Seeking a high profile case to jet fuel her career and striving to strike a blow for justice, attorney Laura Tobias sets out to clear a man she believes was wrongfully imprisoned for murder ten years before. The young lawyer, a rising star with the Council Against Wrongful Convictions, is the last hope for inmate Eddie Nash, serving life without parole at the infamous Attica Correctional Facility … Facility in upstate New York. Attica, one of the last of the classic “Big Houses,” is still haunted by the 1971 inmate revolt and police siege that left dozens of prisoners and hostages dead. Appealing the cast in federal court and unraveling the facts, Laura uncovers evidence that Eddie was framed by the police for the murder — the brutal hanging of a troubled young woman in the remote upstate town of Eden. Realizing that the real ‘Hangman of Eden’ may still be at large, Laura also finds herself being stalked. Are the police out to stop her from exposing their frame up? Is the real killer seeking to keep her from re-opening the investigation? Teaming up with noted innocence investigator Charles Steel, she gets a lead on evidence that could clear her client and point to the real killer. With a new trial moving forward, Laura must find the truth, and prevail in court, without becoming the next victim.
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(Audiobook version)
Edward Thomas Nash has been a resident at Attica Correctional Facility for ten years and seven months for the brutal murder of a young stripper. Supposedly, he didn’t approve of the employment choice of his former childhood friend and alleged lover and was heard threatening her hours before her body was found hanging over an embankment. Nash didn’t have an alibi and his DNA was found at the scene… on the victim.
Guilty as charged. Goodbye, Mr. Nash, end of story. The end, right?
Not even close.
On the surface, Innocence on Trial plays as a legal battle to free an innocent man from prison. But is he innocent?
Is Attorney Laura Tobias really a pure of heart do-good litigator out to correct a miscarriage of justice or does she have a more self-serving agenda?
An imperfect legal system imprisons innocent people all too often, but was there more at the heart of the Nash case than the status quo rush to justice and racial inequity?
And if Eddie Nash didn’t kill Erin Lambert, who did? Who is the Hangman of Eden?
The author has done a great job of constructing a maze of shady characters, inept attorneys, and dirty cops that allow for anyone to have been Erin’s killer, including Eddie Nash. But the suspense is turned up to high after Laura is stalked and assaulted and an attempt is made on Eddie’s life in his prison cell.
Standouts for me were Charles Steele, the African-American investigator for the Council Against Wrongful Convictions. Steele and his undercover team can go where most people cannot to find the truth. Loved Lou “no last name.” Judge Peter Striker, who presides over the second trial. He’s seen it all, done it all, and is not putting up with anyone’s nonsense. We could use more judges like him IRL. John Tobias, Laura’s father. A retired New York prosecutor, John isn’t a fan of the old boys’ network and still has a hand in fixing the system. However, his daughter is always his first concern.
I liked Laura and Eddie. I saw many sides of their personalities, flaws, and all, and they are not cardboard cutout characters. Laura is sharp and knows she’s underestimated by her colleagues. She’s driven and aggressive but takes the time to consider her every word and action. Laura is out to prove herself, but she also wants to be on the right side of the truth. Eddie doesn’t lie to himself about who or what he is, and he’s haunted by the words of benevolent prison guard, Fridge, that “every con ever to enter this prison is guilty of something.”
The finishing touch to this legal thriller is the great narration by Eleanor Caudill. Voicing well over a dozen characters, Caudill masters gender, ethnicity, social status, and vernacular with tone and inflection and kept me riveted in the story right up to the ending I was not ready for!
This gritty, well-written legal thriller will appeal to anyone to enjoys a good story, especially lovers of suspense. Kudos to the author… and I wouldn’t be upset should Charles Steele or Peter Striker appear in other stories. Or the same story! Just saying.
Enjoy!
Very easy to get lost in this story.
A young lawyer who specializes in helping those who have been wrongly convicted is trying to make a name for herself by working with a man who has been charged for the murder of his friend. Laura set off on a journey to find the truth of who really killed him, finding herself in the middle of not only police corruption but of other dangers as well.
This book seems pretty straightforward until you get to the ending and it smacks you in the face. This is one of those books that keeps you on your toes with brilliant prose and interesting characters. I was able to finish it in one sitting.
Narration fit the story.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
Not much there. Kept waiting for it to pick up the pace and get better.