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Innocent Prisoners Project #4
First Offense
Twelve-year-old Frankie Bishop is a model quiet and bright. So everyone, especially his family, is shocked when he’s arrested for drug possession―and horrified when he’s sentenced to juvenile detention at Eldridge Academy. His uncle, Bruce Kantor of the Help Innocent Prisoners Project, wants to help but knows he’s too close to the case. His associate Dani Trumball has family worries of her own to deal with, but she knows Bruce wouldn’t ask for help without cause. Just as she and her team begin to investigate, the case gets even Frankie is missing, and evidence points to an Eldridge cover-up. As the FBI launches a hunt for the boy, Dani knows something isn’t right. Why would a minor’s first offense earn such a harsh punishment? Unconvinced by the court documents, Dani is dogged in her pursuit of the truth that will save Frankie’s future―if he still has one.
268 pages, Paperback
Published May 10, 2016
181 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
Marti Green
8 books162 followersAfter receiving her Master of Science degree and New York State Professional Certificate in school psychology, Marti Green realized her true passion was the law. She went on to receive her law degree from Hofstra University and worked as an in-house counsel for a major cable television operator for twenty-three years, specializing in contracts, intellectual property law and regulatory issues.
A lifelong New Yorker, Marti Green moved to The Villages, FL nine years ago, and now lives there with her husband, Lenny, and cat, Howie. She has two adult sons and five grandchildren.
Five books have been published in the Innocent Prisoners Project series with the sixth to be published in the spring of 2020. The first, Unintended Consequences, won first place in the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm awards in the thriller/suspense category, and has reached the number one rank on Amazon's best-selling kindle books list. The Price of Justice won the Silver medal in The Florida Book Awards popular fiction category. The Good Twin, a stand-alone psychological thriller, was published in May 2018.
A lifelong New Yorker, Marti Green moved to The Villages, FL nine years ago, and now lives there with her husband, Lenny, and cat, Howie. She has two adult sons and five grandchildren.
Five books have been published in the Innocent Prisoners Project series with the sixth to be published in the spring of 2020. The first, Unintended Consequences, won first place in the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm awards in the thriller/suspense category, and has reached the number one rank on Amazon's best-selling kindle books list. The Price of Justice won the Silver medal in The Florida Book Awards popular fiction category. The Good Twin, a stand-alone psychological thriller, was published in May 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
June 17, 2019
Twelve-year-old Frankie Bishop was arrested for drug possession for taking two marijuana cigarettes to school. He is deemed "delinquent" and sentenced to juvenile detention at Eldredge Academy. Attorney Dani Trumball works with Frankie's uncle and volunteers to help with his case. She doesn't understand why a simple drug case involving a boy with no priors would end up with him being sent to juvenile detention. When Dani arrives in Florida, she learns that Frankie was injured in a fight and taken to the hospital. Now he has disappeared from the hospital and the Warden at Eldredge Academy is covering something up.
This is the fourth book in the Innocent Prisoners Project series. So far this one is my favorite. I picked this book up last night before I went to bed and didn't want to put it down. It kept me riveted. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
This is the fourth book in the Innocent Prisoners Project series. So far this one is my favorite. I picked this book up last night before I went to bed and didn't want to put it down. It kept me riveted. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
March 31, 2024
Help Innocent Prisoners Project lawyer Dani has a life changing decision to make when her boss Bruce asks for her help.
His brother is missing in Afghanistan, they haven't heard from the Army in quite some time and now his 12-year-old nephew Frankie, known as a model child, was sentenced to juvenile detention for possession of Marihuana. Then he told his mother that he's afraid because of the wardens abusive behaviour after one of his fellow inmates died there. And now he just disappeared.
After the prison warden couldn't or didn't want to tell Dani where Frankie was and she finally found out herself, he already ran away.
All Frankie wanted was fit in and make a friend in a new town. The extreme sentence for two joints was excessive, then the other boy was killed and now he was beat to hospital. He can not go back to Eldridge, he knows it would be the death of him.
He has to get to his brother, he'd be able to help him. He never would have thought he could be kidnapped and sold on the way...
This story was one crazy journey. There's a lot happening, the plot twists a few times and though there is a lot of coincidence, it's still told in a believable way. I'm not doubting this stuff happens.
The characters are authentic and once more Dani and her team proof how once a judge made his point, it's nearly impossible to get revision. In this case the judge is somewhat too determined...
Parts of it read like a well researched newspaper article, the writing is simple but on point, easy to follow and the subject feels relevant.
Like the other books in the HIPP series, this one shows a problem with the legal system and corruption.
This one about for profit prisons, where prisoners are being kept short on food and barely any medical treatment amongst other ways to make and save money for the ones to profit.
