I did something with this book that I rarely do. I devoured it in two days, and then I sat with it. I usually have a good idea of where my review will go when I've finished, but this one confounded me. Not because it isn't good - it is. Matt Durant's story is compelling and emotional, the courtroom drama is gripping, and the whole thing is thoroughly thought-provoking. Nevertheless, I ended this one with mixed feelings. For one thing, I kept wondering when Matt and his mother were going to get angry. The more I read, the more I felt like some element was missing, and I finally figured out what it was. We see the fear, the sadness, the worry, the determination, but not once do either of them get mad. The way it's handled, Matt is almost methodical through the whole process, and I just found him to be a little too saintly to be believed, and as a mother, I can't fathom not getting angry over how things happen. Then we come to the conclusion, and I felt a little cheated. This was quite the journey with Matt, and I expected more than to be left hanging. Maybe we're supposed to guess? hope? dream up? where it goes, but after all of that, I wanted closure. This is an emotionally draining journey (minus the anger), and I wanted to know what happened next. I understand that what would have to happen next would've been lengthy, but even an epilogue with some explanation would've been better than that closing line. In the end, Defense of An Other was a brilliant journey ruined by an abrupt and less than satisfying ending.

I was delighted to read a book with a gay lead that was well written and not full of gratuitous sex scenes. It could easily be on the shelf with Grisham or Turow.

Defense of An Other was a very enjoyable read and I found the depictions of the trial and subsequent legal actions to be factual. I worked in the court system for several years in a traditionally male held position but I ultimately lost my job due to the actions of a homophobic judge. The struggle is real for the LGBTQ community and the current administration is bent on rolling back any progress we’ve made toward equality.

This galley went untouched for several weeks but once I started reading, I found it to be a compelling story. Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read and share my opinion.

If you have an intense interest in law, criminal justice, LGBTQ issues and especially the LSU Tigers, this is the book for you. Originally self-published by lawyer Grace Mead in 2007 and rereleased now in 2019, it centers around a case of a lawyer who killed an attacker outside a gay bar in New Orleans and the resulting constitutional questions. It was striking to me how things have changed in just 12 years. The book is extremely well-thought out and detailed, in all aspects such as the main character’s questioning of his orientation to blow-by-blow descriptions of LSU football games. I enjoyed the book but others who do not have as great of interest in some of the topics may not be as interested. I would love to read another book by this author that highlights trans inssues.
Thanks to NetGalley, Clink Street Publishing, and the author Grace Mead for an electronic review copy.

This book was the first book this year that evoked so much emotion within me. Matt a lawyer in a firm from Louisiana finds himself in a bad situation when he decides to adventure out to a gay bar. Something goes very wrong for Matt he becomes a victim of a hate crime and the legal system fails him. The book takes you through a roller coaster ride through the legal system for the LGBTQ community in the south. Potential jurors are biased against gays for religious reasons. Gays and GOD in their eyes does not mix in the south. There where a lot of truths in the reality of what happens in the criminal justice system for the LGBTQ community in this book. Even though all the characters where made up for this book.. I love legal thrillers and this one is one of the best I have read this year.. I found myself angry at times for the injustices Matt faces. I found myself sad for Matt for the pain he endures. I found happiness in Matt and Eric's new found relationship..
Grace Mead thank you for making this book come to life and waking me back up to the injustices the LGBTQ face and still face today in the legal system. Your characters came to life as I turned each page. I liked the mixture of real events like the Angola rodeo which some people reading would not know that it is a real event. Even though gay marriage is legal and I am married I still live in my closeted self after i leave my house every day. I live in the South the dangers are real for the LGBTQ community. I know things can go awry in a minute if your are not prepared. I think so much more needs to be done in the legal system to protect LGBTQ individuals.
I want to thank Netgalley and Clink Street Publishing for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure why I chose this book to read and review. There was something in the description that drew me to take a chance. Once I began reading I was immediately immersed into the story by the brilliant writing and the indecision and desires of Matt Durant, a young lawyer who isn’t sure if he is straight or gay.

Matt is somewhat embarrassed and indecisive about being gay, so on a whim he visits a gay bar to explore his emotions. A series of events that evening lead to Matt killing a man. From that point forward, Matt is trapped in a legal system manipulated by prosecutors and false testimony of the other three men involved in the altercation.

The author, Grace Mead, is a lawyer herself. She is also gay. With this life experience she is in a unique position to wring every emotion and heartbreak out of all the characters in the novel, from Matt to his Mother to other gay and straight people scattered throughout this marvelous book.

