ATTORNEY MERIT BRIDGES IS LOOKING OVER HER SHOULDER! WHO’S BACK THERE?When client Liam Nolan is slain with his own guitar, Davey Ray Bell shows up claiming to be Liam’s illegitimate son. L.A. Baron, Nolan’s former manager, makes a back-door music deal and vies for the estate. When the probate court pushes Baron out of the power position, he pursues Merit with a vengeance. Using the dark web, he … the dark web, he ruins her reputation, destroys her career, and finally attempts to take her life.
Who will come out on top of the scales of music and the scales of justice?
Praise for Music Notes…
A terrific legal thriller that draws you into two cutthroat worlds–law and the music industry. Filled with great characters, well-researched law, and suspenseful mysteries, Music Notes kept me turning pages long into the night!
-Larry A. Winters, Jessie Black Legal Thrillers
When the first paragraph of author Manning Wolfe’s novel, Music Notes makes you smile in anticipation, and the succeeding paragraphs build on it to create a razor sharp legal thriller filled with characters so lifelike they could be your friends, well, you know you’ve got a winner on your hands. An excellent novel by a truly gifted author. Buy it, you can’t go wrong.
-Billy Kring, Hunter Kincaid Mystery Series
With Merit Bridges and her Austin based staff, Manning Wolfe gives you some lawyers you can love. This time a case puts Merit through a byzantine plot that weaves its way through the town’s colorful music scene. She describes the city with such vibrancy and passion, as a local I’m happy she kills off a few people to discourage more Yankees from moving out here.
-Scott Montgomery (Hard Word Book Blog)
When Texas Lady Lawyer Merit Bridges does her job for a murdered client a little too well, she finds herself balancing integrity, legal prowess and survival against an adversary whose only goals are vengeance and power. A well-crafted thriller from a writer who truly knows the legal game.
-Judge Debra H. Goldstein, Sarah Blair Mysteries
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I used to live in Austin, so it’s fun knowing all the places talked about in the book. Also, the legal moves are explained so well, even a non-lawyer like me can get involved and understand what intrigues Merit Bridges is up to! A really great read.
STORY-LINE:
Texas lady lawyer Merit Bridges has her hands full in Music Notes. She volunteers for various organizations to help the needy, supports many groups financially, and has a highly successful practice with many wealthy clients. Not all her clients are wealthy as we see with Liam Nolan. Once an ultra-rich rock singer and songwriter, he hit bottom after too much booze, women, and drugs. Seeking redemption, he contracts our lady lawyer and enters a homeless shelter as he starts putting his life back together.
However, danger is stalking Liam. After he is murdered, Merit finds herself in a fight for her practice, her clients, her integrity, and her life. She is also trying to help Davey Ray Bell who claims he’s Liam’s long forgotten son. She is hit from all sides as she fights a foe without any moral compass L. A. Barron is determined to have it all from Liam’s will probate and royalties from his songs, to deals made under the table; he vengefully plans to destroy our fierce lady lawyer and her firm in the process. Nothing is beneath Barron, not even murder. Come along for an “edge of your seat ” story of murder and greed in this tale of good versus evil. My suspense mystery book reviews follow.
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:
Manning Wolfe crafted a novel I could not put down. Grabbing me from the first paragraph, I raced forward to the action-packed finale. Her characters are fully developed and believable. The antagonist, L. A. Barron, is a vastly unlikable man who allows greed and selfishness to take over his life at an early age. Merit and her team are moral, upstanding, and ethical to a fault. They must face the question of how far are they willing to go to counter this evil; an evil determined to destroy everything they have built.
Adding in bits of humor and a variety of personalities gives this tale a realistic feel. The reader sees the human side of lawyers rather than the “greedy, dishonest lawyer” facade often believed by the public; you will find a legal team you would love to have as friends. By the time I closed my E-reader, I felt I intimately knew each member of the team.
The plotting of this tale is skillful, intriguing, and kept me on the edge of my seat. When I thought L. A. Barron could not fall any further into insane evil, he would find another avenue to torment and harass our heroine. Using the dark web to infiltrate Merit’s life is extremely scary and mind-boggling. It is frightening how damaging and believable “fake news” becomes once released on the web. Wolfe’s story should teach all of us a lesson in discernment; take nothing on the internet or in print at face value.
MY OPINION:
I found this an intriguing, suspenseful, and action-packed tale with well-developed characters. Along with a well-developed storyline and plotting which is excellent. I like novels which keep me on the edge of my seat gasping and guessing what is coming next; this novel fits the bill to a T. Music Notes is a perfect weekend read; I enjoyed my journey through the music industry, the dark web, and a law firm on the side of good.
MUSIC NOTES RECOMMENDATION: STARS 4
I would not hesitate to buy this novel for myself or a friend.
ALSO PLEASE NOTE
Additionally, I received a copy from the Bookreviews4you and the author. I chose to review the novel with honest book reviews voluntarily. Lastly, reviews of any novel are dependent on the author’s opinion. Consequently, all book reviews online and on my blog, are my opinions.
Another great story by Manning Wolfe, I loved it.
I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. That said, I really enjoyed this legal thriller, which which is my favorite genre, and as a former music journalist the storyline appealed to me also. This is a classic tale of murder, mayhem, misogyny, and money brought into the modern world of cyberterror and social media then sprinkled with a little southwestern charm (sorry, got a little carried away with the alliteration).
Set primarily in Austin, TX, you know who the bad guys are from the get go. The story of leading lady lawyer Merit Bridges and her merry band sucks you in immediately as Merit’s business, career, and life go down the tubes as she begins working on a seemingly-simple probate case.
I couldn’t put it down as I tried to figure out how the heckfire she was going to get it all unjiggered, and if in fact she ever would! I really fell in love with these characters of Manning Wolfe’s, as well as her writing style. I’m now going to go back and read ‘Dollar Signs’ as I wait to see what the gang’s up to next.
I always heard that being int he music business was cut throat, but my word! This story shows the reader what lengths some people will go to get what they think belongs to them, legally and money wise. It is an exceptional story that will have you cheering for Merit Bridges and hoping she makes it out alive! I voluntarily reviewed this book because I loved Dollar Signs so much! The review is my own opinion.