Then there's fear and suspense and it's exciting. That ending was somewhat very happy but I can live with that. The biggest issue I had was the one guy from school whose lie lead to Frankies sentence. The apology sucked, I had expected more at that point.
His brother is missing in Afghanistan, they haven't heard from the Army in quite some time and now his 12-year-old nephew Frankie, known as a model child, was sentenced to juvenile detention for possession of Marihuana. Then he told his mother that he's afraid because of the wardens abusive behaviour after one of his fellow inmates died there. And now he just disappeared.
After the prison warden couldn't or didn't want to tell Dani where Frankie was and she finally found out herself, he already ran away.
All Frankie wanted was fit in and make a friend in a new town. The extreme sentence for two joints was excessive, then the other boy was killed and now he was beat to hospital. He can not go back to Eldridge, he knows it would be the death of him.
He has to get to his brother, he'd be able to help him. He never would have thought he could be kidnapped and sold on the way...
This story was one crazy journey. There's a lot happening, the plot twists a few times and though there is a lot of coincidence, it's still told in a believable way. I'm not doubting this stuff happens.
The characters are authentic and once more Dani and her team proof how once a judge made his point, it's nearly impossible to get revision. In this case the judge is somewhat too determined...
Parts of it read like a well researched newspaper article, the writing is simple but on point, easy to follow and the subject feels relevant.
Like the other books in the HIPP series, this one shows a problem with the legal system and corruption.
This one about for profit prisons, where prisoners are being kept short on food and barely any medical treatment amongst other ways to make and save money for the ones to profit.
Then there's fear and suspense and it's exciting. That ending was somewhat very happy but I can live with that. The biggest issue I had was the one guy from school whose lie lead to Frankies sentence. The apology sucked, I had expected more at that point.
May 10, 2016
A special thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Marti Green returns following The Price of Justice (2015), with FIRST OFFENSE (#4), a continuation of her riveting series, (HIPP) Help Innocent Prisoners Project—highly charged topics, of abuse, corruption, bribery, racketeering, and extortion of the juvenile justice system—and those caught in the crossfires of an unjust system. Haunting and terrifying for parents, as well as the young adult victims.
Frankie Bishop, age twelve, idolized his father, Alex. When he was deployed, (army) Frankie seemed lost without him. An interracial family, now they were living off-base for the first time in years in a new city, new school and new challenges. His mother Jessica was afraid his father may not come home this time around. She decided to move them to Key Vista Florida, on the Gulf Coast, near her mother. Alex is MIA.
Frankie, becomes angry, at his father being MIA, at his mother for moving them to a new town, and at his brother, Bobby for leaving them the previous month to join the Marines. He was an outsider at his school. Four moves in seven years since he was old enough to start kindergarten.
He was a model straight A student and wants to be a doctor. However, due to wanting to fit in and peer pressure, there was drugs, the police were called. He could not tell the police where he found the marijuana. His brother Bobby would be kicked out of the service. Bobby had always been in trouble and never Frankie. He just wanted to be accepted. He did not use drugs, nor would he sell it.
He was sent to a detention center. He needs an attorney. The mother calls Bruce Kantor (at HIPP), her brother-in-law, and he was too close to the situation--they needed a good attorney who’s was in the juvenile court all the time. Frankie had brought marijuana to school in hopes of winning a friend. Bruce turns to his associate Dani for help.
Dani Trumball, HIPP lawyer, wife, and mom, has her own problems. She is concerned she is pregnant. She and Doug had Jonah fourteen years earlier. He was diagnosed with Williams syndrome, a disorder that caused cognitive difficulties, and they had decided they need to focus on him. She had recently gone back to work while Jonah was in school. Like many children with this syndrome, he had demonstrated very early extraordinary musical talent. A baby—not what they planned at age forty-five and husband forty-seven. She had struggled in the past with her conflict between working and being a mother. Yet he still managed to thrive. She knows she wants to do it again.
She is on the case to help her associate, and a family devastated—a son sentenced to juvenile detention at Eldridge Academy. Dani and her favorite investigator at HIPP, Tommy Noorland—fly to Tampa and drove to Key Visa, a small community near the Gulf where Jessica and her son lived. What she found astounded her. Why would a first offender, be sent to a detention center?
Something seems off. After further investigation, there were all sorts of horrific abusive behavior to these boys from the guards. They were threatened and beaten, and one boy was found dead. Things were serious. If a guard would commit murder, how could they protect this boy? A juvenile prison, with a name making it sound like an elite private school. Why were hundreds of boys sentenced to this facility, when it did not warrant the seriousness of the crime.
