First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Rotstein, and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Robert Rotstein has developed this unique legal thriller, told from the perspective of the other side of the courtroom. Rather than putting the reader in the middle of a courtroom drama, the story unfolds as the legal banter is wrapping up and the case is sent to the jury. David Sullinger is accused of having murdered his wife, Amanda, the day before their 21st wedding anniversary. According to David, he was subjected to significant and ongoing spousal abuse, which led him to act in self-defence at the time he plunged a pickaxe into her skull. Told from multiple perspectives, the book opens with the judge offering jury instructions, which are bumbled, and proceeds to the deliberations in the case. In a narrative that offers the jury members’ own perspectives on the case, as well as other officers of the court (judge, bailiff, lawyers) and even some outsiders, the reader learns more about what supposedly happened through recollections of evidence presented. Additionally, Rotstein offers some outside information on the judge, who is showing signs of mental distress due to personal matters, trying to hold it all together. With tidbits of testimony added within various chapters, the reader becomes a juror themselves, as they see the arguments made in deliberation, before a decision is made. Quite the story and highly unique! Rotstein is sure to impress those who enjoy legal thrillers with a different perspective, especially the reader who likes to be the thick of a courtroom drama.

I thoroughly enjoy legal thrillers and courtroom dramas, as they are not only entertaining, but highly educational. Rotstein peppers a little of everything in this case, which sees a man’s freedom hang in the balance. Spousal abuse against men remains a new defence, though it is one that has been rolled out here. Taking the perspectives of the jurors provides the reader with a unique glimpse into what they know, how they feel, and what influences their voting. The banter between these individuals—the least legally trained but with the most legal power in a case—is amazing and Rotstein infers a great deal throughout. The characters are plentiful and each has their own perspective, which allows the reader to watch as development and flavour mix to create the most entertaining set of individuals. The story is quite well done, offering great insight into how the same set of facts can be interpreted so many ways by a group of eight (see an early explanation in the story about how eight can serve on a jury in California) common citizens. With short chapters and a variety of perspectives, the reader will not get bogged down in the legal or personal minutiae of the characters, but will seek to see how things end up when the foreperson presses the red button, indicating a decision has been reached.

Kudos, Mr. Rotstein, for such a great book. I will recommend it to anyone who enjoys legal pieces, as you have a wonderful handle on the genre.

This is an interesting story. The book is told from the perspective of everyone in the courtroom from the court reporter, clerk, bailiff all the way to the individual jurors. The story starts at the end of the trial. Which I thought was interesting. You expect a courtroom drama to start at the beginning. For this book the end was the beginning. Through all the different characters we learn the trial. David Sullinger is accused of killing his wife Amanda in self defense with an ax to the head. Their two children are divided on which parent was truly the monster in the family. We learn a lot about the couple from the different witnesses' stories. There are lots of twist and turns. Interesting characters on the jury that we learn more about. Makes you not want to be called for jury duty. If you are a fan of legal dramas and stories you will enjoy this book.

"We, The Jury," is a mystery novel told in first person by the various characters involved in a murder trial, allowing the reader a glimpse into the jury room and each person's perspective in the case. This story also demonstrates the personal biases, cultural backgrounds, ethnicity, gender, etc., that influence a jury in the decision making process of the guilt or innocence of the accused. Great read and highly recommended.

This is not your typical legal thriller. The story, which involves a pretty awful series of events, is told by many different narrators all of whom are involved in some way or another. It’s a very different story but really held my interest from start to finish. It does get a little complicated with all the narrators so I found I sometimes had to backtrack a few pages. Reading this was time really well spent!

We, the Jury was such an enjoyable read. The book follows the trial of David Sullinger who has been charged with murdering his wife. David claims that his wife has been physically abusing him for years and he killed her in self-defence. This version of the story is supported by David's daughter, however, David's son provides a contradictory testimony claiming that the monster in the relationship was not the murdered mother, but the father. The problem is that the son is a drug addict and no one seems to believe his side of the story. Seemingly straight forward court case for the jury turns out to be more complicated than originally anticipated. As the jurors start deliberating, more and more doubt and questions creep in. Is David guilty or innocent??

