Book Review: "The Silent Watcher" by Victor Methos

The Silent Watcher was a really good read and my first Victor Methos book. Part crime novel, part courtroom drama, and a well-written meditation on how help from others can make a difference in our lives, I couldn’t put this down.

A recent law school graduate, Piper decides to take a job as a guardian ad litem (GAL), to ensure the most vulnerable victims of crimes are represented in court. When she was a child, a GAL helped her, so she has always wanted to do the same for others.

She is brought in to work with Sophie, a teenage girl who survived a deadly attack which killed her mother and brother. Sophie is traumatized and although she caught glimpses of the killer, she has to work through her grief and shock first before the possibility she could help identify them.

Piper partners with Lazarus, a world-weary detective who is determined to catch the killer, and will leave no stone unturned. After some shrewd investigative work, Lazarus discovers there is much to fear about this murderer, and they will need to travel down some dark paths to find him.

When they find the predator, Piper needs to protect Sophie from being traumatized in court, and they all need to make sure the man never is free again. But Piper’s work with Lazarus and an enigmatic judge puts her in the crossfire. Can she protect herself and Sophie?

The story has some creepy possibilities, but they’re not fully realized, thankfully. I really liked the main characters and believe that there’s so much more depth to be covered, so I’m excited that there will be a second book in this series.

This book will publish 12/1.

Book Review: "The President's Lawyer" by Lawrence Robbins

Wow, this was so good! I don’t read a lot of legal thrillers because I feel that they are often too slow or too melodramatic. But this—amazingly, a debut novel—kept me hooked every step of the way.

There is tremendous shock when former president Jack Cutler is accused of murdering his mistress, Amanda, who had worked in his administration’s office of legal counsel. Jack reaches out to his childhood best friend Robbie, a successful lawyer, to defend him.

Initially, Robbie is reluctant to take the case. He knows that Jack has always been a philanderer. But the bigger issue is that Robbie also had an affair with Amanda, and he was in love with her, even after she ended their relationship to be with Jack.

There are lots of salacious details that come out before the trial, one being that Jack had a penchant for rough sex—even light bondage and restraint. Robbie maintains his friend’s innocence but wonders if there are secrets Jack is hiding that might provide motive rather than reasonable doubt.

Like with most thrillers and mysteries, I suspected nearly everyone who popped up in the book. There even were a few times when I offered not-so-silent pleas that certain characters weren’t the killer. (I get attached.)

What a read this was!! It definitely kept me guessing and rapidly turning the pages. This could be adapted into a television movie and be as riveting as the book itself. I hope Lawrence Robbins had another book in him!!

Book Review: "When We Were Bright and Beautiful" by Jillian Medoff

The newest book from Jillian Medoff is a gripping family/courtroom drama about a family caught in scandal.

Cassie tries to assert her independence from her wealthy family every now and again, but when she is summoned home to NYC because her brother Billy is in trouble, she shows up in the middle of the night. It turns out that Billy, the youngest child, a star athlete and an aspiring pediatrician, has been accused of raping his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Diana.

The family is shocked by this accusation. Billy and Diana have had a tumultuous relationship and their breakups have been difficult, but there’s no way that he could have raped her. But Billy is a privileged, handsome, white athlete—one who stutters when he gets nervous—so the family knows he may have a difficult time getting acquitted, especially in the current #MeToo environment.

While their parents fight over everything, from whether Billy should take a plea to whether he has the right attorney, family relationships start to splinter under the stress. But even as Cassie starts wondering about what really happened between Billy and Diana, she’s determined to prove her brother’s innocence—no matter what secrets have to be revealed.

This was my August BOTM pick, and it really surprised me just how much it hooked me. We’ve seen this storyline before, but in Jillian Medoff’s hands it’s immensely compelling and complex. As long as it doesn’t involve my family, I’m all in for good family drama!!