Cara Putman has woven a tale of heartbreak, courage, and resolve to fight for justice, all with their heart on their sleeves.
This book has a bit of everything, from stalking, controlling, murder, abuse, and then those who want to be there to help those in need. What starts out as just a job of being a lawyer and helping those in horrible situations, ends up being life changing, fighting the all consuming pain and grief and hopeless at not being able to change the past.
The bad part about this book is once you turn the first page you will be hooked, and nothing better get in the way, yes this is an enjoyable, powerful read.
I received this book through the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

Imperfect Justice by Cara Putnam is the second book in her Hidden Justice series. An attorney, Cara, certainly knows how to craft a legal thriller that will grab the reader from the first page until the very last word.

In Imperfect Justice, attorney Emilie Wesley, whom we met in the first book of the series, is working for a shelter for abused women and their children. Her job is to make sure all legal aspects of assisting a women to leave the abusive relationship, are all properly executed. While their stories haunt her, she is proud to have helped so many women begin lives anew.

There is one client, Kaylene, for whom circumstances seem particularly heinous; shelter staff worked with Kaylene for months before she would agree to begin the process of leaving the relationship. On the day that Emilie was to meet Kaylene at court to appear before a judge to obtain a restraining order against her husband, Kaylene seems to disappear. Distressed, Emilie tries to find Kaylene before her court appointment is over.

She soon learns that Kaylene has been arrested for shooting her husband and her daughters, wounding her husband and one of the daughters, killing the other daughter. Kaylene dies in the shooting.

Emilie knows something isn't quite right with the video that is being shown on television over and over again, across the entire country. After Kaylene's brother contacts her, they begin their own investigation of what really happened, except someone doesn't want them to find out.

Will they find out before the wounded daughter is released from the hospital and her father disappears with her forever? Desperate to find the truth, Emilie pursues the truth, even when her job at the center becomes tenuous.

Imperfect Justice is a fantastical, serious, thrilling book. This is about abuse, (Kaylene was abused by her husband and was going to do a majorly drastic step when they claim she did something horrendous- which someone like her would never have done.) Stalking (and Mommy the Attorney At The Haven - who help particular women - she was trying to help a Kaylene but was a day late and a dollar short, what happens to Kaylene? You have to read the book- it's awesome, After what happens to Kaylene, Emily starts getting a stocker. Could it be Kayene's husband? If not who could it be? Could they mean to harm her?) Family (Reid is Kaylene's brother and he is fighting for Kaylene. He is fighting for Kaylene's daughter. He wants custody of her per Kaylene's wishes.) Most importantly this is about Faith - putting your Faith and trust in the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Can I get an Amen?

Imperfect Justice is a captivating, edge of your seat mystery that you wont want to put down. Putnam has written a wonderful mix of mystery and romance that addresses power and abuse through a wonderful organization called Haven.

I loved the characters of Emilie Wesley and Reid Billings and how the author deftly weaves the twists and turns of their lives with other characters that aren’t quite what they appear to be.

This book was excellent! I had a hard time putting it down. Even though I didn't read the first book in the series, I felt like the story stood alone well.

Not my favorite read. I felt that the Christianity aspect was just thrown in there, and even at that, no mention was made that Emilie was even a believer until halfway through the book. The story itself was interesting, but it was a little slow moving. I liked the sweet romance between Reid and Emilie, though, which helped keep me going.

Great follow-story to Beyond Justice! Hopefully there will be more to follow. This is a good clean legal thriller dealing with issues that are predominate today.
Domestic violence and intimidation are subjects to be deal with and this author does a wonderful job of introducing the help available through organizations such as Haven. Highly recommended!

IMPERFECT JUSTICE by Cara Putman # 2 in "Hidden Justice"
Kaylene, needed this appearance before the judge, she had been working toward it, a step to get her life back. She wanted this for her and the two girls. Husband had other ideas, drastic ones.even in death he is punishing her, or was she guilty. Her brother was unaware of the home life. Emilie is taking it personal were did she go wrong, in giving her the correct help to get that restraining order. Is there a clue, a piece of evidence what really happened in that house of a family of four. There was a survivor, could she testify. Another thriller by Cara, that has you trying to grasp how a father, could be so twisted. It will haunt you and make you want to read this in a setting. Readers will not be disappointed, in another good story from Cara .Given ARC by Net Galley for my voluntary review and honest opinion.