Probably the main reason why I enjoyed the book so much was the different points of view we are exposed to as readers. Each chapter is told by a different participant of the trial - 8 members of the jury, judge, bailiff, prosecutor..., which was very refreshing and enable us understand each character's perspective. This book lets us behind the closed doors of jury deliberation which I find very intriguing. It was fascinating to see the impossible task of the jurors of finding the truth and to ensure justice has been served. Sometimes it can take only one person with excellent persuasion skills to sway others to change their opinion. 

My only minor complaint would be that for some reason I expected some kind of a twist at the end of the book or perhaps just a more satisfactory ending. I probably shouldn't have done as the book is gripping enough as it is and I would highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an unusual book about all the people (judge, jury, bailiffs) involved in a murder trial. Moving from person to person narrating their feelings and experiences, it is gripping. The stories fit together like a well oiled machine. Shockingly, for a novel involving so many characters all of them are really well-developed.

This is a very original and well-written book, which will hold the readers’ interest from start to finish.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a Kindle ARC of We, the Jury. I read this book in three days and I didn't want to put it down. It is probably one of the most well-written stories of a trial that I've read. The story is told from alternating points of view of a jury, judge, bailiff and attorneys in the trial of David, a married man accused of killing his wife prior to their 21st anniversary. There's no dispute that he did it but his claims of self-defense and being a battered spouse both emotionally and physically are in question. The reader doesn't hear directly from David or his two children, but hear their accounts through recorded court testimony. David's son feels that his father was the monster and his daughter feels the complete opposite. The points of view of everyone but the suspect and his children is gripping. The judge, a recent widow, is losing her grip and questions her own authority and decisions. This book should do well, based on positive reviews and word of mouth. I know I'll be spreading the word to friends and family that We, The Jury is possibly one of the best fictional court dramas ever written.

In this mystery thriller, "We, The Jury", the author, Robert Rotstein has shown exceptional writing talent in taking the reader into the jury room during deliberations. Many of us have wished that we could sit invisibly behind the scenes of the life and death decisions of a jury of peers. I'm this case, who is the real victim? The dead wife or the defendant husband? Who was the true abuser? Meet the Judge, the Defense, the Prosecutor, and the vast of Jurors. Be a part of the Court Room drama in this mystery novel of violent murder, Family deceit and sex.

I really enjoyed this novel. It revolves around a murder trial and each chapter is told from the POV of one of the characters who is in some way involved in the trial--the judge, the bailiff, the court reporter, a reporter for an on-line magazine, the judge's clerk, the lawyers and the individual jurors. I can sometimes find myself confused by this format, but I had no trouble with this one-each character's voice was drawn clearly and distinctly.

The book's events all occur during the court case and the jury deliberation phase, but it is not limited to the circumstances of the murder or the case. Instead it looks into the interior thoughts and feelings of the individual characters who are all in some way affiliated with the case, so that the reader comes to understand how elements of each character's personal situation come to impact the case itself in a variety of ways.

Towards the end of the book, we focus most on the dialogue and interaction between the jurors as they deliberate, and their internal thoughts during the process. I sat for jury duty on an attempted murder case where the jury ended up hung; the deliberation process described in this book felt very true to my experience, with each juror trying to listen to the thoughts of the others as they made their own decision about a verdict.

I have recently read many books that use the unreliable narrator literary device. I am always hesitant to mention that in my reviews, as I worry that making such a statement becomes a spoiler. But, I feel like the unreliable narrator has been overused, and frequently that is a major element that feeds into my dislike of a particular book, so it is difficult to leave it out of my review. We, the Jury also includes an unreliable narrator, but there are so many narrators in this story, I don't feel as if that is a spoiler. And in this particular case, I enjoyed the way it was used-resulting in a twist that I wasn't expecting at all.

All in all, this was a great read and I highly recommend it.