They track down leads. However, now he is gone. No one has any answers. What had they done to him? They began checking hospitals. They tracked him down at a nearby hospital—internal bleeding and a ruptured spleen, broken ribs and bruising. He had been at Eldridge Academy for two months. He had seen plenty, punched, kicked, handcuffed, beaten, they all made sure it was done out of sight of the security cameras.
Frankie is torn. He knew he could not go back. He could not return to his mother—that would be the first place they would look. His only hope was getting to his brother somehow at Camp Lejeune, in Jacksonville, North Carolina---his brother Bobby would know what to do. He leaves and is on the run. He knows he cannot go back to prison, they will kill him due to telling about the death of the boy.
He meets a nice couple in Savannah, and there is a plan. If he had followed their plan to the letter, he would have made it to his brother. However, he then meets another man, along his journey, who steers him wrong. A man sees a boy traveling alone. Frankie trusts the wrong person. Now he finds himself in even more trouble than ever before. How will he escape this time? Bigger trouble than he’d ever face. A betrayal. Little does he know the man is part of an illegal sex-trafficking ring.
Jessica, the mom is frantic. If Frankie ran from the hospital, it had to be because he didn’t believe they would protect him from another beating or worse. No one was protecting Frankie and these boys.
Dani and Jessica are both afraid—the thoughts of children sent to juvenile facilities in order to help them, to provide services to turn their lives around and once there, cruelty, heartlessly abused. There has to be some sort of conspiracy between the warden, owners of the facility and the legal system. Why, and the motive?
Who was protecting them and where was the community outrage? Where were the government overseers? Frankie’s mom nor she would accept it. The kids are threatened if they report the incidents, and she has to keep digging. Nothing more she can do until she finds Frankie.
The FBI is called in, and a race against time. Each time they think they have a lead, Frankie is being shifted to another person or place—which looks like sex slavery and sex trafficking. Predators and monsters who broker innocent children for money.
Dani is outraged --how many children languish in prison where the profit motive outweighed compassion. She had encountered many awful people in her years, both as a prosecutor and a HIPP attorney, but never had she been as disgusted as she was by this sad excuse for a man….one who saw children only as dollar signs, a means to personal wealth, due to greed. Big business- goal was making money, not rehabilitating kids. Will they find the answers in time to save Frankie and the others?
A great exploration, research, and insights into the private, for profit juvenile prisons—from the reported abuses, the disturbing motives, sex trafficking, and the operators, even though fictional—based on real cases which have occurred in the juvenile prisons throughout the US.
Having read all the books in the HIPP series (highly recommend), always enjoy the challenges of the legal system, as well as Dani, Bruce, and the team—tenacious, protecting those who cannot help themselves. Each case brings on new controversial topics, timely and even though fictional, they could be ripped from today’s headlines. A nice balance of personal and professional.
I enjoy the Florida settings, as well as the legal expertise of the author’s which makes for an absorbing and engaging read. Those enjoying good legal suspense and crime cop procedures will be glued to the pages. Fans of Sylvie Fox's Casey Cort legal series will relate to the similar topics.
Highly recommend this series!
JDCMustReadBooks
Marti Green returns following The Price of Justice (2015), with FIRST OFFENSE (#4), a continuation of her riveting series, (HIPP) Help Innocent Prisoners Project—highly charged topics, of abuse, corruption, bribery, racketeering, and extortion of the juvenile justice system—and those caught in the crossfires of an unjust system. Haunting and terrifying for parents, as well as the young adult victims.
Frankie Bishop, age twelve, idolized his father, Alex. When he was deployed, (army) Frankie seemed lost without him. An interracial family, now they were living off-base for the first time in years in a new city, new school and new challenges. His mother Jessica was afraid his father may not come home this time around. She decided to move them to Key Vista Florida, on the Gulf Coast, near her mother. Alex is MIA.
Frankie, becomes angry, at his father being MIA, at his mother for moving them to a new town, and at his brother, Bobby for leaving them the previous month to join the Marines. He was an outsider at his school. Four moves in seven years since he was old enough to start kindergarten.
He was a model straight A student and wants to be a doctor. However, due to wanting to fit in and peer pressure, there was drugs, the police were called. He could not tell the police where he found the marijuana. His brother Bobby would be kicked out of the service. Bobby had always been in trouble and never Frankie. He just wanted to be accepted. He did not use drugs, nor would he sell it.
He was sent to a detention center. He needs an attorney. The mother calls Bruce Kantor (at HIPP), her brother-in-law, and he was too close to the situation--they needed a good attorney who’s was in the juvenile court all the time. Frankie had brought marijuana to school in hopes of winning a friend. Bruce turns to his associate Dani for help.
