Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I know my last couple of reviews have been romance novels, but this time, I’m pulling out a mystery/thriller for you. I’ve been a fan of mysteries and thrillers for years and if you look back at my review history, you’ll see that I’ve reviewed my fair share of them. So today I’m bringing you a new one – The Sacrifice of Lester Yates by Robin Yocum.

This one has been in my NetGalley queue for far too long. I’m honestly disgusted with myself for not having read this book sooner.

Characters
Allow me to preface this characters section by saying there are a LOT of characters at play here. I’m only going to touch on a couple of them for the sake of my dear readers not having to spend hours reading a review.

Hutchinson Van Buren
Our illustrious main character, from whose point of view the story is being told, is an interesting character. He’s the Attorney General for the State of Ohio. He’s also overly concerned about whether or not the right man is being executed for a series of murders. I like him, I like him a lot. He’s not afraid to go after the real culprit no matter who that person may be.

Lester Yates
We don’t see a lot of him even though he’s the title character. He’s a likable fellow though, seems very sweet, though not very bright. I like him too.

Big Jim Wilinski
I really hope I spelled his name right – actually, I dislike this one so I don’t really care. He’s the kind of person you love to hate. He’s the Governor of Ohio and is a complete dog. He has an annoying habit of calling people “padnah” and it makes me what to smack him through the pages of the book. Obviously not a favorite of mine.

Alfonso Majestro
If you think I dislike Wilinski, I really can’t stand this guy. He’s Wilinski’s chief of staff and honestly, he’s a greasy piece of junk. He’s the kind of person who pulls all the strings for his politician because his politician has no idea what he’s doing. He’s a real piece of work and not very likable.

Del Brown
He goes by another name in the book as well, but I’m too damned lazy to look it up. He’s the sheriff who arrested Lester Yates and he’s a piece of work as well. He drinks too much diet soda and he has a really gross habit of sucking saliva back in his mouth when he talks. I’m obviously not fond of him. He was known as Del Brown when he arrested Lester, but got himself a cushier job and started referring to himself by a fancier name. He wasn’t worth it.

Review
The Sacrifice of Lester Yates sounds like something John Grisham would have written. The Attorney General of the State of Ohio investigating to make sure a man who was convicted of a murder and sentenced to death is truly the right man before he’s executed. I admit, it’s a book that is right up my alley. Again, I wish I hadn’t waited so long to read it.

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. As you progress through the book, you are introduced to more evidence of Lester’s innocence and to new suspects for the murders committed by the Egypt Valley Strangler. You never quite know what they’ll uncover next and just when you think you might know who committed a particular murder, the plot twists and you’re left wondering who really did it then.

The book is well written, with the usual typo, missing word, or extra word here and there. Nothing to really be annoyed or upset by – in fact, most of the time I had to re-read a sentence or word to realize anything was amiss. Pretty much every book I read has these types of things in them and they don’t detract from the story because they aren’t so prolific that you can’t ignore them.

The author’s writing style is easy to read and easy to follow. While the plot has twists, you can easily follow along and won’t get completely lost. By the time the book ends, you’ll know who did what and you’ll be able to understand how they got to that conclusion.

One of my favorite things is that it wasn’t easy to guess who did what in the story. While I would tell myself that so-and-so did this or that, it usually ended up not being the case, which made the book all the more interesting to read.

If you’re a mystery fan and you like legal and/or political thrillers, I’d recommend you give this book a try.

this was a great start to a thriller book, it had what I wanted from this type of book. The characters were great and I enjoyed reading this book.

In The Sacrifice of Lester Yates, we cross paths with Hutch Van Buren, a familiar character from one of Yocum's previous novels. In this novel, Hutch is working in state politics, and finds himself in a position of being tasked with finding out the truth about convicted serial killer Lester Yates. Is Yates really guilty? Can Van Buren find the truth before Lester's execution date arrives? Yocum has a real talent for creating thought-provoking plots, and he does it again with The Sacrifice of Lester Yates.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Yocum’s “The Sacrifice Of Lester Yates” is a top-notch exciting legal thriller. You have to begin with the caveat that the legal system functions quite well in reality and the prisons are filled with guilty men, not innocent ones, and that no death row inmate would be without a team of government-paid lawyers picking apart their trials to the last second while few even have a clue what the victim’s names were. However, this is fiction, not reality, and exciting fiction is set up when you have a state attorney general fearing that the wrong man is due for execution and time is ticking away.

This novel is incredibly well written and, if this is a good example of Yocum’s work, then we have lots more good reading ahead. The pace is tremendous and the characters well thought out. Van Buren is not the tilting at windmills type of crusader. He’s the average guy who wants to do the right thing. He just doesn’t realize when he starts what a giant can of worms he’s opening.

