“Emotionally resonant…Gigl is too astute and compassionate a writer to create cartoon villainy out of anti-trans attitudes…quietly groundbreaking.” —The New York Times Book ReviewIn a fresh and riveting thriller debut, Robyn Gigl introduces Erin McCabe, a New Jersey criminal defense attorney doing her best to live a quiet life in the wake of profound personal change—until a newsworthy case puts … change—until a newsworthy case puts both her career and safety in jeopardy . . .
Erin McCabe has been referred the biggest case of her career. Four months ago, William E. Townsend, Jr., son of a New Jersey State Senator, was found fatally stabbed in a rundown motel near Atlantic City. Sharise Barnes, a nineteen-year-old transgender prostitute, is in custody, and given the evidence against her, there seems little doubt of a guilty verdict.
Erin knows that defending Sharise will blow her own private life wide open, and doubtless deepen her estrangement from her family. Yet as a trans woman, she feels uniquely qualified to help Sharise, and duty-bound to protect her from the possibility of a death sentence.
Sharise claims she killed the senator’s son in self-defense. As Erin assembles the case with her partner, former FBI agent Duane Swisher, the circumstances hint at a more complex and chilling story with ties to other brutal murders. Senator Townsend is using the full force of his prestige and connections to publicly discredit everyone involved in defending Sharise. Behind the scenes, his tactics are even more dangerous. His son had secrets that could destroy the senator’s political aspirations—secrets worth killing for. And as leads begin mysteriously disappearing, it’s not just the life of Erin’s client at stake, but her own . . .
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A topical, fast-paced and expertly-written legal thriller–with a protagonist you’ll really care about. Very original and ground-breaking. I couldn’t put it down.
Wow! I thought I was just going to read another legal thriller. By Way of Sorrow IS a top notch legal thriller, but it is so much more! I hope that this book finds readers outside the LGBTQ community, because it deserves a very wide audience! For the record, I’m just a plain old hetero caucasian grandma, but I have always enjoyed books that are written from a different perspective than mine. I am eagerly anticipating the release of Survivor’s Guilt – the next Erin McCabe novel.
Most of the book focused on the transgender aspect of the attorney and the defendant rather than the story itself ….. which was pretty good.
If you read ones mystery this year it should be this book. It’s that good.
By Way of Sorrow by Robyn Gigl
An Erin McCabe Legal Thriller #1
Thought provoking legal thriller that had me contemplating what it would be like to live life as other than who I am. I have to say that I was compelled to google to learn more and grew a great deal while thoroughly enjoying this wonderful debut novel. It is not always an easy read but it is a brilliant one.
What I liked:
* Erin McCabe: intelligent, professional, good friend, true to self, loves her family, is good at what she does, learns more about herself and grows through this book.
* Sharise: transgender woman accused of murder and Erin’s client – really felt for her.
* Duane Swisher: Erin’s law partner and friend, ex-FBI, supportive, a good person.
* Erin’s mother: found her interesting, supportive, a good person, loving, and more.
* The writing, plot and story
* The way the case came together
* The intrigue, twists, and turns
* The glimpse into the transgender person and the issues they might face
* Learning and growing as I googled to find out more
* Being able to hate some of the characters for valid reasons
* Erin’s nephews: smarter and more loving than some of the adults they were related to
* Wondering if perhaps this was the beginning of a series and if so, what will happen next (just saw it IS gong to be a series)
What I didn’t like:
* Knowing that powerful people may act in the negative ways that were described in this story
* The evil people and the evil behavior they perpetrated
* That some people got away with things I wanted them to have to pay for – hope they pay in the NEXT book!
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would read more by this author? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4-5 Stars
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway from new author Robyn Gigl. I am so glad that I did because this book was very well written. It was a great legal thriller with a surprise ending. I thought the characters were well written and showed me what the transgender community deals with. Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. I will be looking to see when the author has another book available.