I liked this one more than I thought I would. While it doesn’t take place in a courtroom, I would still categorize this one as a legal suspense or legal mystery. It relies very much on the law for its two cases. One of the cases is trying to determine if a previous case brought to the Innocence Project was a wrongful conviction while the other one is more personal to the main character and he is fighting to keep custody of his best friend’s daughter.

I thought this one was cleverly crafted as the two cases were complex but easily followed and didn’t feel too much for a book. Of course I’ve just read that this is book 2 and I haven’t read book 1, so this is easily a stand alone, but I liked the main character enough to check it out.

I liked the writing style and connected with Broady, the main character. He was very relatable as his personal and professional lives were sometimes at odds with each other.

I will definitely need to look up the author’s other works as I read this in a day and really enjoyed it.

This one was an interesting read for me. It was definitely thrilling and suspenseful and very action-packed. I really enjoyed the legal aspects of it and the writing was well written. This is the first time I’ve read this offer and I was very impressed. It was a slow read for me at first I couldn’t get into it, but the ending took off ,three stars!

A well written legal thriller with fully developed characters, a fast paced plot, and several twists that I did not see coming. I couldn't put it down, I read it in one setting. I'm a fan of Allen Eskens' Joe Talbert series and recommend that series along with this stand alone. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for an advanced reader copy.

I'm first addressing genre expectations, which I feel the need to do frequently this year. Saving Emma is marketed as a “legal thriller.” I'd call it a legal drama. You could make an argument for “thriller” elements in the final third, though for me that’s a stretch.

The legal aspects of the plot are well done. The details of both cases held my interest and kept me engaged in the story.

I struggled with the characters. Ben, our main character, is difficult to like. He’s analytical and doesn’t show much (any?) outward emotion, even with his wife. His stoicism comes off as indifference.

None of the other characters are well developed (in my opinion). I didn’t feel I knew them well enough to even form an opinion.

The (melo)drama with Ben and his wife—with Ben and everyone, really—grated on me after a while.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot, but I didn’t connect emotionally.

Attorney Boady Sanden, (currently working as a law professor) also works for the Innocence Project. Boady's most recent case involves a man named Elijah, convicted of killing the pastor of a local mega church.

Elijah is currently in a state psychiatric facility, firmly believing everything is God’s wish. The medical team is left frustrated, having seen no change in Elijah. With conventional treatment not helping, Elijah is facing ECT treatments that will alter his memory and possibly take away his abilities to hear God. The clock is ticking…

Meanwhile, Boady has his own personal issues. He and wife Dee have been raising his goddaughter Emma, since her father’s death. Now he finds himself entwined in a custody battle with Emma’s last living relative. He doesn’t know it yet, but his family may be about to be ripped apart.

Does he have the time and the ability to do double-duty and save both Elijah and Emma?

Allen Eskens is a master storyteller. I was captivated by this book from beginning. The characters and storyline builds from his previous works. So even though this is considered a stand-alone and you’re provided all the information you need to enjoy it on its own, I do suggest starting at the beginning. You won’t be disappointed!

A buddy read with Susanne

Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books

Saving Emma by Allen Eskins @mulhollandbooks is a fast paced read. The character development is very well done. Legal thrillers can get tedious at times but this one never does, it was always a thrill.

Boady Sanden takes over a new innocent project case to free Elijah, who was convicted of murdering a pastor of a mega church.

This was my first books of this authors. I am definitely going to try another. I enjoyed his writing style, as well as the mystery and drama of the story. This one wasn’t the best one for me, as I couldn’t get past all the scripture quotes. While the plot itself wasn’t religious and isn’t preaching itself, a few characters were and it was too much for me personally.

“Will I come to embrace what has happened, or will I deny it? All I know is that I cannot trust time to bring clarity, yet I feel too close to it all right now to make sense of it.”

Saving Emma comes out 9/19.

I went in to Saving Emma expecting a legal thriller and got more of a melodramatic family drama.

The story, about an interracial couple trying to keep custody of the daughter of the man's former law partner, had its interesting elements.

I struggled to connect with the main character, who was sort of an impulsive bull-in-a-china shop type who relied on his more sensible wife to calm him down. Then he'd hide important information from her for fear of making the little lady upset.

I'm not a lawyer but I was confused as to why the blood relative of Emma didn't get custody in the first place. Yes, she was a crazy psycho, an almost too cartoonishly crazy "Karen," but that didn't come out until later. I guess she had a sort of messy life, but so did the main character!

Anyway, I will try another Eskens because the guy has won many awards, so maybe it's just that this book was not a great fit for me.

This is the first book I've read by Allen Eskins, and it didn't disappoint. Boady Sanden is a former defense attorney, current law professor teaching criminal law, and volunteer for the Innocence Project. He's asked by Martha, the sister of Elijah, a man in a prison hospital whose been found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of a pastor to look into the case and help get her brother released.

Meanwhile, he and his wife are in a bitter custody battle over Boady's dead best friend's daughter for custody of Emma, who has lived with the Sanden's for the last four years. Can Boady get Elijah's conviction overturned and also not lose custody of Emma?

