Book Review: From the Shadows (Neil White) @neilwhite1965 @BonnierZaffre

From the Shadows, by Neil White, is the first novel in a new series that follows defense attorney Dan Grant and his investigator/will they or won’t they love interest Jayne Brett.   Part crime thriller and courtroom drama, White weaves a seriously addicting and dynamic plot with stellar characters.

When Dan and Jayne inherit a case defending a man accused of murdering a 24-year-old school teacher weeks before trial, everyone around them expects them to ride the case to an obvious guilty verdict. However, Dan is not that type of lawyer.   Going back to the evidence and re-interviewing the witnesses, Dan and Jayne find themselves following a path that becomes dangerous.

I really liked the original perspective of this one; it sort of reminded me a little bit of the television show Suits; smart dialogue, sassy characters, and intense plot lines. I loved the variation away from the typical police procedural and the fact that we were able to see an inside look into how an attorney prepares for trial. White, when he isn’t writing books, is a prosecutor and this very obviously shows throughout his narrative. Everything feels so realistic.

Overall, I feel like this was a brilliant start to a new series and will anxiously be awaiting the next novel. 4/5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a digital copy of this book; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

Book Review: Two Nights (Kathy Reichs) @SimonSchusterCA

Being a crime fiction fan, it is not easy to peruse any sort of crime shelf without seeing a book by Kathy Reichs.   When I read the synopsis for Reichs’ newest standalone thriller, Two Nights, I knew that I would have to give this one a read. As soon as I started reading Two Nights, it became very clear why all of her books do well. Reichs can weave a serious story!

Two Nights opens with the introduction of Sunday Night. Sunday is a woman with a tumultuous past, a grudge on her shoulder and some serious killer instinct. After leaving the police force after some misconduct, she is drawn back to the scene privately after a wealthy woman approaches her to look into the disappearance of her teenaged granddaughter. As Sunnie begins her investigation, she comes into more danger than she ever believed and not only fights to save the missing girl but also her own life as well.