Eight stars
First and foremost, a large thank you to BookSirens and Manning Wolfe for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Having recently discovered the work of Manning Wolfe, I gladly accepted this ARC, the second novel in her Proxy Lawyer series. Wolfe develops yet another great story in this legal thriller, with strong courtroom elements to keep the reader front and centre throughout the action. Quinton Bell has been laying low, but trying to create a strong new practice in the Houston legal community. He is asked to serve as the guardian and represent a young girl whose mother died in a horrible car wreck, while also juggling the case of a star athlete who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Trying to work through both cases, Quinton is too busy in court to realise that those he fled in New York may have a means of finding him and are ready to leave him for dead to settle a debt. Wolfe delves deeply and pulls the reader in to the middle of this great legal thriller that has me begging for more.
Quinton Bell has enjoyed setting up shop in Houston and leaving his former life—as Byron Douglas— behind him. He’s working on building his clientele and making a decent name for himself, while always trying to stay one step ahead of those who could reveal his truth. When he is called in to serve as guardian and represent young Lily Collins, whose mother was killed in an eighteen wheeler massive casualty accident, Bell is nervous. He is not familiar with tort law, but the local judge is asking as a favour and knows that this will not fall into the quagmire of many other class-action lawsuits.
Soon, the trucking company feels the heat and presents a case that Lily’s mother was at least partially to blame, which could nullify the settlement and lead to a handful of headaches. As Quinton tries to put and end to the madness, someone has been trying to shake him. Lurking in the shadows, Quinton is in their sights and is reporting to a higher-up. Could the Irish Mafia have found him?
While working hard to help Lily, Quinton is asked a second favour, to help a collage athlete who has found himself in some hot water. The case will take up valuable time and leave Quinton vulnerable when he should be focusing on his guardian work. The courtroom is where Quinton Bell does his magic, but someone might make their strike to neutralise him before he can find victory. Manning Wolfe dazzles once more in this series.
I always enjoy a good piece of thriller writing and find that Manning Wolfe knows how to create a great story. Her narrative flows with ease both in the courtroom and while defending this clients elsewhere. The story gains momentum as the courtroom battle heats up, culminating in the truth and a few white lies making things even more interesting. With great characters and a solid foundation, this has become a great series. With short chapters that push things along and a cliffhanger at the end, the reader will be rushing to find out what’s next for Quinton Bell!
Plot lines in the book provide a great direction for the narrative and flavour things effectively for the journey throughout this book. Using great twists and surprises along the way, Wolfe keeps the courtroom action front and centre, where nothing is entirely predictable. Strong storytelling and some cliffhanger moments leave the reader wondering, just what Manning Wolfe wants as they hunger for another book!
Kudos, Madam Wolfe, for a great addition to this series.
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