Title: Cross Examination: A Jamie Carson Legal Thriller
Author: James E. Carroll
Publisher: Archway Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-6657-7631-8
Pages: 270
Genre: Fiction / Crime Drama
Reviewer: Jason Lulos
Hollywood Book Reviews
Cross Examination is a brilliantly written and captivating legal thriller. It has the reader’s sense of a cozy murder mystery but its realism augments tension throughout the novel, making it a book you do not want to put down.
Jamie Carson is a highly successful lawyer for Ely, Snow, & Carson out of New Tisbury, Connecticut. Jamie is a scholar’s lawyer, and his competitive nature implores him to win every case. But he also has a strong ethical core that informs his work. When he is assigned to the case of Herbie Jones, a stockbroker in illegal possession of a firearm, it seems like a simple enough project. But when the ballistics report comes back, it shows that the gun had been used in the murder of a young woman. Herbie swears he’s innocent. As the story unfolds, it becomes increasingly evident this murder was perpetrated to silence that young woman with Herbie being framed for it. Jamie Carson and his team follow the trail from murdered woman to the boyfriend who works at a biotech company in England. And said company is connected to an American investment group specializing in selling investments that come with big tax breaks for the rich and elite. Big players are involved. Jamie and his partner, Stephanie Marx, go to great lengths to put everything together. They hire specialists to testify, interview connected parties, and even make a trip to England to investigate a mysterious man on the Isle of Wight. Jamie’s connections include Sydney Collins, the local courtroom deputy clerk. Their budding romance is a side story and the author balances this nicely as the criminal trial dominates the narrative.
Jamie and Stephanie must unravel this complicated plot to get to the truth and, ideally for Herbie, exonerate their client. It is a complex plot, but author James E. Carroll is a great storyteller. His writing is illustrative, giving the reader the sense they are watching Jamie Carson put together the pieces of this case like a jigsaw puzzle.
Cross Examination certainly has the feel of a John Grisham novel. It is an engrossing novel with vividly drawn characters. The author also shows a nice descriptive hand, rendering each courtroom scene in illuminative detail. He provides informative legal anecdotes that never seem out of place; always adding to the reader’s understanding of the legal process. This novel has a complex plot but it’s easy to read – it’s easy to read because it’s a great story. Fans of legal thrillers and detective novels will love this one. But it will appeal to all readers interested in an enthralling, well written story.
This story is a riveting legal thriller filled with danger, deception, and relentless pursuit of the truth. Cross Examination is the second book in a series. If this piques your interest, be sure to check out the first book in the series: Reasonably Foreseeable.