False Witness

Laura Chastain #2

by Lelia Kelly

In Presumption of Guilt, Lelia Kelly gave readers a provocative, powerful legal thriller and a fresh new voice in her tough, ambitious heroine, Laura Chastain. Now, this hard-hitting lawyer takes on a now lob and a career-making case that could send her to the top of her profession -- or push her dangerously close to the edge.

As an attorney in private practice, whip-smart Laura Chastain certainly tested tho boundaries of the New South. Her outspoken comments frequently sent her tripping over the unspoken rules of the Good Old Boy network. Anxious to prove her legal mettle as Atlanta's new District Attorney, Laura marches headlong into the messy murder case of Christie Stanley, a victim of an apparent burglary gone wrong.

Though horrified by the brutality of the murder, Laura comes away from her first violent crime scone more uneasy then shaken. Instead of providing answers, the evidence raises disturbing questions. How could the very wealthy Christie bo so careless os to leave her security alarm off? And why was the body not discovered until morning? The deeper Laura digs, the more she believes this was a carefully planned murder orchestrated by Christie's husband, James Stanley. However, James has an airtight alibi for the night of tho murder. And as the stakes rise higher, Laura begins to feel that she's being played by o cunning killer who's matching her every step. With her career hanging in the balance, Laura's on a desperate run to find the one witness who can provide proof of innocence or guilt in a game where the price of justice could mean the difference between life or death.

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sort of an odd book. Some parts of the plot were cliched and predictable, while others were so outlandish as to be unbelievable. The logic of the characters in the book is really lacking, which I found frustrating -- for example, some potential suspects dismissed out of hand without much thought, and a lot of other assumptions were accepted at face value in ways I didn't find credible.

All that said, it was a fun read, and I was entertained, which is really all I was after anyway.

I'd give this 2 1/2 stars if I could.

[Susan Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura Chastain gave up her cushy job in the big Atlanta firm to work in the District Attorney's office and the first case she draws is the gruesome murder of a moneyed wife and mother. This is my second by this author and both were really good reads. I'm off to find another.

[Melinda Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly Lelia Kelly's mysteries!

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, solid book from an author I'd never read before. Clearly told from a feminine perspective, so the drapes are very well-described, and extremely well-written. Have a look.

[Jennifer Utes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Kept me guessing to the end!

[Toesnorth's mom]

fair