The second book in Cara Putman’s Hidden Justice series takes readers on an emotional sprint to the finish. In fact, this book should come with a warning for the emotional book hangover ahead.
With a calling to help women in trouble, Emilie Wesley questions everything about herself when one of her clients shoots her daughters before turning the gun on herself.
Yet, despite public and police opinion, Emilie cannot believe this woman would hurt her girls. When Reid Billings shows up with a letter from his sister asking him to take care of her daughters if anything happens to her, Emilie will dig to find answers. But someone has their eye on her.
There are some hard truths in this book which is centered around women trying to escape abusive and controlling men. Abuse can’t always be seen in bruises and broken bones. Imperfect Justice shines a spotlight on this epidemic as well as the people dedicated to help women escape these situations.
There is so much happening in this story—investigations, court appearances, life decisions, friendships, attraction, and much, much more—but Putman braids them together for a solid and satisfying read that is hard to put down.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Imperfect Justice slowly builds from an intriguing start to a fast-paced ending, weaving together legal cases, journalism, romance, financial investment, and a murder investigation.

Attorney Emilie Wesley is finding it hard to believe that the woman she was helping to leave her controlling and abusive husband is the same woman who shot and killed her young daughter before killing herself. But that's exactly what the press and police are saying about Kaylene Adams. Emilie wants to discover the truth, but knows it will be hard while balancing her work at The Haven, as well as her freelance investigative journalism work. When Kaylene's brother Reid shares his own suspicions with Emilie, they begin to work together to discover the truth and protect Kaylene's remaining daughter.

This book builds slowly. The first 100 pages provide a lot of information around the backstory and lead-in events and it's not until after this first section that Emilie and Reid start to dig and the mystery really starts to unfold. It does make the first half of the book rather slow and a little hard to get into, but the suspense quickly builds after that. This lead in to the story also gives the reader time to become familiar with Reid and Emilie as individuals before they have much interaction.

I think it's important to note that this book focuses on the legal implications of the case, rather than a traditional murder investigation. There is a cross-over and some similar detective legwork, but it doesn't have the consistent thrills of a murder mystery. Instead, this book combines a number of aspects, most notably Emilie's work providing legal council for those trying to find refuge from abusive relationships. Combined with this is Emilie's journalism work, and the suspense that builds around her fear of a stalker who is getting increasingly attentive. A portion of the story also focuses on Reid's work as a financial investor, which I quite enjoyed, along with the romance that develops between Reid and Emilie.

The romances also builds slowly and it's rather sweet to watch Reid stumble around his growing awareness of Emilie. As they build their case together, Emilie can't hide her growing respect for Reid, who shows a character much different from the abusive boyfriends and husbands she sees through her work at The Haven and with which she has had personal experience.

The title, Imperfect Justice, seemed to suggest that perhaps the ending wouldn't be as satisfying as it could be, but I really enjoyed the ending, and found it to be a fulfilling conclusion to this intriguing book.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog <a href="https://madisonslibrary.wordpress.com/">Madison's Library.</a>

Legal drama about domestic violence featuring one of the main characters from the previous book in this "Hidden Justice" series.

Emilie Wesley, an attorney and reporter, is the roommate of Hayden McCarthy and cousin of Hayden's boyfriend, Andrew. This book is Emilie's story. She's working at the Haven, a non-profit that serves women who want to escape difficult or abusive domestic situations. When one of her clients, Kaylene Adams, doesn't show up for a protective order hearing, Emilie is suprised. Kaylene seemed so determine to get out with her two daughters. As she is leaving court, a news alert reports mutliple shootings -- apparently Kaylene has shot one daughter dead, injured the other and killed herself. But that can't be right, can it?

The bulk of the rest of the story is about Kaylene's brother, Reid Billings, asking Emilie to help him get custody of the surviving daughter away from Kaylene's husband, Robert. The whole case moves very slowly -- probably because the main narrative is taken up with Emilie having a bit of a breakdown and a career crisis all while fearing she has a stalker. And if that's not enough to take away from the whole legal issues that are mentioned here and there, the rest of of the plot focuses on the romance between Emilie and Reid. So, to sum it up, the book is mostly angst with heavy dose of romance and a touch of legal proceedings. In addition, there is an extreme Christian theme -- which in an of itself is OK -- but every single character is always talking about it?? Hard to imagine that world and everyone on the same religious theme page all the time. Got to be too much, really. A little goes a long way. It seemed that this book was less about legal and more about romance and religion so it really wasn't much of a thriller nor was it suspenseful.

And the mystery of what happened in the Adams's house? Predictable and drug on forever with a rushed ending. I selected these two books in the series because I wanted to read legal thrillers, but I don't think I will read more for the reasons above. I was disappointed by this sequel.

I did, however, want to mention that I live in KC and have also spent hours in the Nelson-Atkins Museum staring at the original Monet painting the author describes. The wall-sized water lilies painting is amazing!
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Nelson, Inc. for the e-book ARC to read and review.

You never know what goes on behind closed doors and that is illustrated chillingly in this book. How far would you go and how much would you risk to right a well hidden wrong? You will enjoy following a determined social advocate along this path.

What do you get when you mix spousal abuse, three murders, and an abused child, a stalker, a group of female lawyers, and a successful investment manager - you get Imperfect Justice. The author did a great job of pulling together too many sub-stories into a very satisfying novel that left this reader wanting more.

