This was a unique plot and a highly original premise. However I’m not a fan of dystopian novels and wouldn’t have chosen to read this book if the Kafkaesque qualities of the book had been included in the blurb.

I struggled somewhat with the level of explanation around legal processes, anarchy and conspiracy theories, and found myself confused at times. This is despite having a good understanding of the British legal system but maybe it was because I read at night when I’m tired!

This is an unusual novel which I will remember for a long time, predominantly for the sensations of unease and heightened suspense sustained throughout the book.

Thank you to the author, Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for my advance copy.
3.5 stars

“The Trials of Lila Dalton” is a captivating and remarkable novel, which enchanted and moved me. I'm a fan of psychological thrillers, and dystopian twists. Imagine what it's like to find everything in one book.

I loved the way the author created the characters, they are raw and very real. I strongly recomend.

First person, present tense fiction is one hundred percent “no can do” for me. As soon as I opened this ebook ARC and flipped through a few pages, I knew that it was not gonna be read by me. I wish that NetGalley would specify the POV and tense that books are written in, so that folks don’t go requesting titles that will be an immediate DNF.

Lila Dalton finds herself in a precarious situation. She has put together that she is a barrister, and her client is Eades, but her knowledge outside of practicing law (the law-law, not the details relating to this case) lives in her sub conscience. She’s able to put together that the primary barrister, Pat, has died. So it is Lila’s job to get Eades off. However - the facts surrounding the case, the bombing of Abbott House (where many were killed and more were injured) are both harmful to Eades’ favor as well as missing in detail (30s of CCTV footage is missing). Will Lila put together if the government has conspired to take her daughter as well as Lila’s memories? Is Eades actually innocent and the government and/or another person is responsible for the bombing?

It’s up to Lila to put the facts together and it needs to be done quickly before she is held accountable both for Pat’s death as well as the murder of the detective of Eades’s case (during the trial).

The Trials of Lila Dalton had me hooked from the very beginning with its intriguing plot. I loved being taken along on the journey with Lila to recover her memories. The setting of the remote island with a dark history was almost a character on its own and I was flying through the chapters because I needed to know what was going on.

While I was eager to continue with the story, I did encounter some challenges with certain paragraphs that felt overly complex and academic, requiring me to reread them. Consequently, I found myself extremely confused by the conclusion and I’m thinking I might have to reread the last few chapters again (which is a bit frustrating). Additionally, there are so many major pieces that I feel never received closure (mainly in flashbacks).

I did thoroughly enjoy the courtroom scenes as Lila navigated through the trials and the loss of her memory, despite feeling overwhelmed by the legal jargon and intricate conspiracies. The multitude of puzzle pieces left me struggling to connect them all at the end because I still have no idea who to trust, which may have been the point.

Despite these hurdles, I found the book unique and enjoyable, particularly for those seeking an intellectually stimulating thriller.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 ⭐️'s. I loved the premise of The Trials of Lila Dalton but was disappointed by the execution.

Lila Dalton suddenly wakes in a courtroom with no memories. She quickly works out she is a barrister representing a racist mass murder, but doesn't remember anything about her life or her client. Working on behalf of the controversial client quickly puts Lila in danger, and she scrambles to defend her client, recover her memories, and discover the person behind these ominous threats.

The author spends a lot of time explaining the anarachist neo-Nazi group Lila's client is a part of and conspiracy theories surrounding the circumstances of his crimes. The plot got very repetitive and boring. There was a lot of explaining - not a lot of action or suspense. The beginning and end of the story were good, but the middle of the book was a slog.

Overall, I'd pass on The Trials of Lila Dalton. I received an advanced copy from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Trials of Lila Dalton
@ljshepherdauthor
@poisonedpenpress
@netgalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
8/27/2024
(Pretty sure it should be released sooner)

What Everyone is Saying:
I look up to find twelve strangers staring back at me… and I realize I'm the one they're waiting for.