It doesn’t matter if you are straight, gay, or undecided. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old. All that matters is if you like to read an outstanding human interest story that will challenge your thoughts and emotions. Take a chance on this book, I’m sure you will enjoy it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for offering me a free advance copy of this novel for my honest review.

An absolutely amazing story! I love legal fiction, stories about lawyers and trials but this one was better than most because it is written by a practicing lawyer. It is mostly the story of Matt, a delightful young man, a successful lawyer but unsure of his sexual orientation. He had broken up with his girlfriend of many years and decided to have a few drinks in the French Quarter in Louisiana. He ends up in a gay bar, Joey approaches him and they have a drink together. In the alley behind the bar, they are urinating when three men set upon them. Joey is punched violently in the face, and, rather than run, Matt ends up hitting one of the guys with a bottle and kills him. The story is much about the inner feelings of Matt and the seemingly injustice in jury selection of refusing to select anyone who is gay. Beautifully written and I highly recommend.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked the writing and I like the main character, Matt, but something about the whole story didn't click with me. I enjoyed the trial and the gathering of evidence but as a whole I found the whole thing pretty odd. Why was such a rush and determination to convict a lawyer of good character?

The fourth part of the story (as it was divided in 4) was irrelevant to me; and even more irrelevant was Matt's journey trying to find out if he was gay or not. Was this a thriller or psychological journey?

I think that the whole gay dating thing and support should've been a different book because the way it is described in the summary, this story is about a man being accused of murder for trying to save his and someone else's lives.

I know that in trials things get distorted to fit an agenda but I was given no reason of why the jurors believed what they believed (and I can't say more because then I would give away the story).

Thanks Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title.

Defense of An Other is gripping book ripped from today’s headlines. Sort of.

Matt is an up and coming young attorney practicing in post-Katrina New Orleans for a prestigious law firm. While his career is on the fast track, his personal life is not. He has just ended a long-term relationship with his girlfriend and is exploring his attraction to men – something he has felt since he was a young boy. He has not, of course, come out to anyone, not even to himself. After a tough day at work, he decides to go to a gay club in the French Quarter where he meets Joey. The two don’t necessarily hook up but they do spend a nice, fun night at the club together. When they step out back to take a leak – the men’s room being stuffed full – they are attacked by three thugs looking to beat up some “faggots.” One of them ends up dead and Matt is arrested for the murder – first degree murder, no less. It is, after all, the south in the early 2000s – not that much has changed since then – and it is the word of the “bubbas” against “gay boy” Matt. You can see where this story is going, right?

The author is a successful attorney herself, very intelligent, and it shows throughout the book. The legal aspect of the pre-trial and courtroom drama is spot-on and captivating. I love legal thrillers and, from that aspect, Defense of An Other, is terrific and well written. I also spent half of my life in Arkansas, a stone’s throw from New Orleans, and nearly every summer of my adult life we traveled down to NOLA. The description of New Orleans, the French Quarter, the people there is vivid and real. I could almost smell the stench of the garbage and vomit of Bourbon Street and remember how amazing the Café du Monde looked and smelled at dawn. However, when it came to the actual characters of the book, I thought Mead drew up short. Matt and his mother never were quite angry enough to be believable. If it was me or my son, I would have been livid. Everyone stayed so calm, cool, collected. I have been arrested on false charges – that’s a story for another post – and my son has been arrested for protesting. I know first hand how these characters should have reacted and calm and cool were not in our wheelhouse on those occasions. You also had a mother who, in a round-about manner, just found out that her son may or may not be gay and she just shoved that discussion aside and talked about going back to work instead. Totally bizarre. From a legal stand point, the book is brilliant. From a personal perspective it was lacking and that missing element made all the difference in the world for me. The ending, too, was abrupt and unfulfilling. I’m unclear if it was meant to be a cliffhanger or if we were meant to extrapolate our own interpretation of what would come next but, either way, it simply didn’t work.

Defense of An Other is being billed as a legal thriller and LGBTQ. It is legal fiction that features a young man who was in a gay bar and is tried as a gay man. I’ve read a lot of other books featuring LGBTQ characters that were not labeled as such for the simple premise that they are, in fact, human beings just like the rest of us. I’m not sure I appreciated the distinction for this particular work. While his sexual orientation is the reason for the beating and storyline in this particular instance, Matt could just as well have been African American or a prostitute or Asian American or a liberal or Muslim or, or, or An Other that Southern Bubbas find offensive. “They” are the issue, the point – if you will – not his sexual orientation. Three stars, middle of the road, because of the great legalese versus the poor character development.

