I agree with one of my fellow reviewers. it was really confusing the switch between surname and name with the lawyers. disclaimer i have not read from the author so this is my first time. I thought it was okay but not 5 stars for me. i feel like this storyline has been done before in one two tv shows.

Do you know, I’ll go as far as giving this book 5 stars, despite it being a genre that never ranks highly for me. Now no spoilers, that ruins the fun.

The plot - this is a legal thriller that follows Dan Raine, a lawyer, through a murder trial of a friend-of-a-friend. It’s part of a series but I read it as a standalone and it was easy to get into. Fast paced read, there is a conclusion and even I didn’t see it coming! (I mean I had my suspicions, but not the full picture…) I didn’t see the point in the plotline surrounding Raine’s divorce and kids, but perhaps that is more relevant to those who read the full series.

The characters - they were well thought out, with differing personalities and morals so they weren’t boring to read about, and I loved the characters I was supposed to, and hated those I wasn’t. Truly a brilliant execution from Stephen Penner.

Trial by Jury by Stephen Penner had an okay plot and a satisfying ending. However, the story seemed laborious for me to get through. I did not like the use of the last name in the dialogue tags; just use the characters' first names! When the characters spoke to each other, they used their first names, but then the author would shift and use the characters' last names in the tags. This kept pulling me out of the story because I had to remember who was who. This slowed me down when reading, and I just couldn't get into the story.

I liked the first book better than this one. I may read more by this author. I rate this a 2.75 to 3 stars out of 5.

#TrialByJury #NetGalley

Unfortunately not one for me. I struggled to get into it, which immediately ticks the wrong boxes, but I did plod on. Decent story line and characters, but it failed to grab me and make it something of a page turner.

Trial By Jury by Stephen Penner Second in the series featuring, Stephen Raine is an engrossing, fast paced, and well written legal thriller. Will be looking forward to new additions to the series.
Author, Stephen Penner and Inkubator Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Even though this is the second in this series it could probably be read as a standalone. Attorney Daniel Raine is recently divorced, co-parenting, testing the dating waters. The plot is set in rainy Seattle and was a quick, easy to follow case surrounding the local art world.
Rebecca Sommers is a very successful real estate agent with many connections to people outside of Daniel’s usual criminal clientele. He uses her resources for cases when he needs a private investigator. A local Art School is having a student showing followed by an auction at the Finch Art Gallery. After Daniel met the school’s director, Selina Thorne, he seems smitten. Sommers has advised Daniel to attend the event in order to expand his business, network and introduce himself to potential future clients. It was a great strategy until a student ended up dead in the restroom.
The Detective assigned to the death of the student deems it’s a suicide. Daniel disagrees, believes he saw the murderer running away. The student’s parents sue Finch, asserting he excluded her art, causing her despondency, leading to the suicide. Finch is neck deep in debt and there is some suspicious real estate shenanigans going on in his block. The parents attorney, Amanda Stone, works at a prestigious firm that dwarfs Daniel’s private practice. She’s whip smart and wants millions in damages.
Half way through the story Rain has drafted a couple of motions, argued in front of the judge and needs a miracle. What he gets is another crisis and a new lawsuit. He still argues it was a questionable death at the art exhibit, was it suicide or murder? I enjoyed the mystery and the characters were realistically described. As interesting as all the personal background is, I would have loved more of the legal portion in the plot.
A digital advance reader copy of “Trial by Jury” A Rain City Legal Thriller #2, by Stephen Penner and Inkubator Books was provided by NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

A well written and plotted legal thriller again featuring laconic and dogged Seattle lawyer Stephen Raine. This is fast becoming an interesting series well worth following.

The plot is original with twist and turns and an unexpected denouement.

I enjoyed it. .