Class Action: What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You

by Gail Ward Olmsted

R U in? Need $ now

Third year law student Lennon Gallagher’s life turns from complicated to overwhelming when she receives a message meant for someone else. The text offers an advance copy of a final exam—a guaranteed “A”—but accepting it will violate the honors code she refuses to break. When Lennon declines, the collaborators behind the cheating scheme demand her silence or they will ensure she takes the fall if necessary.

Fighting for her future while balancing an internship, exams, studying for the bar, a boyfriend who no longer seems to understand her, and a mother who needs help rebuilding her life after prison, Lennon tries to handle everything alone. But when she discovers the lead plaintiff in her firm’s class action lawsuit might be the father she’s never known, it’s the final straw. She needs help.

With the support of her friend and mentor, attorney Miranda Quinn, Lennon must navigate betrayal, legal intrigue, and personal discovery. As one relationship unravels, another blossoms in this gripping story of resilience, secrets, and second chances.

A captivating read full of unexpected twists and emotional depth.

Genres: Womens Fiction

234 pages, Paperback

Expected publication December 11, 2025

About the author

Gail Ward Olmsted was a marketing executive and a college professor before she began writing fiction on a fulltime basis. A trip to Sedona, AZ inspired her first novel Jeep Tour. Three more novels followed before she began Landscape of a Marriage, a biographical work of fiction featuring landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, a distant cousin of her husband’s, and his wife Mary.

Her latest is a pair of contemporary novels featuring a disgraced attorney seeking a career comeback: Miranda Writes (9/8/22) and Miranda Nights (7/6/23)

For more information, please visit her on Facebook and at gwolmstedauthor.carrd.co

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given the opportunity read and review this ARC by the author (publishing 12/11/25). I've read some of her other books but nothing in this series as yet until now.

Miranda (Randi) was there from the others in the series, and Kelly and Charlene were in the prologue (1999). Charlene and Kelly are sisters and Lennon is Charlene's daughter. Charlene is a former drug addict alcoholic and has been in and out of prison too. Lennon does so much for her but Charlene definitely doesn't appreciate her.

She relies on Randi (a lawyer) for good advice and her friendship too. Come to find out almost at the end of the book, that Randi was Charlene's friend also. She also helped Lennon also for a shoplifting charge when she was 16. I'm sure I'd get to know Randi more if I read the others in this series and also Charlene and Lennon, growing up in foster homes and relying on Randi.

Lennon is involved in a class action suit and she thinks she knows who her father is just by his birthdate, gestures and other things when she deposed him? Possible.

Then right before she starts a study group she gets a weird phone call about $. Then when she meets another student Roger who's conducting the class; he's creepy by the way, he tells her to ignore the phone call. Something weird is going on here. Lennon's not falling for that. Roger hands her a letter, but she doesn't accept it. She gets implicated for this stolen exam, and gets called to the Dean's office after taking it. There's a twist to this exam too.

This is just not about Lennon's third year in law school, exams, etc., but also there's a potential romance. She mees Nick, where Roger takes her for dinner, who's their waiter, and he is the owners son. His family owns a few restaurants. She broke up with her current boyfriend of 6 years since the commute wasn't working out with him in NY and Lennon in CT. There were other problems too. She was too busy with law school mostly and never had the time. Just when the romance got started, Nick finds out that he needs to go back to culinary school in Milan, Italy, since he proposed a deal with his father 3 years ago, that if he didn't finish his book, he would go back. For a smart girl like Lennon, I couldn't believe she didn't know where Milan was and said to herself, "where the hell was Milan anyway"? Lennon has enough problems with finding a job and new place to live after completing law school very soon, and of course taking the bar exam.

After all that, things change for the better with Nick and their relationship, but not unfortunately with Charlene.

Did Lennon's life turned out what she wanted it to be? Well, she graduated law school summa cum laude, fourth in her class too, got a job where she was an intern, with her own division, family law. The ending wasn't the usual which was a surprise but she did end up with Nick of course, but not yet married.

Considering this was an ARC, it was pretty perfect except the last 4 pages of the book didn't have page numbers for some reason. No big deal. The cover was of Lennon wearing shorts and a t-shirt. It was sort of the way I depicted her to look since she was a poor, struggling soon to be lawyer. But it sort of bothered me since I wanted her to look more professional I guess but that's just my opinion.

If you haven't read the rest of the series, this is #4 like me, no worries; it can be read as a stand alone.

