Even though I missed the book that came before this one, I enjoyed Denial. It kept me interested, and the characters were nuanced and complex even though I couldn't really relate to any of them. The writing style was smooth and I kept thinking I knew who had actually killed the "victim".
Boy, was I wrong!
A great whodunit!

I first came across Beverley McLachlin not because she was the first female Chief Justice of Canada but because she wrote her first novel. Politics and law are important things but I'm a bookworm - what can I say? Full Disclosure came out back in the spring of 2018 and I reviewed the legal mystery for the magazine Niagara Life. I really enjoyed it and was lucky enough to hear McLachlin speak months later at a library event (remember those??). She was magnificent. When I heard she would be writing a sequel to Full Disclosure I was thrilled. Denial, published September 14, follows lawyer Jilly Truitt in another complicated legal case with an ending that is incredibly shocking.

Here's the book's description:
When everyone is in denial, how do you find the truth?
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?
While you could, technically, read Denial without having read Full Disclosure, I think it would be really difficult for readers to get a good handle on Jilly and her motivations without the backstory of the previous book. As it was, I couldn't really remember particulars so I sometimes found myself wondering why on earth I should care about Jilly and her problems. I was more focused on the court case than any of the characters. Is that a bad thing? I'm not sure. I always want to have a reason for reading a story that's more than the plot. I need to know the characters too.

Now as for the case Jilly was working on? Holy hell. There were lots of layers to it and I was totally invested. I thought I had a feeling I knew what happened but then I wasn't sure and then something happened and I was like AH HA and then something ELSE happened and I was like HOLY SHIT. I was shocked at how it all turned out and I think crime lovers will enjoy trying to puzzle out what really happened as the case progresses.

Something else happens in Jilly's personal life and, I gotta say, I was kind of pissed at how it all went down. Maybe I read too many romances these days but I want certain things to happen and what ended up happening (there are two things, actually) made me super upset. I may have actually yelled, "WHAT?!?" at my ereader because I couldn't believe McLachlin went there. It's likely that this was a personal thing and a mood thing at the time I read the book SO I don't necessarily consider it a negative overall.

McLachlin knows her stuff so the novel is heavy on the legalese. Most of the time it's totally fine. The reader is expected to keep up and know what's happening and it's usually not too difficult. But there were other times where the word choices made me scratch my head. Not necessarily because I didn't understand what they meant. In fact, I was wondered more why she chose certain words or phrases when she was writing about anything other than the particulars of the course case storyline. And there were weird nitpicky things that drove me nuts - what 35+ year old woman talks about wearing Lycra so much? And Lycra specifically. Not just workout gear, which is how I (at 34) talk about the clothing I would wear for a gym session (I don't remember those at all...been so long...) Again, I don't think I'd really call this a downside but my mood at the time noted all this and it may have impacted things just a wee bit.

I think I'd be happier with Denial if I knew there was going to be a third book. I feel like Jilly's story still isn't wrapped up and I need some closure. Beverley McLachlin is a talented legal mystery writer and I think fans of the genre would enjoy this one.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Denial is undeniably amazing. Beverley McLachlin has used her experience and skills to create a worthy sequel to her first Jilly Truitt novel, Full Disclosure. The storyline moves quickly, taking the reader along for a very taut ride. The life of a lawyer, especially one who resides in a Canadian court room, is presented with fascinating details. I can only hope for a third instalment.

I liked this book so much, I bought it! Great writing style, fabulous story and kept me turning the pages. Definitely looking forward to reading more from Beverly McLachlin and with Jilly Truitt!

Jilly Truitt a defense attorney has certainly made a name for herself after taking on some high-profile cases. When lawyer Joseph Quentin requests that she takes on a case very personal to him, she is hesitant. Joseph’s wife, Vera has been charged with killing her own mother and is awaiting trial. Can Jilly find the answers to her questions before the trail begins? Can she pull an ace out of her sleeve to save Vera? When secrets start to surface, and time is running out, can Jilly do what she does best?