Dani Trumball, HIPP lawyer, wife, and mom, has her own problems. She is concerned she is pregnant. She and Doug had Jonah fourteen years earlier. He was diagnosed with Williams syndrome, a disorder that caused cognitive difficulties, and they had decided they need to focus on him. She had recently gone back to work while Jonah was in school. Like many children with this syndrome, he had demonstrated very early extraordinary musical talent. A baby—not what they planned at age forty-five and husband forty-seven. She had struggled in the past with her conflict between working and being a mother. Yet he still managed to thrive. She knows she wants to do it again.
She is on the case to help her associate, and a family devastated—a son sentenced to juvenile detention at Eldridge Academy. Dani and her favorite investigator at HIPP, Tommy Noorland—fly to Tampa and drove to Key Visa, a small community near the Gulf where Jessica and her son lived. What she found astounded her. Why would a first offender, be sent to a detention center?
Something seems off. After further investigation, there were all sorts of horrific abusive behavior to these boys from the guards. They were threatened and beaten, and one boy was found dead. Things were serious. If a guard would commit murder, how could they protect this boy? A juvenile prison, with a name making it sound like an elite private school. Why were hundreds of boys sentenced to this facility, when it did not warrant the seriousness of the crime.
They track down leads. However, now he is gone. No one has any answers. What had they done to him? They began checking hospitals. They tracked him down at a nearby hospital—internal bleeding and a ruptured spleen, broken ribs and bruising. He had been at Eldridge Academy for two months. He had seen plenty, punched, kicked, handcuffed, beaten, they all made sure it was done out of sight of the security cameras.
Frankie is torn. He knew he could not go back. He could not return to his mother—that would be the first place they would look. His only hope was getting to his brother somehow at Camp Lejeune, in Jacksonville, North Carolina---his brother Bobby would know what to do. He leaves and is on the run. He knows he cannot go back to prison, they will kill him due to telling about the death of the boy.
He meets a nice couple in Savannah, and there is a plan. If he had followed their plan to the letter, he would have made it to his brother. However, he then meets another man, along his journey, who steers him wrong. A man sees a boy traveling alone. Frankie trusts the wrong person. Now he finds himself in even more trouble than ever before. How will he escape this time? Bigger trouble than he’d ever face. A betrayal. Little does he know the man is part of an illegal sex-trafficking ring.
Jessica, the mom is frantic. If Frankie ran from the hospital, it had to be because he didn’t believe they would protect him from another beating or worse. No one was protecting Frankie and these boys.
Dani and Jessica are both afraid—the thoughts of children sent to juvenile facilities in order to help them, to provide services to turn their lives around and once there, cruelty, heartlessly abused. There has to be some sort of conspiracy between the warden, owners of the facility and the legal system. Why, and the motive?
Who was protecting them and where was the community outrage? Where were the government overseers? Frankie’s mom nor she would accept it. The kids are threatened if they report the incidents, and she has to keep digging. Nothing more she can do until she finds Frankie.
The FBI is called in, and a race against time. Each time they think they have a lead, Frankie is being shifted to another person or place—which looks like sex slavery and sex trafficking. Predators and monsters who broker innocent children for money.
Dani is outraged --how many children languish in prison where the profit motive outweighed compassion. She had encountered many awful people in her years, both as a prosecutor and a HIPP attorney, but never had she been as disgusted as she was by this sad excuse for a man….one who saw children only as dollar signs, a means to personal wealth, due to greed. Big business- goal was making money, not rehabilitating kids. Will they find the answers in time to save Frankie and the others?
A great exploration, research, and insights into the private, for profit juvenile prisons—from the reported abuses, the disturbing motives, sex trafficking, and the operators, even though fictional—based on real cases which have occurred in the juvenile prisons throughout the US.
Having read all the books in the HIPP series (highly recommend), always enjoy the challenges of the legal system, as well as Dani, Bruce, and the team—tenacious, protecting those who cannot help themselves. Each case brings on new controversial topics, timely and even though fictional, they could be ripped from today’s headlines. A nice balance of personal and professional.
I enjoy the Florida settings, as well as the legal expertise of the author’s which makes for an absorbing and engaging read. Those enjoying good legal suspense and crime cop procedures will be glued to the pages. Fans of Sylvie Fox's Casey Cort legal series will relate to the similar topics.
Highly recommend this series!
JDCMustReadBooks
September 19, 2016
Great story.
Before you start reading or listening this book, make sure you have a tissue box handy. Story about twelve years old boy, just started to new school after moving. Father is lost in Afghanistan, older brother just started military training. He just have very loving and caring mother, all he wants to have friends in this town. Because of his wrong decision how to make friends, send him to for profit juvenile detention. Attorney Dani works for Help for Innocent Prisoners Project and she is determined to get the help Frankie and his mother needs. This story is exposing what happens in the for profit prisons. They get paid in Florida $34.700 per prisoner, companies operating these prisons make over $70 billion a year. They are there to make money, not to rehabilitate the prisoners. Recent decision of ending this practice hopefully stop this business. Will be reading more novels written by Marti Green, this was my first book.
