Great thriller, could no put it down through all the twists and turns. Would highly recommend to fans of this genre.

An engaging, well-written courtroom drama.
This is my first novel by Gerry Spence, and I quite enjoyed it. I've been reading legal thrillers for decades, and I'm always on the look-out for something new and interesting to try. COURT OF LIES met most of my requirements and expectations, and you can certainly see Spence's familiarity with and expertise on the US legal system. The details are well-written and well-woven into the story, which remains at the forefront.

It's a little uneven, perhaps, but I nevertheless enjoyed reading COURT OF LIES. The case and relationship between defendant and judge are well-done and interesting, and offer something a little different to the genre.

Recommended.

Here Gerry Spence gives us a great read. Not only has he written a gripping courtroom thriller but he uncovers so may flaws in the justice system and highlights unnecessary injustices that ruin the lives of so many. I really enjoyed this case. Lillian Adams is on trial and she has a know the judge since she was a child, yet he insists on remaining as the chief justice on the case as he fears what her fate could be in the lead prosecutor has his way. He is corrupt and malevolent and will do or say anything to win a case. Gerry Spence really knows know his stuff. I'd highly recommend Court of Lies. It'll keep you gripped right until the very end.

Spence delivers...bringing his legal expertise to another edge of your seat book. Highly recommend this to fans of Grisham...and obviously of Spence. :)

What started out as a 5 star thrilling legal thriller diminished in the end due to the fact it didn’t end! The mysterious murder trial concluded, but the novel did not. It dragged on to another trial.....then to another murder trial. At the conclusion (FINALLY) of the novel, the reader is left not really knowing who was guilty of what to whom. The lower rating is due entirely because of the last 15 % of the book. The climax of the story segued into another story; the denouement is unsatisfying.

However, my disappointment at the ending is not to distract from the beautifully descriptive imagery, metaphoric usage , and word choice depicting the inner turmoil and conflicts. The writing is delightful. Furthermore, it is a thoroughly intriguing courtroom drama and chronicles (realistically?) the inner workings of the justice system (much to this naive reader’s horror). The drama outside of the courtroom pulsates with tension as well. The inner conflicts revealed in Judge Murray is deeply moving and authentic as is the conflict between those in the justice system ( prosecutor, judge, police, community).

The dissatisfying ending: perhaps that is exactly the point the author wants to convey.....just how dissatisfied we should be with our legal system. The ambiguity. The corruption. The unfettered power of the powers that be. The diabolical plots developed behind closed doors. The unjust games played in the courtroom under the guise of justice. I believe this was the author’s intent - to depict how unsatisfying a “positive “ verdict can be for Lady Justice. Her scales are terribly unbalanced. Truth and justice are not synonymous, as the author brilliantly portrayed in this spellbinding novel, the effects of which I will not soon forget.

First Sentence: I've been around a long time.

Judge John Murphy is in a difficult position. Lillian Adams, who has been like a daughter to the Judge and his wife, is on trial for the murder of her wealthy husband. Under pressure to recuse himself, Judge Murphy knows prosecution attorney Haskins Sewell will do anything possible to bring about a guilty plea in order to further his own political career and remove Murphy from the bench. Murphy is in a fight for justice for Lillian, and to save his own position.

Gerry Spence knows the law. He has never lost a criminal case either as a prosecutor or a defense attorney, nor has he lost a civil case since 1969. With his first book of fiction, set in 1954, he is starting off very well, indeed, and it is not often we find a legal mystery from the perspective of the judge.

The author's voice can make such a difference in the telling of a story. It is no surprise that Spence has a storyteller's voice—"I'm a judge, and in the end we judges are killers like all the rest of the killers. Some poor devil waiting in a filthy concrete cell will start his march to the gas chamber when we sign the order. It's our duty to kill killers." He knows how to create a strong sense of place—"Winters get long in Jackson Hole. Too damn long. The people burn their woodstoves twenty-four hours a day, and the smoke settles down on the valley in a dark gray ground-hugging blanket."

As opposed to most books which would go through the police investigation, Spence takes one directly to the trial and the behavior of the defense attorney and the prosecutor. The first interaction between them truly establishes their characters. That's not to say that forensic evidence isn't involved in the story, but it becomes critical in the battle between the two attorneys. What makes Judge Murphy such a strong, interesting character is his self-doubt and insecurities.

From some authors, flashbacks can be irritating. Here, they prove a fascinating look at the characters. The judge's internal musings show a man who truly understands the weight of his office—"He tried not to see her [Lillian] as his child, but as just another defendant at the dock…".

One is accustomed to tension and suspense in a mystery. Although it is of a very different type, both attributes are just as present and just as effective as a car chase might be. In fact, it is taken a step further with a nice win for the judge and a rousing closing argument by the defense attorney reminding one of the importance of reasonable doubt. For anyone who has served on a jury, the scene in the jury room rings painfully true. In fact, the scene was so well done, one might have liked to see it extended.

"Court of Lies" is a very good, different legal mystery with a major twist, a surprising new character, and a powerful ending. Here's hoping for more novels from this legendary attorney.

COURT OF LIES (LegalMys- Judge John Murphy-Jackson Hole, Wyoming-Contemp/1954) – VG+
Spence, Gerry – 1st book
Forge – Feb 2019

Court of Lies is a courtroom drama centered on the trial of Lillian Adams in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in 1954. Tensions are particularly high and prosecutor Sewell is highly critical of Judge John Murray presiding over the trial, since he believes the Judge's relationship with Lillian will cloud his judgement in the case. Judge Murray however, believes that the only way Lillian will get a fair trial is for him to be the judge. She doesn't exactly have the best reputation in the small town.