This novel by Beverley McLachlin will leave you breathless. Secrets, lies, betrayal, and a family torn apart will keep you turning the pages to see what lies beneath the truth. As a reader we get to see how Jilly’s character is evolving and get a firsthand look at the life of a criminal defense lawyer. I appreciate and admire Beverly McLachlin for bring her expertise and experience onto the pages of this fabulous thriller. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I was gifted and would like to thank Simon and Schuster Canada. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Beverley McLachlin, and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy of this novel for an unbiased review.
Like a television court drama (think Law and Order), Denial brings us a story that has suspense around every corner. When Joseph Quentin asks Jilly Truitt, one of Vancouver’s top criminal defense lawyers, to defend his wife in a murder trial, everything in her says not to. Even though Jilly has been warned against the case, and even her own instincts tell her it is a losing battle, she sympathetically takes the case that is being called a mercy killing by the media. As she digs deeper into the case, there appear to be more secrets and dark truths hiding within the Quentin family than appears on the surface. To top it off, an old case is coming back to haunt Jilly and may have more consequences than previously thought. While at the beginning this book may feel like other courtroom dramas, I found that there were many dark turns throughout that caused it to feel different. Throughout, opinions on characters changed with every piece of new information given. While some characters felt cliché on the surface, once they were dug into more there was more depth given about their motivations and why they acted how they did. While this novel may not be for those who want a detective novel; for those who enjoy drama, crime, law, and interpersonal relationships, this is for you.

In Vancouver, Lawyer Jilly Truitt decides to take on an unwinnable court case. The accused, Vera Quentin, is tried for the murder of her ill, elderly mother, and Jilly takes it on even though she knows the chances of winning are incredibly slim.

Denial is the sequel to the first Jilly Truitt novel, but it reads well as a standalone. McLachlin does a decent job providing necessary backstory information, though I feel I might have enjoyed the book more if I had read the first one. It was medium paced and once I got into the trial I was very engaged in the courtroom banter. McLachlin did a good job of making the book lawyerly, but without too much jargon so I could follow the story as someone who doesn’t know the legal terms. The ending did fall a bit flat for me, which is why I rated it only four stars. I liked that the book is Canadian and the story took place in Vancouver; even though I don’t know Vancouver at all, it was neat to have a story set in Canada. Overall, it was an exciting thriller. If you are a fan of John Grisham, I think you will like this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read Denial as an ARC.
An absolutely wonderful read, Denial tells the story of a murder from the point of view of the defence lawyer and has an unexpected twist at the end.
So well crafted, paced, and plotted with believable characters.
The book is written by one of Canada's Supreme Court judges who is now retired.
I highly recommend it to all readers who love a brilliant murder mystery.

Best of legal thrillers!

"Denial" is the best legal thriller I've read in a long time. Shades of Grisholm and others, but with a Canadian and female perspective, "Denial" kept me up almost all night. Obviously, Ms McLachlin knows her legal stuff (former Chief Justice of Canada), but I was not expecting the tight, polished prose and intricate plot and characterization. I have just ordered her first novel, "Full Disclosure". I hope there are many more of her novels in our future!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-constrained e-arc via Netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my honest opinion.

Well…that was one hell of a ride! The perfunctory adjective, “page-turner”, reviewers abuse seems too cheap. Denial won’t leave you with the sense you’ve devoured the book rapaciously at all! It rather leaves you annoyed with life when interruptions and routines nag you away from the reading chair. I seriously wish I could have finished it in one sitting. Instead, I’ve been conducting my affairs preoccupied with each cliffhanger niggling in my distracted brain. And yes, the cliffhangers are utterly relentless!

Former Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin’s immense wealth of legal experience/knowledge makes for a deeply compelling courtroom drama. Having read her memoir (Truth Be Told) just prior to it made it even better. There is a vast reservoir of literature, personal tragedy, love, loss and wisdom McLachlin draws from and pours into the pages of Denial.

Some great Canadiana in them too. I’m convinced I’ve seen Ms. Truitt’s face in passing Granville’s Liberty Distillery, on the False Creek Aquabus, pensively eyeing the moored Titans of English Bay, and disappearing behind the shroud of Gastown’s elderly steam clock.

Denial is a story that reflects the burning questions presently facing our society broadly, the law specifically, and human complexity that only masterful writers can capture faithfully.

There are certain forms of fiction that are designed to transport you to other worlds…you know, where colours are deeper saturated, emotions further polarized, and crises more urgent. Then, there are fictions intended to slam you right in the dead-centre of where you are. The stuff of lucid dreams and déjà vu. Denial is of this latter variety.

I felt like I was led to dimensions not distant from me but ones inside I hadn’t yet explored. 5 out of 5 stars. Thanks for the advanced copy. I can’t wait for your next novel, Rt. Hon. B. McLachlin.