Before you start reading or listening this book, make sure you have a tissue box handy. Story about twelve years old boy, just started to new school after moving. Father is lost in Afghanistan, older brother just started military training. He just have very loving and caring mother, all he wants to have friends in this town. Because of his wrong decision how to make friends, send him to for profit juvenile detention. Attorney Dani works for Help for Innocent Prisoners Project and she is determined to get the help Frankie and his mother needs. This story is exposing what happens in the for profit prisons. They get paid in Florida $34.700 per prisoner, companies operating these prisons make over $70 billion a year. They are there to make money, not to rehabilitate the prisoners. Recent decision of ending this practice hopefully stop this business. Will be reading more novels written by Marti Green, this was my first book.
May 10, 2016
"She fervently hoped that the facilities she'd read about were anomalies, a few bad detentions centers out of thousands across the country that worked well. But she expected that wasn't the case. She also suspected that as more and more states moved to private, for profit, prisons, both for juveniles and adults, the abuses would increase."
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review thanks to NetGally.*
So many heart strings have been pulled throughout reading this book. Before being a stay at home mom, I was a Paralegal, so with following Dani through her ambition to help Frankie I was very excited to see where the story was going. However, I was strongly reminded how corrupt the legal system can be. Going through college and working in the environment, my mind always thinks of the legal system screwing over adults and rescuing children from abusive parents or sex trafficking circles. I never envisioned that so much corruption could be destroying childrens' lives as well. I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of pain and frustration Green must have been feeling as she did her research for this great story.
First Offense is about Frankie, 12 years old, getting thrown into the justice system over trying to fit in at a new school once again by flaunting a couple joints of marijuana. His punishment is sever considering its his first offense and he has a history of being a straight A student. After a couple of months in the juvenile detention center, Frankie is beaten so bad he is sent to the hospital and is in such fear of his life... runs. Then begins the grand story of keeping him safe and away from the facility that is full of teenagers who should of never been there thanks to the corrupt judge.
I really enjoyed the plot except I felt like the book was wrapping up and coming to a close about halfway through. Green took too big of a section in the middle of the book to "fill some gaps" that really drug out the story. It was nice to know what happen to the characters but I think the events should have been broken up a bit so it didn't feel like there was a conclusion in the middle of the book.
There was some frustrating parts for me since I have a legal background. I found that the author was trying to discretely explain legal terms: "ACOD. Dani didn't have to explain to Tommy that it meant adjournment in contemplation of dismissal" I guess it could be nice for readers who don't have any experience in the law or who have never picked up a book that dealt with a courtroom setting -- but I guess that what Google is for too. I tried to be ok with Green explaining terms like this until I came across her explaining to me what FIFA was -- I don't live under a rock.
I found myself acting like a football fan on Football Sunday, yelling at the screen wondering what in the world Frank's first attorney was thinking-- I guess ignorance really is bliss. If I was Frank's mother, he probably would have been sued for negligence. For example, Franky was being accused of starting fights and then getting his butt whooped by the older kids... one look at his knuckles would have easily ruled that out (with a doctor's testimony of course) as there was no physical "damage" done to his knuckles. I felt like this simple explanation would of saved Frankie a lot of trouble - why would this not be brought up? And what attorney watches a BS conviction and then advisees the mother to not continue with an appeal and allow her child to go to juvy, especially after the father has just gone MIA?!?!
Overall I was very drawn into the book. It was well written and I would recommend it to a friend. It is obvious that Green did a lot of research and I love how she brought it to life.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review thanks to NetGally.*
So many heart strings have been pulled throughout reading this book. Before being a stay at home mom, I was a Paralegal, so with following Dani through her ambition to help Frankie I was very excited to see where the story was going. However, I was strongly reminded how corrupt the legal system can be. Going through college and working in the environment, my mind always thinks of the legal system screwing over adults and rescuing children from abusive parents or sex trafficking circles. I never envisioned that so much corruption could be destroying childrens' lives as well. I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of pain and frustration Green must have been feeling as she did her research for this great story.
First Offense is about Frankie, 12 years old, getting thrown into the justice system over trying to fit in at a new school once again by flaunting a couple joints of marijuana. His punishment is sever considering its his first offense and he has a history of being a straight A student. After a couple of months in the juvenile detention center, Frankie is beaten so bad he is sent to the hospital and is in such fear of his life... runs. Then begins the grand story of keeping him safe and away from the facility that is full of teenagers who should of never been there thanks to the corrupt judge.