[Book Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Class Action by Gail Ward, we meet Lennon Gallagher, a third-year law student and non-legacy, who is unexpectedly drawn into a cheating scheme that threatens to derail her entire academic career. Readers of Olmsted’s Miranda Quin Legal Twist series may recognize Lennon from an earlier story. For newcomers, both Lennon and Miranda will feel fresh, making this book an ideal entry point for new readers while still providing familiar faces for longtime fans.

Unlike legacy students who benefit from family connections and inherited expectations, Lennon’s path through law school is defined by her outsider status and determination to succeed on her own terms. When she becomes entangled in a cheating scheme, she is forced to grapple with difficult moral and ethical dilemmas, as well as the relentless pressures of academic competition and the challenges faced by those without institutional privilege or support. Through Lennon’s story, Olmsted examines the complexities of integrity, ambition, and the demanding realities of legal education. With the added strain of personal relationships, Lennon must decide not only what she truly wants for herself but also who she can trust.

Olmsted’s narrative deftly balances the tension between personal ambition and collective responsibility, illustrating how Lennon’s decisions reverberate not only through her own life but also impact her peers and the broader academic community. The depiction of law school culture, marked by late nights, fierce competition, and the ever-present temptation to cut corners, feels authentic and immediate. Readers will find themselves empathizing with Lennon’s struggle to maintain her principles while navigating a system that often rewards those willing to bend the rules.

Those who are interested in legal thrillers with some added romance and tension, look no further than Class Action by Gail Olmsted. The strong characters, the incredible intricacies, and the excellent storytelling are all ripe for the reading.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lennon Gallagher is a third year law student with a lot going on. She’s got a long distance boyfriend, she’s offered a free copy of a law final and then is told that if she doesn’t keep silent she will take the fall, her mom is just out of prison, she’s studying for finals, and the bar is coming up. With the help of her friend Miranda Quinn, Lennon has to navigate a scandal, work, studying, relationships, and figuring out what it is she wants for herself.

I’m going to start off by saying that I enjoyed this book – it was good. It’s a quick read and it’s entertaining. Lennon is a likeable character and you cheer her on. You want to make sure that things work out for her the way that you want them to. It’s nice that Miranda Quinn makes an appearance in this book as a friend and almost as a mentor.

I was really confused as to the genre of the book. Is this just general fiction? Is it a legal thriller? Is it romance? Is it a mixture? If it’s general fiction – then I think it’s a perfect way to describe it. It teeters into some romance, but not enough – I would have loved to have more of that. It’s not a legal thriller by any means – I wasn’t left on the edge of my seat at any part of the book. I was curious though. One website doesn’t have any genre assigned, another has it under friendship. So I think the internet may be confused too! But when you have a tag line “What You Do Know CAN Hurt You” I sort of expected more thriller-ish vibes, and that’s not what this is.

This book will be out later this year. It is an enjoyable read, so if general fiction is your thing – with a very pleasant splash of romance, check this one out!

[Susan Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn into Lennon Gallagher’s life as a law school student preparing for her final exam before graduation. Olmsted perfectly captures the voice of a smart young woman in her 20s. She does this through a very credible first-person narration, lively dialogue, as well as the inclusion of text messages between Lennon and her friends.

Lennon follows her moral compass in dealing with a very thorny situation. If she makes the wrong choice, it could get her thrown out of law school. She has worked long and hard to to get to the finish line—through grit and determination, but also her own keen intellect. Raised by, Charlene, a single mother with an addiction problem, the odds had been against Lennon. Despite being a high school dropout, she took the GED and managed to go straight from college to law school. Also, in her favor: she is friends with the brilliant and compassionate Miranda Quinn (Randi). As I’ve read Olmsted’s other books about Miranda, I could even further appreciate her role in Lennon’s life.

While the author does a great job creating tension at every turn, a blossoming romance also makes this novel an enjoyable read.

Does Lennon find out her father’s identity? Will she remain with Seth or will she wind up finding someone new? Will Roger end her brief legal career even before it’s begun? Tensions continue to build and questions quickly add up, turning this compelling book into a page-turner! I loved finding out the connection of the sub-title (What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You) with the story. This truly is an adventurous legal tale!