I loved this book. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten into a good legal thriller and this one exactly filled the bill.

Using her time in the legal profession, McLachlin created an intriguing legal thriller that feels believable even as I found it hard to believe people would go to such lengths. There were to concurrent story lines through the book that, until they converged, felt quite at odds. When they came together it was both tragic amd somewhat convenient. Stick with it. It comes together!!

I thought it was a stand alone book and so I was a little confused by references to a precious case - not so much that it impacted the story but I would recommend reading her precious book first.

All in all, I thought the characters were smart and had depth to them, the drama hooked me in and it had me turning pages to find out “who dunnit.” I’m sharing with my friends, that’s for sure.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for my arc copy.

4.5 ⭐️ Rounded to 5.

'Beverley McLachlin, the former Chief Justice of Canada, released her first novel in 2018. This new release is the second in her legal thriller series. This time the main character, Jilly Truitt, is asked to defend the wife of a successful lawyer who is accused of murdering her mom, in what many are calling a mercy killing. In spite of the defendant refusing a plea bargain and what looks like a losing case, Jilly agrees to take it on. She is trusting her intuition but knows that this may go down as a loss for both her and her client. This is a good recommendation for fans of legal thrillers, but I suggest starting with the first in the series ("Full Disclosure"). It is especially nice to read Canadian courtroom scenes. I enjoyed it and look forward to more in the series. 3.5/5 rounded up.

Another riveting court room drama from former Chief Justice of Canada, Beverley McLachlin. Jilly Truitt is back, and reluctantly takes on a seemingly no-win murder case. Not only does the case provide many twists and turns, so does Jilly's personal life. A great read!

Even if you entered into this book knowing nothing about Beverley McLachlin, it would be abundantly clear that this author has extensive knowledge of the law. The main case throughout this novel deals with a hot-button issue and you could really see the author's legal mind at work as she crafted the story.

In particular, the courtroom scenes were really well done. I haven't read many legal thrillers set in Canada, and I loved that unique element. The second half of the novel truly feels as if you're sitting through a murder trial. As a reader, this has its pros and cons. On the one hand, I was very intrigued by this glimpse at how the legal world works. It felt authentic, thorough, and completely real. However, this realism meant that it was a little slower-paced than I was expecting. It's more procedural than action.

That's not to say I didn't read my way through this book in a day or two. Because I did! I found the story engaging and Jilly's character interesting -- and mostly, I just wanted to see how it would all end! (Huge props for those twists because I did not see them coming!)

One thing I will add is that this novel is actually the second installment in the Jilly Truitt series. While I didn't have any issue jumping into book two, I do wish I'd read Full Disclosure first. There were some major spoilers (or at least, I felt they were) in Denial and I would definitely recommend reading this series in order.

3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this advance read!

I didn't like the ending. It needed to end 15 pages sooner and it would have been much stronger. Please rein her back - she's a good writer but doesn't know when to quit.

The courtroom scenes were compelling and the best part of the novel. They were well done and I enjoyed learning about Canadian laws surrounding MAID.

Also, there were several errors in the download I received: spelling errors but more concerningly, wrong character names.

Page 139, Jilly sees Olivia sitting in a chair - except it can't be Olivia, she's dead. It's Vera she sees.
Page 144, Jilly refers to Vera's death. Vera isn't dead, Olivia is.
Page 213, Dr. Menon on the stand says Olivia QUENTIN. That's not Olivia's last name, it's her daughter's married name.
Page 246, MAID is referred to as MAD.
Page 257, Riva Johnson refers to Olivia as Olivia JOHNSTON. Also not her last name, it's Riva's.
Page 267, Joseph refers to Olivia as Olivia QUENTIN. Again, not her last name, it's Joseph's.

I hope these errors are just in the Net Galley upload and not in the physical copy. I found the error on Page 139 really confusing and had to read the section several times before I determined it was an error in the text.

Unbiased review in exchanged for advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley.

Having missed out on Beverley McLachlin's first foray into mystery writing, 'Full Disclosure', I came to this book with no set expectations. Knowing a little about the author and her professional background I was not at all surprised by the thoroughness of her writing on legal procedure and conduct. In this sequel, lawyer Jilly Truitt takes on a case abandoned by two previous lawyers as a hopeless lost cause. Vera is accused of the murder of her terminally ill mother who for years has pleaded with her daughter to end her life. Vera is seen to be in denial, as she is the only suspect having been alone in the house with her mother at the time of death. Jilly takes on the case out of professional curiosity and as a favour to an old friend but finds establishing a defence for the accused to be much harder than she anticipated. The book begins slowly but picks up the pace during the court case and ends with a shock twist.

