Book Review: The Local by Joey Hartstone

 My Rating: 4.5⭐

(The Book: 4/5;The Audiobook: 5/5)

Patent lawyer, James Euchre, is retained to serve as local counsel, as part of the legal defense team of Amir Zawar, a Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur who was being sued for patent infringement in the Federal Court in Marshall, Texas. In a shocking turn of events Euchre, an intellectual property rights lawyer, ends up representing his client in the first criminal defense case when Zawar is accused of murdering a Federal Court judge. The murdered judge in question is Judge Gerald Gardner, a mentor and friend to Euchre, who had refused to dismiss Zawar's case in the preliminary hearing which led to a heated altercation. Despite Euchre’s lack of experience in criminal law, and against the advice of his Chicago-based lawyers, Zawar insists on Euchre representing him in the murder trial.

Who killed Judge Gardner and Why? All circumstantial evidence points to Zawar being guilty, often raising doubts in the minds of his own defense team. Working with Euchre are former AUSA Layla Stills from the Chicago-based law firm who had retained his services for Zawar and Lisa “the Leg” Morgan a resourceful private investigator. Local law enforcement shows no initiative in further investigation, confident of Zawar's guilt. It is up to Euchre and his team to find out the truth behind what happened on the night of Judge Gardner’s murder. In the course of their investigation, they come across several probable suspects who stood to gain from the Judge’s demise. In a small town where there are few secrets, Euchre ruffles more than a few feathers in his efforts, putting his reputation, goodwill and the future of his legal career at risk.

With its sharp and concise writing, minimal melodrama, and fast-paced and intriguing plot, Joey Hartstone’s The Local is a gripping legal thriller that kept me guessing till the very end! The characterizations were superbly done and the courtroom scenes were so well-written that I could practically visualize the scenes as they played out. An impressive debut, to say the least! I hope that this book is the first of a series. I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

I combined my reading with Robert Petkoff's fantastic audio narration which made for an amazing immersion reading experience!

Many thanks to my GR friend JanB who put this book on my radar!