[Sublime Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall Rating = 4.83

Storyline & Concept = 4.5
Writing & Delivery = 5
Editorial = 5

The stakes are high for Lennon Gallagher, a third-year law student who finds herself entangled in an ethical dilemma that threatens everything she’s worked for. A misdirected text offers a stolen exam, and when Lennon refuses to play along, the threat turns personal. Throw in a high-pressure internship, a faltering relationship, a buried family secret, and the need to support her recently incarcerated mother, and you have a tense, emotionally charged journey.
Lennon is a compelling and relatable character. She’s intelligent, driven, and stretched to her limit, making her an ideal protagonist to lead Olmsted’s newest legal thriller, an apparent offshoot from the highly recommended Miranda series. Miranda Quinn even plays a secondary role in the novel. The author deftly weaves in sub-plots that intensify the emotional depth of the story and creates a multi-layered novel that gripped me from the beginning. With crisp dialogue and an engaging writing style, Class Action integrates themes of resilience, integrity, and self-discovery, all through the eyes of a young, witty, and authentic character, one I hope to see in future novels from this author. This is a standout legal drama that will resonate with readers who crave both tension and heart.
Sublime Line: “Gripping and engaging, Class Action explores what it means to choose the harder right over the easier wrong.”

[Diane Nagatomo · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Class Action” by Gail Olmstead is an exciting, fast-paced legal thriller that follows law student Lennon Gallagher in her frantic final months of law school. The daughter of a former drug addict who has always been in and out of jail, life for Lennon has never been easy. If it weren’t for the help of her mother’s high school friend, Lennon might never have had the nerve to dream big enough to become a lawyer like Miranda. All she needs to do is buckle down, get through her final exams, and then pass the bar exam after that. But life isn’t so simple. Her long-distance fiancé is making demands. A discovery while interning at a law firm may have a tremendous impact on her life. And what should she do after she gets threats after having received a text message that was supposed to go to someone else? Her entire future could be ruined as a result!

This can be read as a stand-alone novel, but Lennon does make an appearance as a teenager in “Miranda Fights,” one of the Miranda Quin Legal Twist books. I felt completely invested in Lennon’s fledgling career as a lawyer, and I hope this is just the beginning of her story and that there will be more to come. I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this great book. Definitely five stars!

[Karen K Brees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conviction on a shoplifting charge can do serious damage to your future, and if you’ve got a mother who’s a recovering(ish) meth addict, alcoholic, and prison resident, the odds are definitely not stacked in your favor. Unless. Unless you find yourself represented by ace attorney Miranda Quinn who not only gets you off the hook but takes you under her wing and shows you how to turn everything around.

This is Lennon Gallagher’s story, and in six short years, with Quinn’s help, Lennon’s about to graduate with highest marks from law school, she’s preparing for the bar exam, and she’s got reliable Seth as a romantic interest. What could go wrong? Turns out plenty. She’s broke, about to lose her rental, her relationship with Seth is in trouble, her study group leader has stolen the final exam for the course she must pass to graduate, her mother is back in prison, and the main actor in a class action lawsuit she’s working as a course requirement just might be her father. It’s a lot to handle, but Lennon is no ordinary young woman. She’s determined, intelligent, and stubborn, but she’s got Quinn as a mentor, and Lennon’s been paying attention.

Highly Recommended

[Laura Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lennon Gallagher finds herself juggling school, work, and family issues when she finds herself tied up in a plot orchestrated by the lead member of her study group to cheat on the bar exam. Though she has no interest in taking him up on his offer, she also finds herself torn between wanting to turn him in and the fear of punishment should he throw her under the bus. Meanwhile, she believes she has located her birth father, is still playing safety net for her mother who struggles to stay clean and out of jail, and finds her long distance relationship with her long-time boyfriend fizzling out. As Lennon bounces from one conflict to the next, the audience is taken on a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs through her personal and professional life.

Class Action is a delightful mix of genres that culminates into a captivating character study focusing on a side character from Olmsted’s Miranda Quinn series and fully forming her into her own personalized heroine. Part drama and part romance, it’s a well balanced mix of story, character, and world building.

A full review and author interview will follow.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite ARCs so far this year! Gail Ward Olmsted once again ties together a fast-moving plot, engaging characters, and a strong female lead in this spin-off from the Miranda Quinn series of legal thrillers.
Lennon Gallagher is overwhelmed with finishing law school, trying to find her biological father, and taking part in a huge class-action lawsuit as a law student. Then, she's informed she will have to move at the end of the semester. Her life of studying and scraping by makes relationships difficult. With her mother headed back to jail and a new boyfriend added to the mix, Lennon's life gets another layer of complication. When she is accused of cheating on a final exam, she needs Miranda's help and support to clear her name, discovering she has more people on her side than she thought. Themes of friendship, found family, and justice are explored in this highly recommended read.

[Sarah Nakawatase · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast-paced read with dual climaxes!

At a young age Lennon Gallagher is thrown into the foster system when her drug addicted mother is no longer able to care for her. From her impoverished beginnings, Lennon is able to surround herself with the right people, working hard to elevate her standing in life. Now a law student on the verge of graduation, her family’s reproachable past threatens to strip her of what she has worked so hard to achieve.

