I received a free digital copy of Trial by Jury through Net Galley to read and review

I read the first of Mr. Penner’s book series featuring attorney Daniel Raine , titled Burden of Proof and thought it was an entertaining quick read, and then the third book, The Survival Rule , which was a bit ok. This , the second book, was a real letdown. The hero, has a way of going all Jessica Fletcher, playing detective, nosing around like a cop ,often in a dangerous way.
The story was set up well, with an art student apparently killing her self when her works were not chosen for a studio showing..Reade thinks she was murdered, which would get his client off the hook of a large law suit brought by the student’ parents..They claim the studio’s owner was negligent at not securing the building. This sets off legal wrangling that consumes much of the mid part of the book. Reade has little respect for the homicide cops and does their work for them, nearly getting killed .
If one has not read the first book, there is not much to get a new reader acquainted with the primary characters. Aside from the soggy streets of Seattle, there is not a lot of descriptive place setting. Nevertheless, the brisk,pace of the book (s) makes it easy for the reader to enjoy reading this ongoing series.

Could not put this book down. Was slow to start out but once you got a couple chapters in I was hooked. Kept me engaged till the very last page.

I enjoy this author and the characters he’s created in this series. Reminds me a bit of the Lincoln lawyer books…very likable.

Thank you Procedure book to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good Legal and this one is one of the best. Well-written , suspense, unexpected twists and turns. Brilliant.

attorney Daniel Raine's attended an art exhibition for a local gallery, only to find himself getting involved in what is deemed to be a suicide by one of the young women, who is said to have committed suicide in the bathroom. At least thats what the police have decided after what they call their investigation!

When the parents of the young woman decide to sue the owner of the art gallery, Raine is hired to defend Finch! Before the trial begins Raine needs to do what he can to make sure he is going to get paid, and gets Finch to do a second art exhibition to raise the money. But again another death happens, and for the second time the police call it another suicide! So now Raine's client is being sued by both sets of parents. But as things unfold both in and out of the court room, things take a startling turn, and hopefully Raine can prove his theory!

This was book 2 in the series, but the first one I've read, and I truly enjoyed it, so can honestly recommend it to those that enjoy a good mystery.

I want to thank the author the publisher and NetGalley for letting me have this book to read and enjoy!

GREAT book. I loved every chapter and couldn’t put it down, I am fascinated by the inner thoughts and action of the jurers I think it’s a point of view always neglected, that is why i loved this book so much.

A lovely young lady dies during her art debut at Finch Art Studios and the death is declared a suicide. Raine is engaged to defend the owner of the studio against a lawsuit from the parents of the girl for negligence. The lawsuit will likely bankrupt the studio’s owner.

The suit being brought, however, threatens both Raines’ payday and the livelihood of his client. And then the worst happens, another young woman and another suicide. Really?

Stephen Penner has put together a provocative tale of avarice and intrigue in the commercial business of art. The teacher and her students are simply trying to be recognized and possibly sell a painting but it can be a world of deception. I recommend this well-written story with a twist I did not see coming. 4 stars – CE Williams

The second in the series, this could work as a standalone.

Trial By Jury🙌

Another enjoyable story by this author❣️Raine attends an art exhibition by art students at a well known gallery with Sommers, to drum up some clients for his law business. When an art student commits suicide, Raine is asked to represent the gallery owner when he is sued by the parents of the art student that died in his gallery for wrongful death😳

I enjoyed this story and I’m intrigued to see what other adventures Raine and Sommers get caught up in, in the future🤔 I received an advanced copy via Netgalley and willingly leave my honest review.

I like courtroom dramas and I enjoyed this book. Being set in Seattle, I expected Frasier Crane to put in an appearance but that didn't happen. The story is no Steve Cavanagh but it's good with an engaging main character and there twists to keep you entertained.

The second book of the Rain City series, Trial By Jury by Stephen Penner is a legal crime mystery. Set in Seattle, Daniel Raine is the sole attorney in his own law firm. After a successful trial, Dan attends an art exhibition at a local gallery displaying art students’ paintings. When one of the students is found dead in the bathroom, the attending police detective classifies it as a self-inflicted shooting. When the gallery owner is faced with a civil court case for damages, he hires Dan as his defense attorney. As Dan prepares for trial, he must create some form of reasonable doubt in order to win and ensure his fees are paid. As the trial nears, another student is discovered dead, complicating the case but the trial proceeds and a startling revelation is made. A twisty crime thriller with an absorbing court case that makes for a four and a half stars rating. Having not read the first book makes this a standalone review and a truly enjoyable legal fiction tale. Many thanks to Inkubator Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

"Trial by Jury" is a book about a lawyer and him being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or the right place at the right time perhaps..
This is not a typical book I would read but as I enjoy legal tvshows I thought I'd give it a read. I was impressed to say the least! This book gripped me from the first chapter to the very last one. It's well written, structured well and there are twists you won't see coming in the end! If you love legal drama then this a must read for you!

