Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was a bit disappointed in this lawyer thriller as it wasn't the thriller I expected. The plot was slow to unravel and I grew impatient with the long winded explanations of family drama and the lawyer's financial strain. The end left me dissatisfied.

Cracking book. If you are a fan of police and lawyer type TV shows nevermind books I would say this is a book for you. The author really brings the characters to life and you can really picture the scenes. Looking forward to reading more books in the series.

Premise: Lawyers wife has died and he has lost his job and moves back to his hometown with his grumpy teenage son. Things are not well between them and then Leland then takes on a case that can either make or break their relationship and his business.

My thanks to NetGalley, publisher Relay Publishing, and author Peter Kirkland for the electronic copy.

This is Bool#1 in a Small Town Lawyer series, and a jolly good start to a new series it is! I really enjoyed it.

Formerly a solicitor in Charleston and being forced to resign following his wife's car accident (in which she died and teenaged son Noah was badly injured) - Leland Munroe had abused his position to cover up his wife's alcoholism. Now he finds himself in straightened circumstances, trying to build-up his own clientele in the local solicitor's office in his home town of Basking Rock. Noah's best mate Jackson is accused of murdering his father Kyle, and Jackson's mother Mazie, together with Noah, beg Leland to help him. Trying desperately to reconcile his financial situation with not wanting to let his son down, Leland agrees to represent him.

It appears that the police have no interest in looking for any other suspects and Leland engages the help of an ex-detective, now PI, Terri Washington for his own investigation. However, there are things which Noah and Jackson aren't telling anyone; Noah wants to get his friend out of jail but at the same time not give his father reason to be mad at him; Jackson wants to say more but fears that his mother might be hurt.

This is a crime and courtroom drama. It has a complex plot and some really good characters. I especially like the "Southern" accented dialogue with all the politeness it alludes to.

Looking forward to Boook#2.

I enjoy legal thrillers where I think I’ve figured out the crime early, and the author throws in a twist that completely reverses that. Defending Innocence does that. I thought I was seeing something in Leland’s trial prep, but it wasn’t until very late in the book that my theory was disproved.

The ending was a bit confusing, and it kind of came out of nowhere, but part of that ending is, I suppose, setting the stage for future books. I’ll be waiting.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cross-posted to Goodreads.

Down on his luck Leland Munroe, a former prosecutor in Charleston SC, has returned to his hometown after events involving his wife an alcoholic died and nearly killed their son in a car accident. Trying to pick up the pieces after losing just about everything, Leland is trying to start his own law practice. He is working with Roy Hearst as he tries to develop his own clients. Roy will give Leland grunt work as Roy nurtures his relationships with the wealthy and political people while golfing to pass the time

Leland is brought in on a case where a dead body washes up on shore. The body turns out to be Karl Warton, the father of Jackson and friend of Noah Munroe. Leland gets a call to from Mazie, Jackson's mother, that Jackson has been arrested for Karl's murder. While this might be good news on the job front, the bad news is Mazie is broke and working two jobs to support herself and Jackson. No retainer for Leland. He gets appointed as a public defender and gets paid by the state a small amount to tide him over as he defends Jackson.

Peter Kirkland has done a wonderful job writing a story about a small town where the have's are struggling to keep the status quo and the have not's are trying to protect themselves and have a better life. Looking forward to seeing another book with Leland Munroe as the main character.

This is a new legal thriller book by Peter Kirkland. Defending Innocence is the first chapter in the Small-Town Lawyer series. Leyland Monroe, a former Defence attorney leaves the city and moves back to his small hometown. He has lost his reputation, his wife and needs to repair his relationship with his teenage son. A body is washed ashore and an apparent slam dunk of a murder case collides with Leyland’s past. An easy read with a slow building atmospheric tale that delivers a welcome new lawyer narrative. A four-star rating that readers will eagerly await the next adventure of this new legal noir. With thanks to NetGalley and the author for a preview copy for review purposes. All opinions expressed herein are bias free and totally my own.

Defending Innocence is a legal thriller with Leland Monroe, a previous top prosecuting attorney in Charleston now having to return to the small southern town where he was born. Why he has lost everything and been reduced to this is mentioned, but not in great depth, a little more background would I felt have added more.
Now trying to make a living , he is reduced to helping out an old attorney friend and struggling with such reduced finances.
When a friend of his son is charged with murder Leland becomes his defence attorney. As more and more is revealed about the night of the murder and the possible involvement of others he realises he has his work cut out for him.
The reveal at the end is surprising, and whilst I enjoyed this book and thought Leland was a great character I would of liked more court scenes, as then he really came into his own.
An enjoyable read and I’d like to read more of Leland and how his life shapes out and have more of his courtroom appearance.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

I just finished my copy of Defending Innocence by Peter Kirkland and for a first time author it was a pretty good book. The book did keep me interested although it really pickup up the last third of the book. About a lawyer helping a teenager charged with murder of his father. Some points about lawyer and client were a bit hard for me to understand but it all worked out in the end. I will give this book a 4 star rating since it was a little slow the first part of the book. I will look forward to another read by this author and recommend this to all who like legal thrillers. Thanks Net Galley and Relay Publishing for a copy of this book.

Defending Innocence is an excellent read in every way except one. The characters and plot are so well defined and engaging that I felt as if I were in the plot myself. I find it so hard to find a novel this well written these days and regret to have to say that I was well invested in the story by the first time the main character, Attorney Leland Monroe, used God’s name in vain. And continued to do so at least three additional times. It seemed like a dirty trick to do to readers who may not have continued reading had they known the hero of the story was not as upright as he initially seemed. Had this not been the case Defending Innocence would have earned an easy FIVE STARS by me. Unfortunately I cannot recommend it wholeheartedly.

This book is about Leland Munroe, a lawyer who had to move back to his hometown after his wife died. In an attempt to build a name for himself in a new place, a case landed in his lap - his friend's son was charged with murder. With Terri's help, they tried to prove Jackson's innocence..just to get caught up in a drug cartel world.

This is my first book by the author and my first book in this genre too. So I had no idea what to expect. Like in the movies/TV, this book captures the life of a lawyer pretty well (I think) with all the effort that goes into a case. I like that this book is interesting - it's mysterious and with the setting in a small-town, it captures and paints the drama really well.

Whilst I enjoyed the book, I find it a bit dragging - the climax was only after 90% into in the book. But the good thing was I didn't even realise I was almost through with the book! There are things that I questioned but Kirkland left it vague. Nevertheless, it is a good book!

My first book by this author so wasn’t sure what to expect but I loved it. This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really liked this book! I found the main character to be very flawed but still likable and so well described by the author that I could almost see him. I liked the small town atmosphere and scenarios. The legal thriller was a good read and this was a great start to a new series. I will definitely read more in this series!

Wow! Great book! This book was a little different for me! I definitely enjoyed reading this one! This book was filled with lots of suspense, action, drama, and murder, drugs and innocent people being framed! But how innocent were they?! This book had so many heart pounding moments! It was a really good who done it!! I highly recommend reading this book!! It was really worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This was a really pleasant surprise. I had never heard of the author before and believe that it may be his first book and if so he must be congratulated for putting together a well written and thought through legal thriller that really thrills and resonates.

It really gets to the heart of small-town America, the pecking order and the rivalries and behind the scenes illegalities.

In Leland Munroe Mr Kirkland has devised a flawed hero doing the best he can in difficult circumstances to out his life back together and scratch a living.

I will not provide any spoilers but this is a book well worth reading.