I really enjoyed the plot except I felt like the book was wrapping up and coming to a close about halfway through. Green took too big of a section in the middle of the book to "fill some gaps" that really drug out the story. It was nice to know what happen to the characters but I think the events should have been broken up a bit so it didn't feel like there was a conclusion in the middle of the book.
There was some frustrating parts for me since I have a legal background. I found that the author was trying to discretely explain legal terms: "ACOD. Dani didn't have to explain to Tommy that it meant adjournment in contemplation of dismissal" I guess it could be nice for readers who don't have any experience in the law or who have never picked up a book that dealt with a courtroom setting -- but I guess that what Google is for too. I tried to be ok with Green explaining terms like this until I came across her explaining to me what FIFA was -- I don't live under a rock.
I found myself acting like a football fan on Football Sunday, yelling at the screen wondering what in the world Frank's first attorney was thinking-- I guess ignorance really is bliss. If I was Frank's mother, he probably would have been sued for negligence. For example, Franky was being accused of starting fights and then getting his butt whooped by the older kids... one look at his knuckles would have easily ruled that out (with a doctor's testimony of course) as there was no physical "damage" done to his knuckles. I felt like this simple explanation would of saved Frankie a lot of trouble - why would this not be brought up? And what attorney watches a BS conviction and then advisees the mother to not continue with an appeal and allow her child to go to juvy, especially after the father has just gone MIA?!?!
Overall I was very drawn into the book. It was well written and I would recommend it to a friend. It is obvious that Green did a lot of research and I love how she brought it to life.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
April 29, 2016
This book was part of a series , but I read it as a stand alone. I had no problem understanding and keeping up with the characters or storyline. It had a good story about a 12 yr old boy sent to a private detention center and the abuses that took place there. It was not overly graphic but called attention to this real problem.
Some of the characters were well done, but others, the mother, seemed flat. There was a second storyline about the father, but it was not fleshed out and ended abruptly with no explanation.
This book was a fast read and ended in a predictable way. It is a good read if you like stories about underdogs taking on corruption.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing this book.
Some of the characters were well done, but others, the mother, seemed flat. There was a second storyline about the father, but it was not fleshed out and ended abruptly with no explanation.
This book was a fast read and ended in a predictable way. It is a good read if you like stories about underdogs taking on corruption.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing this book.
December 15, 2017
Twelve-year-old Frankie Bishop is a model kid: quiet and bright. So everyone, especially his family, is shocked when he's arrested for drug possession - and horrified when he's sentenced to juvenile detention at Eldridge Academy. His uncle, Bruce Kantor of the Help Innocent Prisoners Project, wants to help but knows he's too close to the case.
His associate Dani Trumball has family worries of her own to deal with, but she knows Bruce wouldn't ask for help without cause. Just as she and her team begin to investigate, the case gets even thornier: Frankie is missing, and evidence points to an Eldridge cover-up.
As the FBI launches a hunt for the boy, Dani knows something isn't right. Why would a minor's first offense earn such a harsh punishment? Unconvinced by the court documents, Dani is dogged in her pursuit of the truth that will save Frankie's future - if he still has one.
My thoughts.
I have read every book in this series and all of them have been fantastic, this one is no acception. An amazing book by a very talented author, Dani is a fantastic Character who won't give up on making sure the truth comes out and does everything she can to assist her clients. She's also got a personal bit of news she's dealing with during this case as well but the author still kept her determination to prove the truth in a case the same. Another great offering by this author and I can't wait for the next book in the series which I will be starting later today once I finish work.
His associate Dani Trumball has family worries of her own to deal with, but she knows Bruce wouldn't ask for help without cause. Just as she and her team begin to investigate, the case gets even thornier: Frankie is missing, and evidence points to an Eldridge cover-up.
As the FBI launches a hunt for the boy, Dani knows something isn't right. Why would a minor's first offense earn such a harsh punishment? Unconvinced by the court documents, Dani is dogged in her pursuit of the truth that will save Frankie's future - if he still has one.
My thoughts.
I have read every book in this series and all of them have been fantastic, this one is no acception. An amazing book by a very talented author, Dani is a fantastic Character who won't give up on making sure the truth comes out and does everything she can to assist her clients. She's also got a personal bit of news she's dealing with during this case as well but the author still kept her determination to prove the truth in a case the same. Another great offering by this author and I can't wait for the next book in the series which I will be starting later today once I finish work.
May 7, 2017
An emotionally captivating, legal suspense that's a definite MUST read! The complex storyline, fantastic characters you'll immediately be drawn to, secrets, lies, abuse, intense and dangerous situations, and intriguing twists will have you on an emotional roller-coaster from beginning to end. This story will capture your heart, and stay with you long after the last word.
