would likely be hard enough. However, while such a job might be torture for me, I really enjoyed reading about all the trial prep and search for proof. Dylan appears to know her stuff; a lot more goes on behind the scenes than we see in tv shows. I never felt the story get bogged down in legalese, and the pacing is perfect.
Ethan is kind of in the role as the villain (being as he represents the evil pharmaceutical company), but he is far from evil--just caught in the slippery slope of questionable ethics. He makes some poor choices, but I can pity him as each decision leads him one step further from where he should be. I also appreciated that while Ethan is teetering toward the path to the dark side, there are still other lawyers besides Kate who have a moral compass and refuse to be compromised, even when the consequences are significant. That inner debate for the lawyers--seeing whether they will follow their values when temptation comes their way--is really what makes them human and keeps me reading!
Both the history and camaraderie of Landon and his college roommates reminded me of the men in Dani Pettrey's Chesapeake Valor series; readers who have enjoyed Pettrey's novels will enjoy this one too (I know I did). I have high hopes for Kate's two best friends and Landon's college roommates to get together in future novels (but that is pure speculation on my part). Also, seeing what happens with Nicole and Miles could be interesting as well. I'm glad this is advertised as the start of a series!
Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.
Atlanta Justice
1. Deadly Proof
2. Lone Witness
3. Breach of Trust
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