I don't have much experience reading courtroom drama and the few I have read don't spend so much time in the courtroom. I did enjoy that factor. The story itself though was very slow to build and I felt like the ending was kind of thrown together. Almost anti-climactic.

If you want to read about a prosecutor and defense attorney go head to head in the courtroom, you will likely really enjoy this read. If you are hoping for there to be more of a story alongside the courtroom, perhaps not.

Court of Lies by Gerry Spence

In 1954 Jackson Hole, Wyoming we meet Judge Murray talking about his life and as the story progresses we meet the man who will become his law partner, the woman who will become his wife, a man that will be a thorn in his flesh for decades and a woman that is as close to him as a daughter. aa story is narrated by a true storyteller but one that is not in a hurry to share the tale. I had moments when I questioned if it would be worth the time to read this book but have to say that it definitely was.

My emotions were definitely involved as I read about abuse, misuses of power, lies, hate, bigotry and more. I was warmed by the love and friendship and caring of some for others. I felt anger more than once and wanted to reach in and smack some of the characters. I guess the main thing I felt at the end of the book is that the law is not always all that it could and should be but that people can be good even when they sometimes choose not to stay within the law’s boundaries.

This is a book that will stay with me for awhile and one that I will ponder. I can relate to the older characters in the book and how they are looking at the world in a way that I perhaps might not have been able to a couple of decades ago.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read another book by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Tor-Forge for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

A legal drama unlike any I’ve read before. Spence takes us both into the courtroom and behind the scenes of the courtroom in Court of Lies. Judge John Murphy has always been an upstanding, law abiding citizen that wants only the best for his courtroom and his town, but when the law fails does he take justice into his own hands to save those around him? With riveting courtroom drama and reasonable doubt, this well written book leaves us all questioning what really happened.

Court of Lies by Gerry Spence is a legal thriller and while I usually love that genre and Gerry Spence is known for them this is still my first attempt at one of his novels. With this first try there were of course things I loved and things I didn’t quite enjoy as much.

Court of Lies is centered around the trial of Lillian Adams who has been accused of murdering her wealthy husband. The judge of the trial, Judge John Murray, actually knows the defendant and thinks of her like a daughter. Despite the previous connection though the prosecutor and defense attorney agree to allow the judge to try the case.

Now, one thing I find with some legal thrillers is they seem to completely forget the “legal” and courtroom side that I actually do enjoy. Court of Lies however is a lot of courtroom drama during the book which I actually did like. Nothing like those twisted cross examinations and always get a chuckle at the back and forth there.

The story also has a lot of twisty back and forth between the characters outside of courst between the characters. However, as much as I wanted to really get immersed into this one personally I found it a little on the dry side and didn’t connect well to the characters leaving it one of those that was just kind of meh instead of intense reads. It definitely had moments that shined but in the end I found this one just an OK read.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

4.5 stars, actually.

If you're a lover of courtroom mystery/thrillers as I am, don't miss this one. Although it's rare for me to "compare" one author's book with another's - I don't think it's fair to either writer - I must say that throughout most of this book it felt as if I were channeling John Grisham.

Most of the story happens in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in the mid-1950s. Local Judge John Murray learns that Lillian Adams, who has been like a daughter to him and his wife of many years, Betsy, has been charged with the murder of her wealthy husband. Lillian, who has a history of disruptive behavior (and worse), had gunpowder residue on her hands and her late husband's blood on her clothing.

Despite the fact that he could recuse himself because of his prior association with Lillian, Murray insists on presiding at the trial. In large part, that's because the prosecutor, Haskins Sewell, is a long-time adversary who not only has his sights set on the judge's job, but is a man who will resort to shady courtroom tactics to get a win. In his heart of hearts, though, Murray hopes he can somehow turn the tide of jury favor toward a verdict of not guilty; but in his very honest head, he worries it won't be possible unless he employs some of the same underhanded tactics as the prosecutor. It helps a bit that another of the judge's friends is the defense attorney, who also wants to do everything he can to get Lillian off (and who, like the judge, detests the prosecutor).

At issue is a mysteriously appearing suicide note and suspicious blood trails, the boatload of money Lillian stands to inherit at her husband's death and Lillian's disturbed daughter Tina, who may well have had a motive (albeit misguided) to kill her stepfather. Throw all this in the mix with three legal professionals who hate each other, and you've got a whale of a well-written tale for which I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

In Gerry Spence's "Court of Lies", lovely Lillian Adams has been arrested and is being tried for the murder of her wealthy husband. Judge John Murray is on the bench, despite the fact that he and his feisty wife see Lilly almost as a daughter.

Ambitious prosecutor Haskins Sewell (with whom Murray has had run-ins before) needs a conviction (by any means he can employ, not limited to legal actions) as a way to advance his career. He's also out to get Murray, which is why he doesn't ask him to recuse himself from the case.

This engrossing read is an Indictment of the US legal system by the author, a renowned US trial attorney.

For lovers of courtroom drama, go no further. The prosecution, the defense, and even the judge are bigger than life, and their personalities color every page. Then mix in the past of the victim and the defendant to create a fantastic read!

Riveting Twists and turns at every corner. Shows the true under belly of the legal system. The frustration of the inocent being judged by small minded people on a jury. Loved this book from beginning to end. You won’t be able to put this book down.