Frankie Bishop and his family have received horrifying news about his father, on top of his already stressful life. At 12 years old, he's had to handle more than his share of problems, most created due to being in a military family. Wanting to make friends, he makes a huge mistake, but since he's never been in trouble, no one can figure out how he ended up in juvenile detention. Unfortunately for Frankie, his troubles are just beginning.
Dani's boss is Frankie's uncle, and he asks her and Tommy to look into helping his sister-in-law when Frankie goes missing from the detention center. Will they be able to find him, and figure out how he ended up gone in the first place? When they finally track him to a hospital, he disappears before they can get to him. Will they figure out what's going on with the detention center, and the people who own it before anyone else gets hurt? Will they find Frankie before the unthinkable happens? This is a story that you won't want to miss!
I strongly recommend this book, series, and fantastic author!
Frankie Bishop and his family have received horrifying news about his father, on top of his already stressful life. At 12 years old, he's had to handle more than his share of problems, most created due to being in a military family. Wanting to make friends, he makes a huge mistake, but since he's never been in trouble, no one can figure out how he ended up in juvenile detention. Unfortunately for Frankie, his troubles are just beginning.
Dani's boss is Frankie's uncle, and he asks her and Tommy to look into helping his sister-in-law when Frankie goes missing from the detention center. Will they be able to find him, and figure out how he ended up gone in the first place? When they finally track him to a hospital, he disappears before they can get to him. Will they figure out what's going on with the detention center, and the people who own it before anyone else gets hurt? Will they find Frankie before the unthinkable happens? This is a story that you won't want to miss!
I strongly recommend this book, series, and fantastic author!
September 20, 2018
I enjoyed the first three novels in this "Innocent Prisoners Project" series and #4 was excellent overall. It is well-written, the characters are generally credible and, for the most part, their behaviors made sense. A few incidents bothered me in terms of realistic likelihood. For example, even though Frankie Bishop was recognized as an intelligent kid, some of his reasoning, especially while escaping from the hospital, seemed too sophisticated for a twelve-year-old. In another instance, as Marti wrapped up the story, I didn't think that the school ruffian/bully (Tony Cuen), who originally ratted out Frankie Bishop and steadfastly refused to recant, would have made such a groveling after-the-fact apology, "I mean it. I was a dick. Can you forget about it?" Aside from those relatively minor issues, I devoured "First Offense" and look forward to the next installment.
January 30, 2019
This is a change of pace from previous books in the series: instead of a convict waiting for execution on Death Row, the protagonist is a 12-year-old boy who has run afoul of the Florida Juvenile Justice system. While serving his four-month term, he witnesses something he shouldn't have seen and becomes a target for people who don't want that secret revealed ....
I only found three typographical or grammatical errors in this book: try and / try to ; snuck / sneaked ; there / there's. Although honestly, the first two are becoming so ubiquitous they may eventually be accepted as proper English (just not by me).
I only found three typographical or grammatical errors in this book: try and / try to ; snuck / sneaked ; there / there's. Although honestly, the first two are becoming so ubiquitous they may eventually be accepted as proper English (just not by me).
February 20, 2017
not what i thought. great read. just great. and not stupidly expensive either. i'm now awaiting the 5th and have already pre ordered. no two plot lines are the same!!! i could not believe it, but none of them resembled each other. different case with different circumstances all in the framework of the innocent prisoners project parameter. each case touches on a social problem but not preachy or biased outside of the main character's left-leaning proclivity, but that is quite necessary for the plot line. descriptive, detailed, and forward-moving storyline. read them all.
March 20, 2022
I received a free copy from NetGalley. I read this as a stand alone and had no problems following the story or seeing character development because it is the forth in the series. Jailed for having trying to make friends at a new school by sharing two marijuana cigarettes he found, things just get worse for this young offender. Having family in the law helps and soon the FBI and an innocent project lawyer are helping with his case, that turns up more that just an overly extreme jail sentence for a first offender who is now on the run and missing.
May 27, 2017
This was the best in the series so far. I was able to ignore much of the unnatural dialogue that really bothered me in earlier books. Also, in previous books the author used a lot of what the characters were thinking to further the story. I prefer the "show not tell" and in that respect, this book was a huge improvement over the others. The story was really good, just as long as you can suspend your disbelief a little. I look forward to the next book!
June 4, 2017
Best Of The Series To This Point!
The Innocent Prisoners Project Series has been one of the best series I have read in a long time. The books are well-written and the plots are believable although thinking people are wrongly accused, convicted and imprisoned makes my head and heart hurt.