This was an interesting courtroom mystery but I found the personal life of the main character to be slightly distracting from the plot. The courtroom scenes were definitely intriguing and I enjoyed the authors writing style - you could tell she knows what she's talking about. I expect her to only get better.

To say I loved this book is an understatement. To the point that many people are going to be gifted a copy shortly. Beverly McLachlin’s portrayal of Jilly and Vera of all the intricacies of these two women is beautiful and complex. Exposing the truth of being human in all of its ups and downs. Her descriptions of the legal aspects in this book are very well done and give us a peak inside the mind of lawyers. But the humanity of the characters in all of its raw, messy glory is what sets this book apart. Thank you for writing this book and for giving me the honour of being selected to read and review it.

Of note I have found two inconsistencies in the text. On page 139 it appears that the Vera is referred to as Olivia and on page 144 the opposite happens where Olivia is referred to as Vera.

Anyone who loves a good courtroom drama will no doubt enjoy the lastest from Beverley McLachlin, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Denial, like her bestseller Full Disclosure, is about Jilly Truitt, a tough criminal defence lawyer practicing in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Jilly agrees to take on the case of Vera Quentin at the request of Vera's husband who is also a lawyer. Vera's trial for murdering her own mother, Olivia Stanton, is starting in two weeks and she is without representation as she refuses to accept a plea bargain. Vera maintains her innocence despite all evidence pointing to her as the killer. She refuses to admit to giving her mother a fatal injection of morphine even though it would mean a much shorter jail sentence than what she's facing. Everyone around her seems to think that Vera is in denial but Jilly takes her on - as a favour to Joseph Quentin, for the legal challenge and to some extent because she wonders if there's a possibility that Vera could be telling the truth.

Denial raises some very interesting legal and ethical issues relating to medical assistance in dying (a law referred to as MAID in Canada). Vera's mother, Olivia, was suffering from cancer and in a great deal of pain from her treatments. She had made it very clear that she wanted to die with dignity and had repeatedly asked Vera to help her but Vera had refused. Olivia's doctor also could not help because the law requires death to be imminent and the medical opinion was that it was possible for her to live several years once her cancer treatments were complete. There is also a side plot that Jilly gets involved in related to human trafficking.

I have read quite a few legal thrillers over the years but I think that this is the first that I have read from the Canadian perspective which I quite enjoyed. As she lays out the procedural aspects of a Canadian criminal trial, the reader gets the benefit of the expertise of the justice who was the first woman as well as the longest serving Chief Justice in Canada and who knows the Canadian legal system inside out. The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin was appointed as a justice to the Supreme Court of Canada shortly before I started law school and I looked up to her a great deal as a law student and as a young lawyer. For that reason alone, I enjoyed reading her fictional work after reading so many of her legal opinions! I do regret not reading Full Disclosure first though as I felt like this would have been a better read if I had known more of Jilly's backstory.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Although ”Denial” is well-written, I did not get drawn into the story. Jilly Truitt is a top ranked lawyer and has been asked by another lawyer to defend his wife in a murder trial. His wife is accused of murdering her own mother in a so-called “mercy killing.” I loved the insight into the Canadian legal system from an author who knows all the ins and outs. I have now read both of Beverley McLachlin’s books and I have enjoyed seeing Jilly’s character develop. The twist at the end did catch me off guard. I think I was expecting more of an action legal thriller and this book is more like a procedural. My recommendation would be to read “Full Disclosure” first to get the full story on Jilly herself. It will make this book more interesting. Having said all of this, I will be reading the next offering by Ms. McLachlin to see where Jilly's life leads. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before publication in exchange for this honest review.

This story is a good combination of intrigue, human nature, and that old adage of what happens in the family stays in the family. Jilley Truitt is a lawyer who owns her own law firm and takes Vera’s case even though it appears to be hopeless. Follow her as she winds her way through the process of trying to get to the truth. Her personal life is nonexistent until Mike re-enters. I had a difficult time putting this book down as I kept wanting to see where it was going. This is the first book I have read by this author but look forward to reading more.