A not so straight forward killing - in this case the accused was a husband who axed his wife to death on the grounds that he was emotionally and physically abused, his children were abused by his wife and this was the result.

Told from the point of view of each juror and the Judge presiding, also from other court officials, each one gave a different scenario of the day to day happenings. Each one was different and quirky! even the Judge. It also showed how easy extraneous circumstances can affect us all and that no decision made by a jury is ever going to be based only the facts presented!

A very interesting piece of American justice system in play and one I enjoyed reading very much. Since all the jurors were naturally all very different individuals the story became more and more interesting as the trial unravel led.

Characterization and plot were spot on.

I really enjoyed this book told from the point of views of the jury, bailiff, clerk, judge , prosecutor and defending lawyer etc. We get to see their state of mind, their personal bias and insecurities, the cultural context and the filters through which their verdict will come. One aspect I’m not sure I really grasped was the motivation behind the twist -can’t say more because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!
Thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

We, the Jury is one of those books that just captures your interest from the first page and four hours later, you look up and have forgotten to give your kids dinner. Set in a California courtroom, the book highlights the jury of a murder/spousal abuse:self defense case. The personalities of the jurors and their reaction to each other and the facts of the case make this a page turner.

Well written, the characters are well developed and diverse, and most are unlikable. The politics of a small county in California enter into the story, as does bias. There are twists and turns, much in the style of Grisham. It's a really good read and will be enjoyable to those readers who like courtroom thrillers and fiction. I rate this four stars and would recommend you try it. It was a great beach read for me in the Caribbean on vacation.

Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a great idea. Tell the story of a murder trial from the perspective of the jury, the bailiff, court reporter and judge. A fascinating read!
There are a few areas that felt as if the author left out knowledge that he has that would flesh this story out a bit, give it a more solid reading. Even so, I enjoyed it very much. I would read more from this author.

WE, THE JURY - Robert Rotstein
Perfect 10
Blackstone Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-5384-4090-2
ASIN: B07CNQ2DZS
October 2018
Mystery

Sepulveda, California – The Present

WE THE JURY is told from fourteen viewpoints during a jury’s deliberation of a murder trial. Each chapter tells a viewpoint from the judge, the prosecuting attorney, the husband and paralegal of the defending attorney, the courtroom clerk, the bailiff, a blogger, or from one of the eight members of the jury. This approach is very different but riveting. The reader learns about the defendant, David Sullinger, through varying jury member's interpretations of court testimony on how and why he murdered his wife. Also exposed are their son Dillon, age 16, and daughter Lacey, age 17, who testify for or against their father. To complicate the issue, David's wife Amanda was his former high school teacher and the family breadwinner. David’s expensive defense lawyer, Jenna Blaylock, has presented her client as an abused spouse who defended himself. The local prosecuting attorney, Jack Cranston, is shown through these viewpoints as Blaylock’s opposite: unattractive, unfashionable, stumbling over his words, and apparently inept. The jury begins deliberations ready to acquit.

What emerges is a ‘is he guilty or innocent’ debate, but through a very convoluted set of narratives. Each juror bases their interpretation of facts on their own thoughts and beliefs about what they saw or heard, or remembered or not, in court. Each of the eight jurors comes from different social experiences, mindsets, and accompanying prejudices. They sort truth, misconception, deliberate deception, and lies based on the testimony and evidence presented to deliver the verdict. Some jurors have personal motivations behind their convictions. The jury's diversity emerges from the epithets given: the Foreperson, the Architect, the Housewife, the Grandmother, the Student, and the Jury Consultant, all women; and the two men jurors, the Clergyman and the Express Messenger/Actor. Each viewpoint gives a very different assessment of what is happening in the deliberation process. Outside the courthouse, a very determined, quasi-journalist/blogger is presenting her own agenda about the defendant and trial.

In the meantime, a reader becomes aware of the two attorneys and their mindsets about truth, lies, and justice. The presiding judge has just lost her beloved husband and leaves the reader wondering if this has possibly impaired her judgement. The dedicated and concerned courtroom clerk and bailiff help keep the judge in order and the process moving, but have concerns.

