Dallas attorney Stan Turner hates criminal law but has a propensity for attracting murder cases anyway. So, it’s no big surprise when a simple attorney-ad-litem appointment in family court evolves into a complex murder defense.Melody Monroe, a delightful teenager with ambitions to be a gymnast, loses her parents in a tragic auto accident. She is devastated and falls into a deep depression. … depression. Without any relatives to take her in, she ends up with Child Protective Services. Due to what CPS considers to be her bad attitude, they have difficulty placing her with a permanent foster family until Frank and Marjorie Monroe come along. They are a middle-aged couple who want a child but don’t want the hassle of raising one who is very young, so Melody is a perfect fit.
Unfortunately, Melody soon finds out Frank is an alcoholic and often beats Marjorie up. And, it also becomes apparent that her new parents each have their own agendas, so she often finds herself caught in the middle of their bickering. Frank, too, has an un-fatherly interest in Melody which is rather unsettling.
Before long, Melody learns that Frank and his sister Natalie are beneficiaries of the Monroe Trust which owns a ranch worth millions of dollars. The two hate each other, and as the date draws near for the final release of the trust restriction on selling the ranch, Frank is found dead behind the wheel of his Ford Ranger. When Melody is charged with his murder she begs Stan to defend her.
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Looking for a terrific legal thriller? This is one you should read! Although 12th in a series, this one reads easily as a stand alone.
Attorney Stan Turner isn’t a criminal lawyer, but it seems these kinds of cases follow him around. When asked by a colleague to step in and represent a teenager while her adopted parents’ divorce is being settled, he has no idea just how complicated this case is going to be… when first, her father is a murder covering a suicide, and then her aunt, killed in almost the same way as her father. And then there’s all that money …..
Turner is a great character. He’s personable, he’s smart, and he’s willing to go the limit in representing his clients. He’s a family man, with a wife and 4 young children. it’s always a balance of time .. and with a murder trial, very little time is spent at home.
The characters are finely drawn and very credible. It’s certainly easy to see that author is an attorney with a lot of years of experience. The author takes the reader step by step from the start of an investigation to the choosing of jurors to the actual trial by two sides who each believe they are right. Surprises and twists and turns …. keeps the reader riveted to the pages.
Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of this legal thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Deadly Blood by William Manchee
This one starts with Stan and yes he’s found himself wrapped up in another murder trial. He’s not a trial laywer but he is not bad because he has a lot of others to help him.
He gathers clues and brings the case to trial and some things don’t go according to plan nor the outcome.
State has a hard time convincing the jury that Melody the young high school student murdered her father. Back history is given about her and the adoption.
Love how the details are collected and descriptions of events-they are very precise so you can follow along.
Just when you think it’s all over with as the jury has a verdict, it’s not the end of the book by a long shot.
Another murder involving a lot of people from the first trial is uncovered and we start in all over again.
Some of the evidence collected leads to more information than the jurors have and you wonder at what point it will be a mistrial.
Love how it ends and can see a lot of turmoil brewing for the next book… love reading these books, although very lengthy there are details you have to hear about to make the case. Take my time because I do not want the book to end.
Can’t wait for the next one. What I also like is that there are not a ton of characters-small handful that we know about already from previous books in the series and new ones for the current trial.
No gory or graphic parts to make me put the book down never to finish it.
Received a review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.