Wishful Sinful

by Tracy Dunham

Escaping her headline-making defeat in a capital murder case she shouldn't have lost, attorney Tal Jefferson leaves her big city law firm and prior life for safe the small Georgia town where she was raised. For a while she finds solace in memories and booze--until a childhood friend is accused of a brutal murder. Forced to clean up her act, Tal comes to her defense--but finds her own life on the line when small-town secrets lead to big-time revenge.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

330 pages, Hardcover

First published August 18, 2011

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this difficult to get into at first. And didn’t really like Tal. She came across as someone who was weak, a drunk and not overly friendly. But she was certainly tenacious when she put her mind to it. She’s a bit unorthodox in her approaches to most aspects of life, like the purple shutters but really does grow in you by the end of this cozy mystery. And, for once, I guessed whodunit before the final reveal. Although I figured that guess was a red herring and about that bit, I was wrong. If me interested in reading more about life in this small town with the lawyer who almost gave up practicing.

[LJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

WISHFUL SINFUL (Legal Mystery-Georgia-Cont) – Ok
Tracy Dunham – 1st in series
Berkeley Prime Crime Mystery, 2004- Paperback
Attorney Tal Jackson has returned to her hometown determined to give up practice after a major defeat in her last defense. But a local judge demands she defend Crystal Walker, whom she hasn’t seen since childhood and who is accused of murdering one of the town’s wealthy locals.
*** The strength of this first book was the depiction of the locale. The characters, particularly Tal, June and Henry had some interesting points but could have been much stronger. A major weakness was that I figured out the killer relatively early on. But, I didn’t figure out the motive, so a definite point there. Overall, it was a good first book but I'll hope to see great improvement with the second book.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so hard to read. The main character wasn't likable at all and many of the other characters were the same. I kept losing interest because the characters were so bad I didn't care what happened. The main character, Tal Jefferson, kept doing the dumbest things over and over. This is the first book in a series that I'm done with.

[BETH BUSS · Rating 4 out of 5]

hard to put down. need to track down the rest of the series.

[Sue Merrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This murder mystery oozes Southern stereotypes faster than kudzu swallowing a white picket fence, but all the bourbon and honeysuckle have an addictive charm. The drunkard protagonist Tal Jefferson spends too much time overthinking everything. Her sassy assistant Jane makes up for it with punchy comebacks. The plot certainly has plenty of twists and turns. A Peyton Place of illicit relations is ratcheted up with boundless blackmail schemes, a big money real estate deal, and the shadow of a national military scandal from the past. The protagonist is a little slow figuring out the real killer, with her co-characters (and probably most readers) realizing she is misplacing her trust. But the story moves fast and is entertaining.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. It was interesting most of the time though it seemed disjointed. I wasn't able to sit and read it over a long period of time which might have had something to do with me thinking it was disjointed. It reminded me of another book that I had read recently. A disgraced lawyer returns to her roots in the south, gets swept into a crime/defense and has to prove herself all over again. I don't like lawyer books too much and I don't like the south so this poor book had that stacked against it. Also I found it in a book enchange in a doctor's office and it was one of the more interesting look books to read while I waited.

[Cranbery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great start to a new Series..........I highly recommend. It is Southern Lit at it's mystery best!!!!

[Barbara Morgenroth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong characterization, a vivid sense of place and insightful writing made this mystery memorable.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish this book. It's a little too slow for me. I kept falling asleep.

[Jemathomp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light reading--good while in the doctor's waiting room.