Book Review: Contempt by Michael Cordell
Contempt
Author: Michael Cordell
Published: July 27, 2020
202 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: November 28- December 8, 2020
Jessica’s Rating: 4.5 stars
Book Description:
Lawyer Thane Banning has just been released from prison after serving five years for a murder he didn’t commit.
A free man due only to a legal technicality, Thane must clear his name, repair his fragile marriage, and rebuild the life he once cherished. But his efforts are complicated by death threats from the father of his alleged victim and the tidal wave of public outrage at his release.
As Thane begins to find footing in the free world, a former fellow inmate is accused of murder by the same DA who put Thane behind bars. The inmate reaches out to Thane, who is unable to resist the desperate plea for help. He takes the case, thereby pitting himself against the ruthless adversary who stole five years of his life. And this adversary has a grudge to settle.
But prison has taught Thane a thing or two about survival, and the last time he played by the rules, he landed on death row. This time he’s staking it all – his marriage, his reputation, and even his life – on the outcome of the impending case. Thane is determined to do whatever it takes to uncover the truth, especially when startling links to his own conviction rise to the surface. But will he uncover the truth in time?
Jessica’s Review:
This is my first novel by Cordell and I really enjoyed it! Thane Banning is a real estate lawyer who served five years on death row for a murder he did not commit, and he gets released on a technicality. Once he is out he is dealing with many things: People believing he got away with murder, his marriage and rebuilding his life, and the father of his supposed victim seeking retribution. While reading the novel, it really felt like things a person would be living with in this type of situation. I did want to see more of Thane and his wife dealing with their marriage.
Then Thane has an inmate contact him who he was in prison with. This inmate is also facing murder charges from the same DA who put Thane on death row. Remember, Thane is a real estate lawyer, not a criminal defense lawyer, but he takes the case. Because of this you have to suspend your believability and go along for the ride.
I really enjoyed this novel, a lot of it was that Thane was likeable. I also wanted to see what was going to happen in this case, and it ends up going in directions I never expected. I hope that Cordell writes future novels with Thane starring. This is a shorter novel at just over 200 pages and it is very fast-paced. You can tell that Cordell is a screenwriter, this novel would make a very good movie or limited series. If it stayed close to the novel, I would definitely be watching it.
Many thanks to the publisher TCK Publishing for sending me a copy to read and review.
TCK Publishing Website
Michael Cordell Website
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Spotlight: Justice Gone by N. Lombardi Jr
Today I am bringing you a book spotlight for the novel Justice Gone by N. Lombardi Jr. Justice Gone has recently won it’s fifth award: The Independent Press Award. Well Done!!!
Book Description:
An act of police brutality hurls a small town into a turmoil of rage and fear, igniting a relentless witch hunt and ending in the trial of the decade.
When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down.
A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran’s counselor, is caught up in the chase.
Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa’s patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers gets there first, leading to Darfield’s dramatic capture.
Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge?”
WINNER OF FIVE AWARDS:
2020 INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD
NEW YORK CITY BIG BOOK AWARD 2019
2019 AMERICAN FICTION AWARD
NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCY AWARD – Best Legal Thriller of 2019
SILVER MEDAL WINNER 2019 READERS’ FAVORITES AWARDS
Chosen by Wiki.ezvid.com among their list of 10 Gripping and Intelligent Legal Thrillers
What Others are Saying about Justice Gone:
The courtroom scenes are wonderfully written…the characters are well described and the author paints a picture of each in the mind of the reader…Strong plot, strong characters and a strong writing style that I really enjoyed. This one is a definite “thumbs-up.” Strongly recommend! I look forward to reading additional works by N. Lombardi, Jr.
-Kim M Aalaie, Author’s Den
One of my favorite suspense novels of the year. It will make you question the legal system.
-The Eclectic Review
The courtroom action is excellent, trimmed to the most gripping parts of the trial, with plenty of emotional impact…a fairly realistic portrayal of the way small-town US society works…a fast-moving story with plenty of dramatic moments, and a big twist in the final pages
-Crime Review
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon India
Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
Waterstones
Kobo
About the Author:
N. Lombardi Jr, the N for Nicholas, has spent over half his life in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, working as a groundwater geologist. Nick can speak five languages: Swahili, Thai, Lao, Chinese, and Khmer (Cambodian).
In 1997, while visiting Lao People’s Democratic Republic, he witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years, among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years.
Nick maintains a website with content that spans most aspects of the novel: The Secret War, Laotian culture, Buddhism etc. http://plainofjars.net
His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya.
His latest novel, Justice Gone was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police.
Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Contact Nick:
Goodreads
Facebook
Goodreads
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Blog Tour: Unborn by Rachel McLean
Today I am sharing my review as a part of the blog tour for Unborn by Rachel McLean. This is a dystopian novel with a bit of a legal thriller that shows one direction that our society could be heading.
Book Description:
She killed her unborn child. The punishment will fit the crime.
America, 2026.
Feminism has been defeated.
Equality is a memory.
And abortion has been criminalized.
Three women find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Kate, carrying the child of a sexual predator.
Grace, whose baby will be born with a fatal deformity.
And Cindee: abused, abandoned and pregnant.
Can these three very different women come together to fight an oppressive system and win their freedom?
Find out by reading Unborn, a chilling dystopia combined with a gripping legal thriller.
Unborn
Author: Rachel McLean
Published: Today, February 21, 2020
271 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Dates Read: February 2-11, 2020
Jessica’s Review:
Set in the not too distant future, women have lost their rights and all abortion is considered murder. If a woman suffers a miscarriage then she may possibly be charged with manslaughter if it is deemed as an abortion. And let’s not talk about what women are forced to do as a part of their sentencing for the ‘benefit’ of others…
In this chilling future in the United States, we find ourselves involved in the lives of three women whose differing circumstances eventually come together. You can’t help but like and also feel for all three women and the situations they are in: Kate, Grace, and Cindee.
Unborn is a thriller that also has a court element which was just as intriguing as the rest of the novel. It is a quick read that leaves you thinking about morality and legalities of this time. Unborn also helps you to be fearful that this could be the direction we may be heading in one day, but hopefully not as quickly as the time that this novel is set in.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
About the Author:
My name’s Rachel McLean and I write thrillers that make you think.
What does that mean?
In short, I want my stories to make your pulse race and your brain tick.
Do you often get through a thriller at breakneck pace but are left with little sense of what the book was really about? Do you sometimes read literary fiction but just wish something would damn well happen?
My books aim to fill that gap.
If you’d like to know more about my books and receive extra bonus content, please join my book club at rachelmclean.com/bookclub. I’ll send you a weekly email with news about my writing research and progress, stories and bonus content for each book. And I’ll let you know when my books are on offer.
Contact Rachel:
Twitter @rachelmcwrites
Instagram: @rachelmcwrites