I was given this book to review by #Netgalley and #ClinkStreetPublishing.

This was one of those books that you literally inhale without taking a breath! Young lawyer, Matt has just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and seeks confirmation about his sexuality as he's always been attracted to men. Hoping to find solace in a gay bar in the French Quarter, he meets Joey and things are going well until they step out back to relieve themselves. Confronted by three thugs who are anxious to beat up a couple of gay men, Matt makes a split-second decision that literally changes his life forever. I powered through this book not only because it's compelling, but also because it's an important look at the judicial and prison systems, and an even greater look at the inequality that exists in our gay and lesbian communities. While the ending was ambiguous, I get that Mead needed to end it this way. This is one that will stay with me for a long time and I certainly look forward to more from this author!

Thanks again to NetGalley for a copy of this book. I loved the characters in this well developed story of Matt, a young attorney who is found guilty of murder. However I was a bit disappointed waiting for a conclusion but how the story ended without final answers to my questions.

This book made me feel all the feels, including rage that a hate crime was not prosecuted as such. That a man is convicted based on the biased testimony of three other criminals with a lot to gain from lying. Sadness that a gay man is not allowed to live his truth and the one time he tries to explore his sexuality his life is forever changed.

This book details the trial of a gay lawyer who finds himself on trial for murder, after a night at a gay club. The man he protected is testifying against him, to save his own hide. It explores the legal system in a less tolerate Louisiana in 2009, before some legal protections were put in place.

This book is heavy on legalize, but it is not so much as to detract from the human side of this story. My only criticism is that it is peppered with a lot of religious references which I personally don't like. The end also feels a little abrupt, I wanted to know a little more of what happens after, I ended with a lot of questions.

This was an interesting read. Author Grace Mead certainly brought to the forefront the problem a gay man faced in 2007 regarding the issue of jury selection and the prejudices of those selected…and those dismissed. She also effectively educated her readers, in great detail, about the legal principles and arguments regarding those issues and equal protection of the laws. The title was also a great fit for this read.
There were some non legal parts, like watching a football game, that the writing became extensive with details and slowed the flow of the story. Other than that, it was a good read.

I have just finished reading Defense Of An Other by Grace Mead. I excepted a book about a trial of a man who had murdered another in a brawl. This however was only part of the story. Mostly it is about Matt Durant, a gay convicted lawyer and his time spent in prison and trying to survive not only being gay but also trying to win a new trial. This book was very well written and it flows very fast. It kept my interest more so during the time in prison than before Matt was incarcerated. I had a hard time putting this book down wanting to reach the end. I am looking forward to future writings from this author. I like to thank Net Galley for my advance copy.

I normally read mystery, suspense and romance stories. I guess I thought this would be fit somewhere there but I’m disappointed. The story held me right up until it quit. It left me feeling totally unhappy that I spent my time reading it with no resolution. The story line is good. I liked the characters. I didn’t feel there was much mystery to anything here since I knew who did what and how they behaved was a given throughout most of the story. It touched on a group of people, gay, but that felt like the author needed a group and it would not have mattered what as long as there was a fit to attract readers. The group in this story could have been rewritten with a number of different people and it could have fit. I’m giving the story four stars because I think part is me but I read a lot and hate when I’ve read through a story and am waiting for a conclusion and I feel like this should have been a cliffhanger since we don’t know where the story actually ends. I’m sad since I am attracted to the characters and would have enjoyed this even as a series ongoing or if there had been an ending to this story. I will not read more from this author. I was given a free copy from NetGalley and this is a voluntary review.

For a guy who is supposedly a top lawyer, the main character makes some really bad choices, has some really good luck in that his boss will represent him pro bono and has some really bad luck that witnesses lie and or change stories to stay out of jail.

Too simplistic and not realistic. Not worth finishing, either.

The Defense of an Other by Grace Mead is fiction but at times feels like it's based on a true story. This book completely held my attention and was difficult to put down as I wanted to know what happened next. I enjoy legal thrillers and this certainly falls under that category. I was given a copy to review.

Grace Mead does a good job writing on sexual orientation in the legal system. While reading the book there was several times I wanted Matt, a young lawyer accused of murder, to stand up and defend himself but then realized that would be changing the character of Matt. #Netgalley #DefenseofanOther

This book is fast paced and was easy to read. Lots of suspense involved. Books pertaining to legal issues are particularly interesting to me, so I really did enjoy this book. The storyline was very well developed and intertaining. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review

So thought provoking! Really glad I got a chance to read it. The legal arguments were interesting, but sad that they aren't rights! Quick read.