The case was closed when Emilie Wesley’s client did not show up for the Protective Order hearing. She knew it, her boss told her it was true, and the fact that the client had died made it very clear - the case was closed. It did not help that police were convinced that Kaylene Adams, her client, had killed her older daughter, seriously wounded her younger daughter, and then killed herself. The case was closed.

There were two reasons she could not let the case go. First, her own gut told her this young mother would not harm her children. And, then, there was Reid Billings. Reid was the client’s younger brother and, he, too, was convinced that something was amiss. But there was no proof - never was, never would be. Yet, if Emily did nothing, Kaylene’s younger daughter, Kinley, might be left living with a murderer.

Cara Putnam’s experience as a courtroom lawyer has allowed her to write a novel as intriguing as anything coming from the pen of John Grisham or Robert Whitlow. As in her previous book, Beyond Justice, the author weaves in just enough faith and romance with the law to make this book of interest to an assortment of readers. Though not a direct sequel to the earlier work, a number of characters do cross over and help flesh out this newest work. The connection between the two books does not detract from the current story.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

This book deals with really tough issues like custody battles, stalkers, and domestic abuse. It was very disturbing and I longed to see things come out right for the hurting and abused.
Emilie longs to make a difference by helping women get out of abusive relationships. When a client comes to a bad end, she feels she failed and is determined to do what she can to make things right for the innocent left behind.
I loved Emilie’s passion and felt she was very relatable. She questions her purposes and her work when things go wrong. She has her own past issues to deal with. She’s likeable and someone I’d want to have on my side if I were in trouble.
I enjoyed trying to figure out some of the mysteries in the book. It was a fast read because I had to get to the end. There was a sense of suspense and urgency that I found riveting. I’d recommend this book to all mystery lovers.
Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. I was not required to leave a review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoy romantic suspense. I loved Beyond Justice, and Imperfect Justice is excellent as the second book in Cara Putman's Hidden Justice series. It can be read easily as a stand alone as well. I found the characters well developed, and real, loved the story, the suspense kept me turning pages, and read it in a day!

Reviewed on Goodreads, and will add to Amazon & Barnes & Noble when it allows me to!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2081640924

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It kept my interest the entire way through and I look forward to reading more by this author. I had not read the first book in this series, yet this book stood on its own. I appreciated the raw fear expressed by the main character, Emilie, as well as her gradual journey to trusting Reid. It also made me stop and think about those women who are in relationships where they are mistreated and abused by their husbands and just how difficult that must be. Overall, I would highly recommend this book and would definitely read other books by this author!

Ms. Putman’s Imperfect Justice was an entertaining, suspense filled book. This was the first book that I have read of hers. I am now going back and reading the first two books in this series. I enjoyed her story. Her main character was Emilie, a lawyer who tries to help those who have trouble helping themselves. Not only was her main characters entertaining, but the reader gets a glimpse of several secondary characters that are primary characters in previous books or looks to be in future books. I cannot wait until the next book comes out to see what occurs next. I highly recommend reading this book! The book has an exciting ending that the reader will not see coming. I will definitely be reading more of her books!
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, this is my own opinion.

I've been really enjoying how Cara Putman has been weaving real-life problems into her new series. It opens our eyes to situations we might now always come face-to-face with, but we should never be unaware of it, risking turning our nose towards a heart-breaking and wrecking dilemma.

Everybody believes eves that Kaylene Adams killed one of her daughters and then injured the other one before killing herself except her lawyer Emilie and Kaylene’s brother Reid.Emilie works for domestic violence victims and believes Kaylene was trying to escape her controlling husband. Reid and Emilie race against time to save Kaylene’s younger daughter along with Emilie trying to fight off an unknown personal stalker

This is my first book by Cara Putman and it’s a cozy , Christian , legal thriller.It’s not a fast paced book but a slow read about domestic violence which is never easy to read or write.

Many thanks to a Thomas Nelson & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

In the second in the Hidden Justice series (you don’t have to read the first one to enjoy this one), author Cara Putman keeps the reader writhing in suspense. Emilie Wesley, advocate and lawyer for Haven, a women’s resource center, has a stalker. At first, she discounts the gifts and notes, but as her search for the truth in a client’s untimely death intensifies, so does her stalker’s tactics. To make matters worse, the local police discount her fears.

Emilie teams with Reid Billings, the brother of her deceased client, Kaylene, to find the truth about the death. Readers will keep turning pages to discover who really killed Kaylene, and the identity of the stalker.

Both Emilie and Reid learn to trust in God as they seek justice for Kaylene’s young daughter and a resolution to Emilie’s stalker problem. Without preaching, Putman helps the reader understand some of the psychology that keeps women in abusive relationships. The fully-developed characters fast-paced plot will keep readers up late at night.