.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! The plot is amazing, the suspense is perfectly timed, and the protagonist is a brave and empowered woman. Although reading Full Disclosure isn't necessary to comprehend this book, I wish I had read it beforehand to have a better understanding of the characters' relationships.

When I requested this book by Beverley McLachlin I had no idea that she served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from 2000-2017. I need to shout out this because she is the longest running Chief Justice and the first woman in the position. It now comes as no shock that she is writing legal fiction. Although this was the 2nd book in her Jilly Truitt series it read well as a stand alone. I had no background from the previous book and I was still able to follow the storyline well. Tackling some touchy subjects we are drawn into Jilly as she is asked to defend the wife of a legal acquaintance accused of murder in a “mercy killing” type case. You can tell that the courtroom is something that Beverely is very familiar with as it came across in the authentic nature of the scenes. I really enjoyed that there were twists and turns with the characters and sometimes it was hard to tell the good from the bad. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Denial is the second (following Full Disclosure) in a legal mystery series written by former Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin and starring defense attorney Jilly Truitt.

Jilly is asked by a fellow attorney, Joseph Quentin (the Fixer), to defend his wife Vera, who is accused of the mercy killing of her mother. Vera insists on her innocence.

In parallel, Jilly help with a human trafficking case and defends a drug dealer, who isn't happy with his lawyer, putting her at risk.

I really like this series and look forward to more.

Jilly Truitt has made a name for herself as one of the top criminal defense lawyers in the city. Where once she had to take just about any case to keep her firm afloat, now she has her pick—and she picks winners.

So when Joseph Quentin asks her to defend his wife, who has been charged with murdering her own mother in what the media are calling a mercy killing, every instinct tells Jilly to say no. Word on the street is that Vera Quentin is in denial, refusing to admit to the crime and take a lenient plea deal. Quentin is a lawyer’s lawyer, known as the Fixer in legal circles, and if he can’t help his wife, who can?

Against her better judgment, Jilly meets with Vera and reluctantly agrees to take on her case. Call it intuition, call it sympathy, but something about Vera makes Jilly believe she’s telling the truth. Now, she has to prove that in the courtroom against her former mentor turned opponent, prosecutor Cy Kenge—a man who has no qualms about bending the rules.

As the trial approaches, Jilly scrambles to find a crack in the case and stumbles across a dark truth hanging over the Quentin family. But is it enough to prove Vera’s innocence? Or is Jilly in denial herself?

Thrumming with tension, Denial is a riveting thriller about the lengths we will go to for the ones we love and the truths we hold dear.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Denial by Beverley McLachlin
Loved this book, could not put it down, so we'll written, now I need to read her first book
This novel is about the investigation that leads up to a murder trial, Jilly takes the case reluctantly as requested by Vera's husband Joseph. Vera is accused of murdering her mother who is battling cancer. Jilly has 3 weeks to prepare and must ensure she has time to fit in her other cases and help with the case of abducted women, May who was recently taken again as part of a set trafficking ring.
This is a must read, this author has an interesting background and I'm looking forward to more books from her.

This is an engaging court room drama, the second in a series featuring DA Jilly Truitt. She is hired to defend Vera from a charge of second degree murder of her mother. Lots of twists and turns makes this a very enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book I have read by Beverley McLachlin. She tells a compelling story about Jilly Truit, a top criminal defence lawyer in Vancouver. Jilly is approached by a colleague to defend his wife against the charge that she murdered her mother who was suffering from cancer. The case has been tried in the media before it even came to court and Vera is widely believed to have been her mother's killer. Jilly doesn't take cases that are unwinnable but in this instance she decides to do so. She hopes against hope that she will find some evidence that will exonerate Vera. We are led through the trial as witness after witness seems to give evidence that Vera killed her mother. The final chapters leave a hint of doubt as to what the truth actually was but they do wrap up the book well - not the feeling that the publisher said "Get it done". The question remains as to who was in denial.
There are a couple of other strands in the book that could have been a whole novel in themselves. There's May who has escaped from the brothel and is pleading for help to get away from the men who brought her to Vancouver for the sex trade; there's Danny who Jilly got out of jail, who thinks Jilly has shopped him to the cops for his illegal activities, and who is going to make her pay; there's Mike who comes back into Jilly's life bringing joy and heartbreak.
I enjoyed the book for the writing and the story but it was even more enjoyable because it told the story based on Canadian law and Canadian courts. A nice change from stories about American courts and law. It gains credibility because of McLachlan's long history with Canadian courts.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

I throughly enjoyed the first book in Jilly Truitt's universe and was excited to see what she got up to in this one. Like the first book, we were kept guessing till the end and even when you think you know what's up, you don't. The Right Honourable CJ McLachlin has done it again with the twists and turns and characters. I found I didn't like this book as much as the first one but I also attribute it to a bit of a personal reading slump. Overall, I would recommend the series, especially to fellow lawyers/law students/articling students. Especially those who practice in the Vancouver area. It's such a fun setting to see come alive in fiction.

Such an interesting legal drama, I hesitate to call it a thriller because it was mostly background and build up to the big dramatic scene at the end. I wish I knew before I picked it up that it was the second in a series, though I think I managed to piece together details I may have missed along the way. There was more personal drama than the story actually needed too which made it a little long for my taste but if I was already invested in the characters, I would have liked it more.

