In the 11th installment of Cain’s John Abel legal thriller series, the titular lawyer returns to defend a woman accused of murder while someone unexpected seeks revenge.
Amanda Bowman is at the center of a series of violent events that make her look like a prime suspect for murder. As a child, Amanda was sexually abused by her father, and when her mother tried to protect her, the justice system abandoned Amanda to her father’s clutches. When Amanda is an adult, Detective Sergeant Frank McCoy and Captain Elizabeth Knight convince her to talk to her father while wearing a wire to get a confession, but in the end, he is killed in an act of what is determined to be self-defense on Amanda’s part. Now, Amanda is free from her father’s abuse, but her paternal grandmother Ellen Bowman is stalking and harassing her, convinced that her son was innocent. In her free time, Amanda visits courtrooms to watch and learn, hoping to one day become a jury consultant. However, this attracts the ire of Commissioner Carpenter, who, believing Amanda is trying to intimidate her and others in power, confronts Amanda about attending public trials and threatens her.Later, Carpenter is the victim of a hit-and-run auto collision; she barely sees the driver, but she looks similar to Amanda. As the mystery deepens, an innocent man will be murdered and Amanda will find herself back in the courtroom—this time, as the accused. Cain continues to weave superb mysteries; Amanda’s character is complex and dynamic, showing the resilience of someone accustomed to standing up against terrible opponents. She is intelligent and perceptive, skills she built over her years learning to survive: “Amanda’s years of abuse by her father and hiding the truth from herself and others had given her insight into what people were really thinking, no matter what they said.” The author is equally adept at showing how ineptitude and apathy within the justice system affect innocent people.
Another suspenseful and surprising legal thriller in a consistently entertaining series.
