Publisher's Weekly Review
Edgar-finalist Brandon's lame sequel to 2018's Against the Law, which introduced Houston attorney Edward Hall, who lost his law license and did time after burglarizing a judge's chamber to steal cocaine, offers more improbabilities. Donald Willis, who recently finished a prison sentence for kidnapping a football star's child, stands accused of abducting socialite Diana Greene, who told the SWAT team that rescued her that Willis had forced her to come with him to an abandoned shack. Since Greene's sister, Julia Lipscomb, is the district attorney for Houston, Lipscomb recuses herself, but only after arranging for Hall to represent Willis. Despite being disbarred, Hall is allowed by the State Bar to act as defense counsel. Hall finds his client's story--that Greene's husband hired him as a bodyguard for her--unconvincing, but pursues a vigorous defense nonetheless. Unmemorable prose and characters only reinforce the unreality. Nothing in the courtroom scenes will make the reader forget Scott Turow. (Jan.)
Kirkus Review
A disbarred Houston attorney is offered one more chance at the gold ring if only he can manage to lose the case that's his ticket back.And it looks like an easy case to lose. Donald Willis, whom the police caught inside a house in which socialite Diana Greene says she was held against her will, has already served eight years for kidnapping a football player's son. He's eager to have Edward Hall, whose performance in that earlier case he believes won him a light sentence, represent him again. Even though Edward has since lost his license over his defense of his sister on a murder charge (Against the Law, 2018), Harris County D.A. Julia Lipscomb makes him an offer he can't refuseto reinstate his credentials for this one trial, with a more definitive return contingent on his performance. And Edward knows exactly what kind of performance the district attorney, who just happens to be Diana's sister, would like him to give: One that ends in resounding failure. The case seems so hopeless that losing it should be a cinch. Donald's story that Diana's husband, wealthy River Oaks developer Sterling Greene, had hired him to serve as a bodyguard for his wife's trip to a dubious neighborhood to pick up some equally questionable jewels sounds weak from top to bottom, and the evidence against Donald can be measured in tons. Edward's only hope seems to be to tie the alleged abduction to another possible crime that very day: the fatal shooting of Antonio Alberico, the painter who'd recently completed a portrait of Diana Greene. Putting together the pieces, a task so difficult for Edward, should require considerably less effort from most readers, who are well advised to stay the course anyway for a satisfying double twist at the very end.Highly accomplished midgrade work from a pro. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Donald Willis, ""the most hated man in Houston,"" is presumed guilty. Out of prison after being convicted of kidnapping, he looks the perfect fit for attempting? another kidnapping. This time the victim is Houston society belle Diana Greene, who tells quite a story. Donald grabbed her outside a drug store, she says, put a bag over her head, drove her to a deserted house, and held her for ransom. She escaped. Donald's luck bottoms: Diana is the sister of the Houston district attorney. All this is the starter motor for disbarred lawyer Edward Hall's attempt to get back in the game. It can happen, the DA says, if Hall agrees to defend Donald, implying that he'd be smart to lose. Instead, Hall puts up a ferocious fight and uncovers a possibly murderous scheme. The pace is brisk and the writing elegant: a cop is a short man ""who made up for that by living at the gym."" Fans of legal thrillers should give this priority.--Don Crinklaw Copyright 2020 Booklist
