Over the past 10 years I have read in excess of 1100 books and have been compiling my top ten books since 2015.
Here’s a selection of the books that made me… WANT TO BE A LAWYER (Best Legal/Courtroom Dramas) … I absolutely LOVED them and gave them all 5 stars.
Dissection of a Murder – Jo Murray
A dead judge. A silent defendant. And a courtroom full of liars.
When Leila Reynolds is handed her first murder case, she’s shocked at how high-profile it is: the murder of a well-respected, well-known judge. This shouldn’t be the kind of case she’s leading; it’s way beyond her expertise. But the defendant, Jack Millman, is clear. He wants her, and only her.
To make things worse, he’s refusing to talk. How is she supposed to prove herself on what appears to be an unwinnable case?
Losing is not an option. She must find the most persuasive argument. Trials aren’t won by convincing judges or fellow barristers – they’re all about convincing a jury.
Suddenly, Leila finds herself fighting not only to keep Jack out of prison, but also to keep her own secrets buried.
It’s true what they say – there are two sides to every story.
Guilty or not guilty?
You decide . . .
Blood Orange – Harriet Tyce
Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise – she’s just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems…
Just one more night. Then I’ll end it.
Alison drinks too much. She’s neglecting her family. And she’s having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle.
I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.
Alison’s client doesn’t deny that she stabbed her husband – she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself.
I’m watching you. I know what you’re doing.
But someone knows Alison’s secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she’s done, and who won’t stop until she’s lost everything….
Degrees of Guilt – HS Chandler
When you read this book, you will think you know every twist in the tale.
Maria is on trial for attempted murder.
She has confessed to the crime and wanted her husband dead.
Lottie is on the jury, trying to decide her fate.
She embarks on an illicit affair with a stranger, and her husband can never find out.
You will think you know who is guilty and who is innocent.
Thirteen – Steve Cavanagh
‘To your knowledge, is there anything that would preclude you from serving on this jury?’
Murder wasn’t the hard part. It was just the start of the game.
Joshua Kane has been preparing for this moment his whole life. He’s done it before. But this is the big one.
This is the murder trial of the century. And Kane has killed to get the best seat in the house.
But there’s someone on his tail. Someone who suspects that the killer isn’t the man on trial.
Kane knows time is running out – he just needs to get to the conviction without being discovered.
You Don’t Know Me – Imran Mahmood
A young man stands accused of murder. The evidence is overwhelming.
But at his trial, this man tells an extraordinary story.
It is about the woman he loves, who got into trouble. It’s about how he risked everything to save her.
He swears he’s innocent. But in the end, all that matters is this:
Do you believe him?
Take it Back – Kia Abdullah
IT’S TIME TO TAKE YOUR PLACE ON THE JURY.
The victim: A sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, neglected by an alcoholic mother. Who accuses the boys of something unthinkable.
The defendants: Four handsome teenage boys from hardworking immigrant families. All with corroborating stories.
WHOSE SIDE WOULD YOU TAKE?
Defending Jacob – William Landay
If your son was on trial for murder, what would you do?
Andy Barber’s job is to put killers behind bars. And when a boy from his son Jacob’s school is found stabbed to death, Andy is doubly determined to find and prosecute the perpetrator.
Until a crucial piece of evidence turns up linking Jacob to the murder. And suddenly Andy and his wife find their son accused of being a cold-blooded killer.
In the face of every parent’s worst nightmare, they will do anything to defend their child. Because, deep down, they know him better than anyone.
Don’t they?
Her Many Faces – Nicci Cloke
ONE TRIAL. FIVE TRUTHS. BUT ARE THEY READY FOR HERS?
When Katie is charged with murdering four men at the exclusive private club where she’s a waitress, her personal life and upbringing are thrust into the spotlight.
During the trial, the people closest to Katie start to question how well they really know her.
Her father remembers the sweet schoolgirl.
Her childhood friend misses her kindness and protection.
Her lover regrets ever falling for her.
Her lawyer believes she is hiding something.
A journalist is convinced she is a cold-blooded killer.
To each of them she’s someone different. But is she guilty?
Anatomy of a Scandal – Sarah Vaughan
A high-profile marriage thrust into the spotlight.
A prosecutor who believes justice has been a long time coming.
A scandal that will rock Westminster.
And the women caught at the heart of it.
Miracle Creek – Angie Kim
In rural Virginia, Young and Pak Yoo run an experimental medical treatment device known as the Miracle Submarine: a pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for “dives”, used as an alternative therapy for conditions including autism or infertility. But when the Miracle Submarine mysteriously explodes, killing two people, a dramatic murder trial upends the Yoos’ small community.
Who or what caused the explosion? Was it the mother of one of the patients, who claimed to be sick that day but was smoking down by the creek? Or was it Young and Pak themselves, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? The ensuing trial uncovers unimaginable secrets from that night – trysts in the woods, mysterious notes, child-abuse charges – as well as tense rivalries and alliances among a group of people driven to extraordinary degrees of desperation and sacrifice.
