Nothing is as it seems—and no one is telling the truth—in this page-turning thriller about a young lawyer forced to defend a man on trial for murder against the mentor who taught her everything: her husband.

When Leila Reynolds is handed her first murder case, she’s shocked by the victim: a well-known, well-respected judge, whose death sent shockwaves through the legal community. She’s also incredulous—she’s nowhere near experienced enough to handle such a high-profile assignment—but the defendant is insistent: he wants her, and only her, to represent him.

Except he’s refusing to talk. And if that wasn’t complicated enough, Leila soon learns her opponent is the most ruthless prosecutor she’s ever known: her husband.

It’s an impossible situation, yet Leila is determined to sway the jury to her side—until she’s blindsided once again by a shadowy figure from her past. Suddenly, Leila finds herself fighting not only for her client and marriage, but also to keep her own secrets buried. And if she has to rewrite the rules to win, so be it.

I received a free audiobook of this title courtesy of the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

This was a super fun and unexpectedly twisty legal thriller that I could not put down. I’ll admit, I’m not typically a fan of legal or procedural stuff. The court scenes, the depositions, the back and forth tend to make my eyes glaze over after about twenty minutes. So when I picked this one up, I was a little wary. I shouldn’t have been. This one had me locked in from the start.

Leila Reynolds is a young lawyer who suddenly gets handed her very first murder case. The victim is a well-respected judge, and his death has rattled the entire legal world. Leila knows there is absolutely no universe in which she is experienced enough to handle this case, but it doesn’t matter. The defendant has been clear. He wants Leila, only Leila, and won’t accept anyone else. So, she agrees, but then he won’t actually tell her anything. He refuses to talk about what happened and demands that he take the stand to defend himself. So now she’s defending a man in a high-profile murder trial with basically no information from the only person who knows what really happened. The real icing on the cake is the prosecutor on the other side is the most ruthless attorney she has ever faced. He also happens to be her husband. How fun is that?

Then a figure from Leila’s own past walks back into her life, and threatens to bring up some very damning information regarding her past. So now she’s dealing with that AND fighting for her client AND fighting for her marriage, all at the same time. She might need to bend the rules a bit to make things go in her favor. No matter the final cost.

The characters are rich and believable. Leila in particular is a fabulous main character. She’s smart, she’s in over her head, and she knows it, which makes the way she still manages to fight back extra respectable. Her husband is a real piece of work. Total ass. And watching them be married to each other while opposing each other in court was one of my favorite parts of the book. And then there’s Jack (the defendant) who is super complex and someone I wanted to root for.

Also, the twist landed for me. I won’t spoil any of it. I’ll just say I didn’t see it coming, and when it arrived, it felt like it actually belonged to the book because I wasn’t waiting for it. The book had been laying the groundwork the whole time, and I just hadn’t noticed.

I also want to talk about the ending. I know a lot of readers are unhappy with it, but I’m not in that camp. I really liked it. I love a good open ending when it fits the book and this one most definitely fits. This is a book about people who aren’t telling the truth and a case where the truth is slippery to begin with, so finishing on a note that leaves you holding a few questions feels right. A neat little bow would have undercut everything that came before it. I get why some people want closure. I just don’t think that’s this book needed it.

I did an immersive read with this one and the narration by Joanne Froggatt (of Downton Abbey fame) was spectacular. She handled all the characters so well that often times I forgot it was a single narrator. Kudos to her.

If you’re looking for a fast, twisty thriller with a sharp lead, secrets galore and a courtroom setup that doesn’t get bogged down in procedure, this one is worth your time. Tons of fun and tons of surprises!

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