This book was great! I love a good legal thriller and I wasn't disappointed at all with this book! The characters are great and Boady shows a lot of growth as we go through the story. The pacing was excellent and kept me wanting to turn the pages late into the night. Both plot lines are easy to follow and were both done well. I highly recommend this one!

My thanks to Mulholland Books, author Allen Eskins, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

This story so draws you in and captures you that you with so many unique twists.

Boady Sanden works for the innocent project. Ruth Mathews comes to ask him to look at her brothers case as he was convicted of killing a pastor but seen as insane as Elijah believes he is a prophet. He agrees to look into the case but the case was hits close to home as it was tried by his friend Ben Pruitt.

Ben Pruitt died in Boady's house and he has lived with the guilt ever since. He now has custody of his daughter Emma. He has kept the truth about her father from Emma and now it is tearing their relationship apart. Will he be able to salvage this?

Boady is trying to help Elijah but is frustrated with all the bible quotes he spews and feel there is something off about this megachurch.
This author has such a way with words that keep you engaged and hanging on his every word.

Ben Pruitt was a colleague and friend, right up until the moment, 4 years ago, when he was shot to death in Boady Sandmen’s own home. Ben’s daughter, Emma has lived with Boady and his wife Dee ever since that night. But now, her only blood relative, her Aunt Anna, is trying to gain custody of her niece, and she isn’t playing fair.

But, is it Emma, or her inheritance that is fueling her sudden desire to parent?

When Boady Sanden first receives the case of Elijah Matthews, he's certain there's not much he can do to help. Elijah, who believes himself to be a prophet has been locked up in a psychiatric hospital for the past four years, wrongfully convicted of brutally murdering the pastor of a megachurch.

It’s nearly impossible to get a straight answer out of Elijah-He speaks in riddles and bible quotes, convinced that what will be has already been determined by a power higher than man.

But as a law professor working for the Innocence Project, Boady agrees to look into the file, when Elijah’s sister asks him to do so. When he does, he is alarmed to find threads that lead back to the death of Ben Pruitt.

Elijah’s care team has scheduled a Jarvis hearing to get approval to give him electroconvulsive therapy in 10 days.
And, the custody hearing for Emma is also imminent, so it’s a race against time to SAVE both Emma, the daughter he has grown to love, AND his new client.

I had never read a book by this author, known best for his Joe Talburt and Detective Max Rupert series, so what better way to finally become acquainted with his work than to read this standalone. The author is a retired criminal attorney bringing credibility to this family drama/legal thriller and I can now see why he has so many fans!

The characters are well developed and the story moved along at a steady pace, so before I knew it, I had reached the CLEVER denouement! I look forward to one day tackling both of the series that I have missed.

⚠️TW: Animal harm

Available September 19, 2023

Thank You to Mulholland Books for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review.

I love the unique cast of characters in Allen Eskens books. The series is based on characters who know each other in some way, although some of them only casually. There is no particular order you need to read the novels in as each one is a stand alone. I’ve included a list below in the order they were written. I read The Life We Bury first and haven’t missed one since. These are all equally good on audio as the narrators are excellent. Minnesota has some brilliant writers and Allen Eskens is a favorite of mine.

The Life We Bury(my personal favorite, but I’ve loved them all)
The Guise of Another
The Heavens May Fall
The Deep Dark Descending
The Shadows We Hide
Nothing More Dangerous
The Stolen Hours
Forsaken Country

This legal thriller focuses back on Boady Sanden. He and his wife Dee have had 14 Year old Emma living with them for four years. Lately she’s been distracted and sullen. At the same time, Bodie takes an interest in a case for The Innocence Project that involves a man who believes he is a prophet and was convicted of murdering a pastor. Emma’s late father was the attorney on the case. Boady needs to find out what is up with Emma and try to free an innocent man at the same time.

Thank you @novelsuspects @netgalley @aeskens for an advance digital copy. I loved it and I’m already looking forward to the next one! ♥️

4.25 Stars

Are you a Legal Thriller Fan? How about Mystery Murder books? Or, books that explore the intersection of faith, megachurches, and fraud? Perhaps books that explore family whether by birth or design? Saving Emma has them all and you will not be disappointed.

The protagonists created by Allen Eskens are not heavy on the macho but rather are thinking men and women. They have an authentic humanity to them which brings the real to the drama unfolding between the pages. Likewise in Saving Emma, we find retired attorney now Professor, Boady Sanden, facing the potential loss of his ward, Emma. In addition, as someone that works for The Innocence Project, he is reluctantly pulled into a legal case involving a murder, madness, and a megachurch.

What it means to be parents by nature v nurture is delicately explored but might bring some feelings up to those that have faced challenges with creating a family. Nonetheless, those are real issues and are relative to the story.

If you haven't had a chance to read Allen Eskens, Saving Emma is a great start. This minireview was based on reading an ARC supplied by Novel Suspects and Netgalley.