Great book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! I'm usually not big on courtroom dramas but I loved this book! It had a bit of everything!! it had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, courtroom drama lol, revenge, a fantastic who done it and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was so very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This book reminded me of the Lincoln lawyer stories! It was really well written with a good plot and characters. I loved it.

This was my first book by Stephen Penner and of course I didn't realize it was sequel to the first.

I enjoyed the storyline finding realism in the writing based on everyday court life. The characters were also enjoyable. Having said that, it was made a little more difficult going back and forth between first and last, but hey I do that in my day to day as well.

Special thanks to Netgalley & Inkubator Books for providing me with an advanced readers copy.

The book is so engrossing and mysterious. Attorney Daniel Raine is a well known attorney. He helped Avery Jefferson to get the sole custody of her children and ensure their safety. Later things get upside down when Raine was invited to a fundraiser gala at Seattle art gallery. The unthinkable happens there. A young artist kills herself in the women restroom and her death has been given the name of a suicide but soon another young artist is found dead. And the mystery becomes complicated and twisted. Attorney Daniel Raine is trying to figure out the truth behind those murders.

The author has shared insights about art, painting,architecture of the gallery, guilty conscience, law and court procedurals.

•Legal Thriller
•Trial
•Court Procedurals
•Twisted Truth
•Art Gallery
•Psychology about Guilty

Thank you Netgalley, Author, and Publisher.

i like a good courtoom thriller this is the first i have read by stephen Penner but i really enjoyed it, ticked all the boxes, it was fast paced.
i like raine and sommers and even finch didnt like stone but i think thats how its meant to be seen as she plays for the other side.
and even though i expected something too happen i was still surprised as too what did.

Newly divorced attorney Daniel Raine finds himself representing an art gallery owner after he is sued by the parents of an art student who is found "unalived" in the bathroom after a fundraising art show. Daniel goes head to head with corporate litigator Amanda Stone, who gives him a run for his money. Working with his investigator, Rebecca Sommers, Daniel must defend his client in order for him to save his beloved art gallery.

This book has SO much potential, but fell a little short in my opinion. The writing was excellent and has all the makings of an astonishing legal thriller, unfortunately, the conclusion is anticlimactic and leaves the reader disappointed. This is nonetheless a solid read and would read other books in this series

‘Murder is an art form. And this one is a masterpiece.’

I absolutely love a courtroom thriller, especially ones with a maverick good guy attorney with a slightly messed up private life and a sassy sidekick, and this one did not disappoint!

The protagonist is attorney Daniel Raine who, along with his private investigator Rebecca Sommers defends a local art gallery owner who is being sued by the parents of a young art student who took her own life at one of his fundraising galas. Or did she?

Daniel is not convinced and sets out to prove his clients innocence and save his career and gallery whilst trying to catch the real killer.

What I really enjoyed about this was the fact that the courtroom scenes were not drawn out and described in every minute detail. The reader is given the important information without dragging out the story with unnecessary dialogue and long winded legal statements and jargon.

Whilst I did suss out where the story was going and who the ‘baddie’ was, this in no way dampened my enjoyment as the narrative was cleverly navigated. The story was interesting and kept me hooked and the short punchy chapters made me keep on reading late into the night.

Fans of Steve Cavanagh’s Eddie Flynn will love Raine and I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Trial by Jury Book Review

Raine and Sommers are back again in another Raine City Legal Thriller. This time, the case falls into their laps as there is a murder committed at the art gala they are attending . . . or is there? Raine chases after “the killer” only to return to the scene of the crime and be told that there was no murder. This death has been ruled a suicide.

While this is tragic, a suicide isn’t a crime so no lawyers necessary, right? Of course not. The victim’s parents promptly sue the gallery owner who turns to Raine for help.

As Raine and Sommers dig deeper into their local art world, they realize there is more going on than meets the eye and they are determined to bring everything to light.


Once again, Penner does a great job of describing the goings-on of court life without making the reader feel like it’s being spoon fed to them. He does a great job of writing the characters in such a believable way that the reader can be absorbed into the scenario with the characters. I was pleased to revisit the world of Raine and Sommers and look forward to their continued partnership and next case.

The storyline is excellent and the characters are interesting and well described.

Thank you to Stephen Penner, NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book.