Defending Innocence

A Legal Thriller Filled with Gripping Courtroom Drama (Small Town Lawyer, Book 1)

By: Peter Kirkland

Narrated by: J J Hosenfeld

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

An innocent client harbors dark secrets....

Defense Attorney Leland Monroe lost it all: his big-city job, his reputation, and, worst of all, his loving wife. Now he’s back in his hometown to hit restart and repair the relationship with his troubled son. But the past is always present in a small town.

Leland returns to find his high school sweetheart hasn’t had the easiest of lives - especially now that her son faces a death sentence for murdering his father. Yet what appears to be an open-and-shut case is anything but. As Leland digs deeper to uncover a truth even his client is determined to keep buried, a tangled web of corruption weaves its way throughout his once tranquil hometown.

Leland soon realizes it’s not just his innocent young client’s life that’s at stake - powerful forces surface to threaten the precious few loved ones he has left.

©2021 Relay Publishing (P)2024 Relay Publishing

Narrator Didn't Work for Me

Although many people have commented favorably on the narrator, I found listening to him more than a little irritating, especially when he was trying to sound like a female character, or an older man. Actually, everyone sounded like an old person other than when the narrator was reading in his normal voice. The plot was okay, but nothing special. Kind of wishing I hadn't wasted the credit.

interesting Plot

This story has an interesting plot which is what drew me in. There were a few spots where it was a little hard to keep my interest in what was going on. In the end though, it was a good story

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion

Great first book

It looks like there are two more books series. Can’t wait to read the next book.

Good Read

Binge read! Just couldn’t put it down. Written with a maximum amount of excitement and suspense that kept me wanting to find the answers!

Excellent Story

My interest was maintained throughout the book from beginning to end. Good narrator as well as character development. Looking forward to the next book.

Great Story; Terrible Female Voicings from Male N

While they are not my go-to reading jam, I love a well-written legal thriller every now and then. So I'm delighted that I picked up this audiobook at a book review site. Except for one aspect, I found it a delightful read that kept me guessing as to the ultimate bad guys until the very end. The author threw down a lot of red herrings and blind alleys, weaving a complex world wherein this seemingly straightforward case took place. You couldn't help but feel for the young man who is at the heart of the case, an abused young man--abused his entire life by his father--who was fiercely protective of his mother when he could be. Yes, he was no perfect angel, with drug issues and tendencies toward vandalism, but he was only violent in answer to violence when protecting his mom. (By the way, his mother is the one touted as the main male character’s supposed high school sweetheart in the book's blurb. They weren't really such, from what I could gather from what the book actually said. Instead, they dated occasionally in high school, not true high school sweethearts.) The main male character is the small-town lawyer of the subtitle. He’s come back to his hometown after being a successful prosecutor in Charleston, coming home in disgrace--though not everyone knows the full extent of it--because he used the power of his position to bail out his now-deceased wife in her legal issues because of alcoholism. Even though we only see the back of him on the cover, that cover model appears to be far too young for the 40-something character. The man on the cover looks barely passed teenage years without a speck of gray and looks like a tween wearing his father's suit! The only thing I didn't like about the audiobook was the narrator, unfortunately. While he did a fantastic job voicing the main male character, he didn't do a great job with the young men and did an absolutely abysmal job voicing the women. I got to the point where I needed to shut off the book and move on to other things instead of continuing to listen to his absolutely horrid voicings of the women! An audiobook narrator should make you want to keep listening, not make you want to listen to a different book!

Loved it!

The characters came to life. The storyline was gripping and so well written. Great book!

Entertaining but missing a little something

"Defending Innocence" (2021) is an entertaining novel about former prosecutor Leland Monroe, a recently widowed, single father struggling financially while trying to rear his moody, late teenage son. Leland reluctantly agrees to defend his son’s troubled friend, who’s accused of murdering his own worthless father. The story moves along well but the absence of any kind of romance leaves it a little soulless. J. J. Hosenfeld’s narration is very effective. Solidly recommended. At my request, I was given this free audiobook and have voluntarily left this review.

Kelvin L. Reed
Author of "Guilt by Association"

Abrupt Ending Leaves Listener with Questions

Hosefeld did an excellent narration. Kirkland needed more courtroom drama. Great characters. Ending needed details.

Great Story

Tremendous story. Realistic narration. I enjoyed some of the twists. I am looking forward to the next in the series.