Also, the novel shows the reader in this legal -political thriller the different areas of Ohio from the cosmopolitan Columbus to the Ohio River Valley where rotting factories and opioid addiction dots the landscape.

An absolutely great read.

Lester Yates is going to be executed, or is he? As the Sate Attorney General Hutch Van Buren reinvestigates we quickly begin to see there may be some cracks in the case against Lester. Does this mean there is still a serial killer on the loose? Fast paced and heart pounding this book keeps you on the edge of your seat till the last minute!

I started this book at around 8pm last night. It’s now 3am and I just finished because I absolutely could not stop reading it. What a fabulous book. A marvelous whodunnit.

Hutch Van Buren is the Attorney General of Ohio and bored beyond belief. Always someone who roots for the underdog and a talented, driven prosecutor, he longs for more of... something.

'Something' walks into his office one day without an appointment. Black binders carried by prison guard Reno Moretti.

Excellenct book!

The book is fast-paced and intriguing. The plot is well-laid, the characters are interesting, and as for what happens to Lester Yates has me hooked till the last word. Yocum takes you on a journey filled with strong and powerful characters, including Van Buren, his secretary- Margaret Benning, and Liberatore.

The story has well-developed characters, and they all have their backstories and strengths and weaknesses that impact the storyline. Even though the book is a political thriller, there is more to it than just politics, politicians, and prison. The book does include humor and shows its characters in a softer light as well. While the conclusion is not suspenseful, it is the journey to get to it that is exhilarating.

This book has kept me awake at night, and I have read till I ended up drooling on my kindle. I truly enjoyed the book and give it 5/5 stars. I haven't checked for the correctness of the political terminologies or processes used, and hence, it does not impact my rating. For readers who have loved the work of Elmore Leonard and E. Annie Proulx, this should be your next read. Thanks, NetGalley, and Skyhorse Publishing, for the DRC.

Hutchinson Van Burlen is Ohio’s elected State Prosecutor and future potential Attorney General, if he can stick to the politics and play his role. A prison guard brings him a case to review of a potential innocent death row inmate. So begins an investigation that is going to upset his political benefactor and jeopardise his career advancement. Initially, what seems a true crime tale, turns into a combination murder mystery and legal thriller of the highest order. The Sacrifice of Lester Yates by Robin Yocum is a fast pacing death row countdown with many an unexpected turn. A captivating tale and engrossing legal thriller with a five-star must-read rating. With thanks to NetGalley and the author for a preview copy for review purposes. All opinions expressed herein are freely given and totally my own.

Lester Yates is on death row for the murders of young women but now, as his execution date nears, Hutch Van Buren realizes something isn't right. As Attorney General of Ohio, he's been at the side of the Governor Big Jim Wilinski and hopes to ride his coat tails to higher political office. Turns out, however, things aren't so cut and dried. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. The problems with the case and the answers Hutch find might not be so surprising but fans of the thriller than blends law and political conspiracy might give this one a try for the well crafted characters.

Another very good read from now one of my favourite authors Robin Yocum. I was very pleased to see his new release was available on netgalley and quickly scooped it up. We are reunited with main character Hutch from a previous novel the very very good Forgotten Sons. Hutch is now the attorney general for Ohio and is presented with evidence that a man believed guilty of the murder of several young women may possibly be innocent. The book takes on kind of a John Grisham formula but it's done very well and though you may know where the story will end up there are still a few twists that I did not see coming. The pages flew by in this one and not quite as good as Forgotten Sons, but I'll round it up to 5 stars and thank netgalley for the chance to review.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is not the type of book I usually read, but with all the political craziness going on, I decided to give it a go. I finished it, but I wasn't invested in it. In fact, I wasn't a fan of the writing and I kept getting lost in the whole Republican vs democrat.

Based on the cover alone, I thought this was going to be alittle more of a crime thriller which it really wasn't.

Sadly, this book was not for me.

The Sacrifice of Lester Yates by Robin Yates
Rating: Stared Review

Summary: Yocum revives a character, Hutchison Van Buren now adult, from his fantastic book, Favorite Sons, as the attorney general for the state of Ohio. Hutch is asked by a prison guard to look into a death row inmates case who he believes is innocent.

Comments: Yocum doesn’t really hide the plot is a deep dive mystery and you might easily see the direction it’s going, but don’t discount the brilliance of Yocum’s work. He’s a terrific storyteller that clips his plots right along. If you like political thrillers much like Grisham then you’ll absolutely make this a page turner for yourself. Yocum might be the best author you never heard of. He does not disappoint. Highly recommended.

