Flawed and Fascinating Figures in A Good Mother

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A Good Mother is an exciting legal thriller by a new-to-me author, Lara Bazelon. I checked to see if I had read anything by her before or if it was the second book in a series (as there is a lot of backstory that seems to suggest it is at least the second book in a series) but I see it is listed as “A Library Journal Best Debut Novel of Spring and Summer 2021,” so if the author has written about the characters previously, she has not published any of that previous work.

A Good Mother follows Abby Rosenburg, a lawyer who has used questionable means to get what she wants, and co-counsel Will Ellet, a naive and idealistic ex-JAG lawyer taking on his first criminal trial. Their client is nineteen-year-old Luz Rivera Hollis, on trial for the brutal murder of her husband.

The story is full of drama, as Abby and Will navigate the legal system while trying to uncover Luz’s version of what happened that night. Luz refuses to accept a plea deal that would separate her from her newborn daughter for ten years, so Abby and Will must find a way to prove her innocence in court. This promises an intense battle between experienced lawyers and the justice system.

The main characters are interesting; flawed and not very sympathetic. Abby has previously used questionable means to get the evidence or results that she wants, is an alcoholic, and can’t stand being home with her newborn instead of in a courtroom. She doesn’t blanch at blackmail, hit and run, or lying to the judge. Her co-counsel on the case, Will Ellet is naive and idealistic, with traditional values that put him at odds with both Abby and Luz.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this story unfolds and what legal strategies Bazelon has come up with in order to help Luz prove her innocence. If you’re a fan of legal thrillers, A Good Mother is definitely worth checking out!*

*I may DNR this one. Language and content have gotten worse since I drafted this blog.

“There’s so much blood”

Lara Bazelon, A Good Mother

Summary

When a soldier is found stabbed through the heart at a US Army base, there is no doubt that his wife, Luz, is to blame. But was it an act of self-defense? An attempt to save her infant daughter? Or the cold-blooded murder of an innocent man?

Ambitious public defender Abby is determined to win at all costs. As a new mother herself, she wants to keep Luz out of prison and with her daughter. But when the surprises stack up and shocking new evidence emerges, Abby realizes the task proves far more difficult than she suspected and will require a terrible sacrifice.

As the trial hurtles toward an outcome no one expects, Abby, Luz and a captivated jury are forced to answer the question that will decide everything—what does it mean to be a good mother?

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