Targeted as an easy scapegoat, Lennon becomes a suspect at the heart of a cheating scandal as a wealthy classmate sets his sights on earning top marks. Without a respectable family legacy, will Lennon’s story hold up next to her privileged classmate?

This novel speaks to an element of society dating back to the invention of money itself. The trouble Lennon finds herself in will keep you turning the pages to find out which is more powerful—money or the truth.

[ReneeReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and it kept me on my toes the whole time with all of the things going on in Lennon's life. I do feel like I may be a bit of an outlier here with all of the 4 and 5 star reviews I'm seeing for this one. Granted, this is my first book by this author so I went in blind but found it to be an entertaining story with plenty of plot points to keep the story moving but this one landed at a 3/5 star for me. I really enjoyed Lennon's character, I liked her growing relationship with Nick and I loved her relationship with Randi. From what I'm picking up, Randi is the main character in some of this author's other books and I can see how she would make a strong lead character.

Overall this was a good time.

Thank you NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie Affinito · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wish came true! Class Action: What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You by Gail Ward Olmsted is the fourth book in the Miranda Quinn Legal Twist series and as with the others, I could not put this book down. In this latest release, we find out more about Lennon and the sticky situation that arises in a cheating scandal at her college. As she wrestles with the situation, attempts to hold onto her relationship and find a new place to stay, she connects with the person always there for her: Miranda. I loved seeing these characters again and as always, I was lost in the storyline. I connected to them, compulsively turned the pages and was just as invested as the other books in the series. More, please!

[Scott Eveloff MD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Class Action by Gail Olmstead is an engaging novel driven by the trials, no pun intended, of third-year law student Lennon Gallagher. She negotiates an intriguing combination of family conflict, love won and lost, stressful pursuit of a law degree, and nefarious plotting of legal peers with truly engaging humor and self-deprecating reflection. From her distinctive name to her humorous and pointed snarky personality she is the star of the show, confronting insecurity and life’s obstacles with a combination of strength and insecurity that remains endearing and captivating. It was a worthwhile read that kept me looking forward to the next chapter until the satisfying end.
-Scott Eveloff MD, author of Do Not Resuscitate and The Golem’s Holocaust

[Leah Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Class Action: What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You” follows third-year law student Lennon Gallagher through a compelling mix of professional and personal challenges. When her internship case might involve her absentee father, and she's wrongly accused of cheating by her study group, Lennon's world gets complicated fast. Add in a long-distance relationship that doesn't survive the pressure, and a promising new romance in the final chapters, and you have a story that captures the chaos of law school life.
Gail Ward Olmsted has created a relatable protagonist who is dealing with very human problems alongside her academic pressures. If you enjoy legal fiction that focuses on characters and the personal side of the profession, this is a solid choice.

[Ruth Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look up “hard knock life” in the dictionary and you’ll find Lennon Gallagher’s picture. Her daily challenges include a jailbird mom, a needy boyfriend, housing worries, financial and job uncertainty, and fellow law students trying to implicate her in a cheating plot. But Lennon is smart, funny, and tough—a heroine you’ll love cheering on as she courageously faces these challenges and more in Class Action. As Lennon navigates all this adversity, she never knows what lies ahead of the next blind curve—and neither does the reader. Author Olmsted hits it out of the park again with this warm, optimistic, and often romantic story about perseverance, personal integrity, and the joys of found family.

[Cam Torrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A smart, emotionally-charged legal drama blending personal stakes with ethical dilemmas. When law student Lennon Gallagher is inadvertently pulled into a high-stakes cheating scheme while simultaneously working a deeply personal class action case, the future she's dreamed of is put in jeopardy. With mounting pressure from family, school, and a crumbling relationship, Lennon must decide who she can trust—and who she truly wants to be.

Olmsted does what she does best--hooking the reader into a compelling story of strong women, resilience, and integrity.

Fans of Megan Miranda's "All the Missing Girls" will find a similar mix of suspense, secrets, and an underestimated protagonist.

[S.M. Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Lennon Gallagher, Olmsted has written one of the best character voices in recent fiction. Lennon is authentic, blunt, and very, very funny. It’s her voice that keeps her constant challenges from weighing the reader down, even while Lennon herself struggles with those challenges. This story has it all: intrigue, legal drama, family drama and romance, with a little blackmail tossed in to keep things spicy. If you like legal thrillers, heroes who rise above their circumstances, and second chances, read this book.