When Hutchinson Van Buren contemplates his career successes, he realizes that he is bored and miserable as state attorney in gloomy Columbus, Ohio. That soon changes when a prison guard, Reno Moretti, shows up at his office and asks him to look into the sentence of a mass murderer on Death Row. Filled with twists and turns, the novel sends us from the ravished depths of southeastern Ohio to the corrupt offices of state officials to the prison system where inmates are considered expendable. Lester Yates is just such an expendable inmate. Yates is days away from the electric chair for killing 18 women and only one man stands in the way of wiping out crimes that other people want to keep hidden forever.

Grit-lit meets legal-political thriller in this strong but formulaic crime novel. Robin Yocum's deep affection and authenticity for the Ohio River Valley gives a lift to what would otherwise be a mid-tier John Grisham novel that faithfully checks the trope boxes, not always to optimum effect. But snappy pacing, sharp dialogue and strong characterizations ultimately carry the day alongside justice that sometimes outside the law — an interesting choice given that the story's hero is the Ohio Attorney General with designs on the federal office. In all a solid if not transcendent outing for the author of a great crime trilogy, A BRILLIANT DEATH, A WELCOME MURDER and A PERFECT SHOT, that never got its proper due.

Amazing story. Well developed characters that are in a twisted engrossing thriller. Highly recommended. Super suspense that comes to a satisfying end! Highly recommended . A true roller coaster thrill ride

Sacrifice of Lester Yates was quite different from the books I usually read because it was told completely from the POV of a Republican. The differences were stark at times, including unnecessary violence from the main character. He also supports the death penalty, covered up a murder when he was younger, eats a meat lovers sandwich, and doesn’t seem to trust most Democrats.

Despite these character flaws, he also loves animals and wants to do right by the titular character. Of course, when he begins investigating the Yates case, he’s initially interested in saving the Governor of Ohio’s political ambitions. And his own, too. He wasn’t even trying to get Yates out of prison. He simply wanted a stay of execution and a possible switch to life in prison without parole.

Surprisingly, even with characters purposely killing squirrels and so many other moments that made it feel like I was in an alternate reality, I did enjoy the story. There were a few flaws in the author’s storytelling, though. For instance, you’d never have a grand jury seated, hear the case, make a judgment, and issue indictments all in the same morning. And this definitely wouldn’t happen with less than 24 hours notice to pull it all together.

All in all, it was a mostly enjoyable - if weird - adventure. On a side note, I don’t feel like the cover is the right choice at all for this book.

The ‘Egypt Valley Strangler’ famous for the notorious murders in Eastern Ohio is supposedly rotting in prison until his date of execution. That is until Hutchinson Van Buren, an Attorney General in Ohio is visited by prison officer Reno Moretti on suspicion that the man in prison, Lester Yates, is being framed for these murders. Van Buren is not convinced until he reads the files presented to him by Reno Moretti.

Lester Yates date of execution is only seven weeks and four days away, too little time to obtain concrete evidence to delay his death. Van Buren assembles a team comprising of his most trusted chief investigator Jerry Adameyer to save an innocent man’s life. As they dive deeper into the investigation, influential persons seem to be on their suspect list. They need to work fast and pinpoint the culprit before it is too late.

Hutchinson Van Buren is a hard-working and interesting individual. He was a prosecutor in Summit County before becoming the Attorney General in Ohio. Although he climbed the ladder and became Attorney General, he is not happy as opposed to when he was a prosecutor. He is friends with the Governor Jim Wilinski and dislikes his chief of staff Alfonso Majestro. Van Buren is single, but still has feelings for his ex-campaigner Shelly Dennison whom his assistant Margaret refers to as ‘the girl’ does not like.

Jim Wilinski, a power-hungry governor is only interested in moving up the ‘food chain’ and leaves his most trusted team to handle the ‘dirty side of things.’ He maintains a fitting image in the public but behind closed doors he is greedy, a womanizer and uses his power to intimidate.

The Sacrifice of Lester Yates was a real treat. I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed this political thriller. I was committed to finishing it as soon as I started reading; it was very good. I had my suspicions about the culprit halfway through reading, but the evidence thus far concluded that my suspicions may be wrong, but when I got closer to the end I was smiling; I knew I was right. I would not say, the story is predictable, but you can figure it out as you read on but nevertheless, I am glad I read this novel.

I immediately researched, the author Robin Yocum, I think he is a great writer, and The Sacrifice of Lester Yates is the first novel I have read by him. I am keen on reading more of his books as I found this one to be noteworthy and engaging.

I would recommend this book; it was slightly different from the thriller novels I am familiar with, but I love to explore new types of thrilling stories and this story revolves around power and status. Politics plays a major role in the storyline and it is realistic and is an eye-opener. I am rating The Sacrifice of Lester Yates 4 out of 5 stars. You will want to take a read; the novel is promising.