Jilly Truitt has built a solid reputation as a top defense lawyer in Vancouver. No longer does she have to take every case that comes her way, so when fellow lawyer Joseph Quentin, known as a fixer, asks Jilly to defend his wife, who has been charged with murdering her mother, Jilly has a decision to make. With reluctance, she meets with Vera Quentin and decides to take on her case. She’ll be going face-to-face with prosecutor Cy Kenge, with whom she has an unpleasant history. And she knows Kenge isn’t loathe to bend the rules, so it could be a tough trial.

Jilly and her partner get to work and the tension builds as they try to find a viable defense for their client. Are they in denial? Is their client? Is the prosecution?

It took a little while for me to appreciate Jilly’s personality with so many initial references to luxury brands, etc because it just felt pretentious, but when the book became about the characters and the story, I was hooked right through to the last page.

Author Beverley McLachlin has created a memorable heroine in Jilly and I will watch for new books.

Beverley McLachlin is the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and she certainly knows her way around a courtroom. This novel is as polished and carefully written as you'd expect from someone with such credentials. I enjoyed Denial immensely and liked that it touched on so many important and timely subjects, like the new medically assisted suicide legislation and human trafficking, but I guessed the ending quickly.

Fantastic courtroom drama with fierce (read - bad ass) lawyer Jilly Truitt - this book is everything you expect and hope for.

How do you get it done, when your mentor can't even do it? How do you find the truth when you're being blocked at every turn? How do you win, when the odds and the system are stacked against you, not only because you are a woman?

McLachlin, through Jilly, have you understanding (and admiring) the tenacity required to win.
Can't wait to read more of hers!

RATING: 3.5 STARS
2021; Simon & Schuster Canada

Jilly Truitt is back with another losing case, this time hired by the defendant's husband. Her client will not take a plea so Jilly moves ahead, up against her mentor once again. I did not like this one as much as the last book, but that's because of something that happened in the middle of the book. Even though you can see it coming, it still breaks your heart. Both novels are easy to figure out, but Jilly keeps you reading.

***I received a complimentary copy of this eBook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Before writing a review of Denial it’s important to inform that the author, Beverley McLachlin, served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from 2000 to 2017. She is the longest serving Chief Justice as well as being the first woman in that position. Because legal thrillers are one of my favorite genres, I was delighted that McLachlin has turned to writing legal fiction in her retirement. This is the second instalment in the Jilly Truitt series but it reads well as a stand-alone. Truitt is a successful criminal defense lawyer who can pick and choose her clients. When asked to defend Vera Quentin, the wife of a legal acquaintance, she is hesitant. She is accused of murdering her mother who had been battling cancer for a long time. The press have called it a mercy killing but Vera maintains her innocence. The courtroom scenes are at the heart of this novel and the author’s career surely gives them authenticity. The characters are varied and the reader will sometimes have difficulty telling the good from the bad. Just a note to point out that there is an interesting interview with John Grisham and Beverley McLachlin at the back of the book. Denial is highly recommended. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to @simonschusterca for the ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts…
Interesting. This is a legal thriller from the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. I didn’t know this was book 2 in the Jilly Truitt series. I did feel that I missed some connection with the MC, but overall it wasn’t a big deal. If you like legal thriller with courtroom drama then you might like this one.

Loved this novel. I really enjoy seeing the wotld of Canada's legal system from the view of the defense. And having the story based in Vancouver where I live is great because I can picture the scenes so well.
Looking forward to more Jilly. I hope there is another story coming

Thank you Netgalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Beverley McLachlin.
Legal thriller written by our very own former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Loved the characters, drama, I felt like I was in court while reading this novel.
I hope to have another instalment in Jilly Truitt life. I hope it does not end this way.
4 stars

Recommend

3,5

I enjoyed this read! It was definitely different from a usual read for me-far more serious and sophisticated in my opinion. I found the language a bit stiff, at times I found myself thinking that people don't often speak the way the characters were, but perhaps that's only in my world! I did enjoy the story, it drew me in and kept me reading. After I finished the book I did realize this was the second book in a series, and that explained why I felt I had missed something from the beginning. I felt as though I didn't really know the MC Jilly, especially on a truly emotional level, and that's because there was an entire story before this. I did like Jilly's relationship with Mike but was not happy with how that played out. The characters were all written well, as I said before, the language was at times too sophisticated but the law aspects were clear and made sense. I did not expect the ending, I did think I had it figured out and I liked how all the different aspects came together so the twist was surprising! Good read in all if not a bit stiff.

A cracking good legal thriller, presented from a Canadian angle. This is a well-written, suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat thriller that will leave you breathless at times in anticipation of the next twist in the plot. The author’s well-developed characters, who you will love to hate, make this a visceral and riveting read. The story constantly twists and turns upon itself to the point where you are sometimes left dizzy. Don’t start reading this book if you are not prepared to stay up all night. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Shuster Canada who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

If you like courtroom drama, then reading Denial will be just what you are looking for. Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Beverley McLachlin has come up with an amazing second act as an author.
This legal thriller, courtroom drama has plenty of twists and turns, rich characters and a strong storyline; one worthy of debate.

I had no idea that this was a series, and this was the second book in the Jilly Truitt series, you need not worry you can pick up the book and not even know that you didn't read her first novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Beverley McLachlin, and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy of this publication for an honest review