[Karen Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gail Olmsted does it again! Class Action is a smart, fast-paced romp with heart, humor, and just the right doses of suspense and romance. Lennon is a standout character — sharp, cool, and utterly compelling. I loved the return of Miranda, the unforgettable heroine from Olmsted’s earlier novels, woven in without overshadowing the story. The dialogue crackles, the stakes feel real, and I found myself laughing one minute and on edge the next. A thoroughly satisfying read. Highly recommend! --Karen E. Osborne, Author of Justice for Emerson

[Gary Gerlacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lennon Gallagher’s life is complicated as she tries to balance the final semester of law school with an internship, complicated relationships with her boyfriend and mom, and a client who may be the father she never met. Things worsen when a mysterious text plunges her into a conspiracy that threatens her law career, and her life.

Class Action is an emotional roller coaster that takes you from the edge of despair to the promise of a new life. Olmsted weaves a tale of hope and resilience as this young woman seeks a new reality free of the chaos from her past.

[A.J. McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tense, smart, and filled with emotion, Class Action follows law student Lennon Gallagher as she’s thrust into a web of academic deceit, legal intrigue, and buried family secrets. With sharp twists and heartfelt moments, this is another gripping story from the author of the much-loved Miranda series. As a matter of fact, Lennon played a secondary role in that series before being elevated to the star of this novel, a well-deserved honor. I hope to see more of her in the future. Highly recommended!

[Corliss G. Corazza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Class Action – such an engaging story. I was instantly drawn to the main character, a young lady law student with a murky childhood. The author taunts the reader with snippets of information, igniting curiosity to make the pages fly by. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going, the plot would twist. With excellent writing and interesting details about the legal profession, law school, and family trauma, the novel is an entertaining, informative page-turner.
Corliss Corazza, Author of Cut Open the Sky and Geode

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

suicide in the face of horrific circumstances is all too common. sometimes, circumstances are simply complicated, and the principal fails to find the hands reaching out to them - because pain, or just plain trust in survival or liss, just makes hanging on too hard.

I enjoyed this intense coming of age plus personal life and identity and romance hybrid collection if stories, as I mourned the empathetic suicide story. loss recognizes loss - so well painted- my condolences

intense and an adventure of reading.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Law school graduation is only a few months away. And you're invited. Folks who have already read the Miranda Quinn series by Gail Olmsted will enjoy meeting her protegé, Lennon. Lennon has a few projects to complete, and they're not all academic. This book will keep you wondering if or how she will solve the problems that besiege her. You'll be on her side from the very beginning. Oh, and libraries don't usually rent rooms out. They DO schedule free room use to card holders.

[Carol Heilman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Class Action by Gail Olmsted covers all the bases for an engaging read. Romance and suspense swirl into the world of a young law student, Lennon, as she faces multiple professional and personal dilemmas.
The choices she makes, both good ones and those that were not, confirm her humanity and made her real to me as a reader. I cheered Lennon on to the very end. A great book!

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite ARCs so far this year! Gail Ward Olmsted once again ties together a fast-moving plot, engaging characters, and a strong female lead in this spin-off from the Miranda Quinn series of legal thrillers.
Lennon Gallagher is overwhelmed with finishing law school, trying to find her biological father, and taking part in a huge class-action lawsuit as a law student. Then, she's informed she will have to move at the end of the semester. Her life of studying and scraping by makes relationships difficult. With her mother headed back to jail and a new boyfriend added to the mix, Lennon's life gets another layer of complication. When she is accused of cheating on a final exam, she needs Miranda's help and support to clear her name, discovering she has more people on her side than she thought. Themes of friendship, found family, and justice are explored in this highly recommended read.

[Doug Yonce · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors has done a very good job of creating characters. They cause reactions for the reader. I would enjoy the story more if there had been better plot development. I felt that there was too much “telling” and not enough “doing” or letting the plot unfold and move forward. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and voluntarily provided an honest review.

[Lucille Guarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hard-knock young law student follows her moral compass to achieve meaning and purpose in this feel-good, satisfying story. Heart-wrenching and suspenseful at every turn—you will be cheering for Lennon as much as I did!

[Linda Rosen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful novel with a bit of hair-raising tension thrown in. It was so nice to see Olmsted’s character from two previous books, Miranda Quinn, make an appearance in this engaging, romantic, suspenseful story with a legal twist.

[Amanda Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Class Action is part legal suspense, part coming of age story that combines tight, straightforward storytelling with compelling characters and just the right amount of suspense to keep the reader turning the pages. A quick, enjoyable read.