Eight stars
First and foremost, a large thank you to Reedsy Discovery and Jodé Millman for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Having been handed this ARC by Jodé Millman, I dove into the series debut first, in hopes that they would complement one another well and keep me intrigued until the final page turn. Millman does well and keeps pace in this second novel, which does not leave the reader tired at any point throughout the intense thriller.
Jessie Martin is back as a great legal mind in upstate New York. The young lawyer has a lot to prove and is ready for most anything that comes her way. While driving home in a torrential storm, Jessie comes across a woman who is in dire need of assistance. Thinking that she can be a Good Samaritan, Jessie tries to help, only to find herself pulled into the middle of something far more dangerous.
When Detective Ebony Jones answers the call and attends the scene, Jessie is torn while also filled with emotions. Ebony was once Jessie’s close friend, but something’s happened, an event that is best left shelved until things quiet down. Ebony and her partner have actively been persuing a number of sex workers who have up and disappeared, their bodies assaulted by some unknown assailant. With a live victim, things could be different, but Ebony will have to act fast, putting her row with Jessie to the side.
Jessie is offered a great new position in a law firm, one that will help her as a single mother. However, this comes as a significant cost and impedes her from being able to work the case alongside Ebony. When her employer becomes the attorney for the woman who was attacked, Jessie must straddle two worlds and hope that she can work effectively without putting added strain on her disintegrating friendship.
While working through the case, Jessie must also deal with a personal life that is in a spiral. One man seeking to win her heart and another wanting her dead for past legal transgressions, Jessie Martin will have to face things head-on, in hopes of making a difference in the lives of many. This is one time in her life that Jessie wished things were simpler and without drama. Millman does it again with a great piece that stirs up emotion and suspense in the same breath.
Jadé Millman offers readers something stellar to contemplate as they read this piece, mixing drama and legal matters into a single story. There is a great deal going on herein, providing the reader a great deal of excitement in a series that is gaining momentum. I have high hopes for Millman and her exciting protagonist, who is growing on me bit by bit.
Millman uses a strong narrative throughout the piece to keep the reader in the middle of all the action. With a decent amount of character development and some plot twists, the reader is drawn into all the drama with each turn of the page. Serving as a legal thriller on the one hand and a crime story on the other, Millman mixes them well, developing a constant depth to her protagonist, Jessie Martin. I am eager to see what comes of this series and how Millman will continue developing things for her fans.
Kudos, Madam Millman, for another great piece. You are evolving as the series progresses and I hope things continue to advance accordingly.
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