The Innocent Prisoners Project Series has been one of the best series I have read in a long time. The books are well-written and the plots are believable although thinking people are wrongly accused, convicted and imprisoned makes my head and heart hurt.
April 24, 2024
Excellent storyline despite heartbreaking subject.
Frankie is from a12 year old from a military family. He unfortunately makes a wrong decision just wanting to make friends at his new school.
His story reveals some of the problems with the Juvenile Justice Department and greedy wardens and judges. Very entertaining and suspenseful, yet sometimes heartbreaking.
Frankie is from a12 year old from a military family. He unfortunately makes a wrong decision just wanting to make friends at his new school.
His story reveals some of the problems with the Juvenile Justice Department and greedy wardens and judges. Very entertaining and suspenseful, yet sometimes heartbreaking.
May 3, 2019
Best one
So this is the best one so far in my opinion. Helping kids are wasn't important
Too many bad people out there doing bad things. The series has been very successful. Thanks
So this is the best one so far in my opinion. Helping kids are wasn't important
Too many bad people out there doing bad things. The series has been very successful. Thanks
May 28, 2019
Love these characters and the concept.
Have read all the books in this series and getting ready for the next one. These lawyers are the unsung heroes of the unjustly incarcerated. I'm glad that they have a voice in Marti Green.
Have read all the books in this series and getting ready for the next one. These lawyers are the unsung heroes of the unjustly incarcerated. I'm glad that they have a voice in Marti Green.
January 4, 2021
This was great book. Both the characters and the story were well developed and the suspense was spot on. There was unending twists that were believable and terrifying in their possible outcomes. You are in for a ride with this novel. I listened to it and found it mesmerizing.
February 21, 2018
I think this is the best book in the series so far.
April 5, 2018
Excellent
It was a riveting book. I was captivated from the beginning. And will read more of this author. I loved the writing.
It was a riveting book. I was captivated from the beginning. And will read more of this author. I loved the writing.
May 14, 2018
FIRST OFFENSE
The author developed the character of Frankie perfectly, his story was mesmerizing. Love the characters of Dani and Tommy, warriors for justice.
The author developed the character of Frankie perfectly, his story was mesmerizing. Love the characters of Dani and Tommy, warriors for justice.
July 4, 2018
Love this series
April 15, 2019
I have read all of the books, so far, in the Innocent Project Series, and this one by far is my favorite.
February 13, 2020
Difficult to read because of the content, but an excellent plot.
November 5, 2020
like where this series is going happy its got a good amount of books :)
September 29, 2022
⭐️ 3.5 stars ⭐️
June 28, 2018
Another great book from Marti Green. She opens our eyes to the true horror and evil that is going on in our world. A real page turner.
October 5, 2024
This was a very disturbing story about a smart kid who has never been in trouble before being given a very harsh sentence for a minor offense. The team is working to find out what happened to him and why so many kids are being given such harsh sentences and sent to this facility. Kept me on the edge of my seat.
March 14, 2017
First Ofdense
Enjoyed reading this heart wrenching book. I would recommend it to friends.
This I sadly know was based upon true events that happens today.
Enjoyed reading this heart wrenching book. I would recommend it to friends.
This I sadly know was based upon true events that happens today.
October 27, 2020
Another good read. Cannot wait to read the next one. (Listened to Audible Version)
I love how each book is in a different location and we get an insight into the different laws, legal structures/processes, etc. that seem to occur between different states in the US.
This books heads into some deeper topics than some of the previous ones and does it well.
Again, the interactions between Dani and her colleagues, along with seeing her struggle with the whole work/life/family balance situation, I find adds great value to the book.
Am I glad I read it - yes, without a doubt.
Was it a waste of my time - definitely not.
Would I sit down and read it all over again - I actually intend to re-listen to the whole series on audiobook as I enjoyed them so much.
Would I read more by this author based on this book - yes, I already have and cannot wait for more.
I listened to the Audible Unabridged Audio version of this book. I found the narrator great to listen to and perfectly suited to the story.
I love how each book is in a different location and we get an insight into the different laws, legal structures/processes, etc. that seem to occur between different states in the US.
This books heads into some deeper topics than some of the previous ones and does it well.
Again, the interactions between Dani and her colleagues, along with seeing her struggle with the whole work/life/family balance situation, I find adds great value to the book.
Am I glad I read it - yes, without a doubt.
Was it a waste of my time - definitely not.
Would I sit down and read it all over again - I actually intend to re-listen to the whole series on audiobook as I enjoyed them so much.
Would I read more by this author based on this book - yes, I already have and cannot wait for more.
I listened to the Audible Unabridged Audio version of this book. I found the narrator great to listen to and perfectly suited to the story.
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