All of this shows how society and courtrooms blend in determining guilt or innocence. The author, who has a law degree, also plays the reader very effectively, taking them on a bumpy journey of belief/disbelief about innocence and guilt, but he also gives a complex view of how the justice system works, and how it also can be played. Few readers will foresee the very unexpected ending.

Robin Lee

Excellent book! Very original storyline. It is very engrossing to see the view point of different jury members, their opinions of the case, and their opinions of each other. As much as we want to believe a jury's decision is just based on facts, it is a big order, as you will see in this book. It is a struggle to stay objective. A juror may not like another juror, juror's get tired, hungry, frustrated, a juror may have an agenda for the verdict, the same is true of the judge and court staff. Definitely worth reading. It ended to soon for me. I was wishing there was more to read. I felt like a juror while I was reading. I keep changing my mind on who was guilty, and was hungry for more information to feel the gaps.

I love, love, LOVE courtroom drama and this book hit the right spot for me! It's a completely different voice as it comes from the perspective of the jury. The story catches you from the very first page and keep you in it till the very last page.

This was an interesting read. Courtroom drama and legal thriller lovers will surely enjoy this fresh take on jury trials.

Robert Rotstein brings in over a dozen narrators who are also characters within the book. So that's over a dozen points of view. That was interesting at first but by half-way through the book I truly just wanted to follow the jury's deliberation straight through (aka, get to the point.) Additionally, because of all the switcheroo I didn't feel entirely invested in some of them.

From a literary angle, seeing the same event from so many points of view was, indeed, innovative. Getting first hand knowledge of individual's innermost thoughts aided the character development, which I appreciate.

There was a lot going on in this book. Did I as a reader get to know it all, the ins and outs, the why and how, of everything? No. And while that might be frustrating, I also think that adds another layer of the arching theme of We, the Jury: that no one person can know everything, that we only know what we are told and have to agree or disagree with what is presented to us. As such, the reader is, in a way, acting as a juror as well.

In that sense, my verdict of Robery Rotstein's We, the Jury did fulfill its purpose and lead the reader through the facts presented as evidence, gave a fly-on-the-wall view of the happenings behind the juror door, and forced the reader into the head of each person...perhaps making us question our own thoughts along the way.

This was pretty predictable, I read about half of it and just couldn't get to the finish line.. Its hard to stand out in the genre and this one didn't do it for me. Sorry to say. Theres nothing I enjoy more than finding a new writer

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for giving me a sneak peek at this title which debuts in October. David Sullinger is on trial for murder, after sinking an axe into his wife’s skull. Was it murder or self-defense? Having been on a jury, the glimpse it gives you into the deliberation room is spot on. However, it takes a very skilled author to tell a compelling story using only one setting and several characters. By a trial’s nature, they are boring and tedious. I found myself skipping large passages to get to the exciting parts. I also didn’t understand what a jury consultant was and why one would be on a jury. If you like to glimpse into the backstory of what goes on during a murder trial, this book is for you.

A lot can happen between two people when they have been married 21 years, but exactly one day prior to their anniversary David kills his wife Amanda with an axe to the head. Their two children told inconsistent stories about their parents relationship and the context of the killing. Was it cold blooded murder or self defense from years of spousal abuse at the hands of Amanda.

As humans we all have strengths and limitations, good intentions and unjust motivations, and exposures to different aspects of life that shape who we are. This all comes into play as a juror deciding the fate of another human being. We, the jury is a story of David and Amanda from the eyes of the jurors, judge, and people associated with the trial. It is also a character study of each of those people who are tasked with passing judgement. It is a modern-day version of 12 Angry Men. It is tedious at times, but the human behaviors are fascinating. Rotstein exposes the thoughts and personal struggles of each character as they interact and formulate decisions throughout the deliberation process. It is very relatable and quite different from anything I’ve read lately. Would highly recommend it to others.