Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: January 23, 2018

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Genre: Legal Thriller

Blurb:

What if the deadliest train wreck in the nation’s history was no accident?

When a passenger train derails in North Philadelphia with fatal results, idealistic criminal defense attorney Vaughn Coburn takes on the most personal case of his young career. The surviving engineer is his cousin Eddy, and when Eddy asks Vaughn to defend him, he can’t help but accept. Vaughn has a debt to repay, for he and his cousin share an old secret—one that changed both their lives forever.

As blame for the wreck zeros in on Eddy, Vaughn realizes there’s more to this case than meets the eye. Seeking the truth behind the crash, he finds himself the target of malicious attorneys, corrupt railroad men, and a mob boss whose son perished in the accident and wants nothing less than cold-blooded revenge. With the help of his ex-con private investigator and an old flame who works for the competition, Vaughn struggles to defeat powerful forces—and to escape his own past built on secrets and lies.

Review:

Last summer I read (and loved) Myers debut, A Criminal Defense and realized how much I’ve missed reading a good legal thriller. When the author contacted me about reviewing this one it was a no brainer, I loved that while the law most definitely plays a huge role in his writing it’s not over complicated and confusing. Things are told in a fast paced manner with legal terminology laid out in simple terms while the plot itself is complicated with many puzzle pieces and various angles making it impossible to work out on your own. I’m thrilled that this book was executed in the same impeccable manner and I now I have a go to author to satisfy my legal thriller craving.

I actually didn’t realize this was going to be a follow up to ACD but as soon as I started I recognized the characters. While it’s not necessary to read both, this works fine on it’s own, I highly recommend both of them and with reoccurring characters it’s always best to have as much background as possible. The idea behind this both terrifies me and intrigues me, the notion that someone could engineer a horrific train crash for their own gain is just about as awful as it gets. It’s pretty clear from the blurb alone that this isn’t what it seems but the path to the truth was riveting and shocking.

I fear saying much more regarding the plot because it’s so strong that it’s best uncovered on your own and I would hate to ruin even a small part of that brand of enjoyment. Besides a clever plot the writing style is sharp and the last part of the story that is actually in the courtroom is just amazing. The tension is palpable, I had no idea what would happen next and then the very ending was unexpected and so satisfying.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the author for my review copy.