The Trials of Lila Dalton is a twisty, unexpected locked-room mystery that follows one woman's race against time to find a killer, clear her own name, and escape the island that threatens to keep her trapped forever.

My Review:

This book is unique on so many levels. I think ultimately it can be pegged as an intellectual horror. (Did I make the up? Lol?) It is complex, with its rich political world building and definitely different than most thrillers currently on the shelf. The book is somewhat weird too... like people wearing wigs, people with sharpened teeth and supremacy groups? It's a lot. But it's a lot of the right thing.

This book is stressful. Kind of like watching someone peel off a fingernail stressful. Why is the person doing that? What world are we in that people peel nails off? Gross. But then there are the twists. The typical thriller reader will say "Oh I totally know the twist" and then will be slapped with not one, but at least 3 MAJOR twists in the plot. Literally like a cat slapping you in the face, kind of twist.

This book is not for the faint of heart. To get the level of thrill from the book, you have to put the work in. It's rich, it's deep and it has a lot of sly grins that make me nervous. I promise the book is enjoyable, I really do! No one will pull off your nails, but you may inevitably do so out of your own distress. 😅 You've been warned!

#thrillerbooks #bookstagram #thriller #booklover #books #bookstagrammer #bookworm #book #reading #booknerd #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #bookish #readersofinstagram #bibliophile #mysterybooks #bookreview #bookrecommendations #thrillers #thrillerreads #bookblogger #bookcommunity #suspense #mystery #instabook #horrorbooks #bookshelf #bookphotography #psychologicalthriller

The Trials of Lila Dalton opens with Lila, a barrister, in a courtroom. The catch? She has no idea where she is or why she is there. As the novel unfolds, the reader discovers everything and everyone is not as it seems.

This was a very different type of thriller for me, and I really enjoyed it. Some readers may find it to be a bit of a slow burn at the start, but the story really does pick up just a few chapters in. The writing is very good, the plot is intriguing and well thought out. There are plenty of twists and turns that were not obvious at all.. The author keeps you guessing until the very end. I felt that the ending was a little rushed and confused, but overall this was a great read.

It's a book that I feel readers will either love or hate, depending on your interests. If you find any of the following interesting, you will likely enjoy this book: conspiracy, alt-right weirdness, governmental corruption, terrorist plots, memory tampering, and courtroom drama. The book does reach into territory that seems a bit far-fetched but just close enough to reality that you could imagine it might actually happen - a bit like some Black Mirror episodes.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. The Trials of Lila Dalton is the debut novel of L.J. Shepherd and will be released on August 27. 2024.

this book got pretty wild towards the end!!!! story about a court case and trial that leaves the reader guessing what will happen next. 4/5 stars

Wow, wow, wow! This was a great novel that I couldn't put down. It was difficult to predict what would happen next, which kept me wanting more!

Overall, I enjoyed this! I thought it was unique and the plot alone had me wanting to read this. Waking up in a courtroom and not knowing what is going on sounds intriguing and I love a good trial and courtroom drama. I’m giving this 3 stars because the first half had me super interested and I kept coming back to read more. I think the ending got a little crazy but hey, maybe people like that!

It's hard to find thrillers that feel like completely new takes on the genre, but I can't think of a book that's even remotely similar to The Trials of Lila Dalton. Right off that bat, the reader is pulled in because Lila knows just as much as we do, so her need to uncover information feels especially pertinent.

As much as I love the setup, I struggled to stay interested. There was so much that didn't make sense or required a lot of explanation. And while I love unraveling a mystery, it just felt like too much vagueness. This was ultimately a DNF for me, which is a bummer because I was so excited when I started it.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book and provide my opinion. I felt the setup that Lila was walking into the courtroom with no memories was a very good idea. I did not see the ending at all. Thank you for allowing me to read this book for my thoughts.

I was fortunate enough to win an ARC of this book via NetGalley. The plot, as well as the twists, have all the potential to make this a four-star read. However, it feels like the book lacks proper flow and confuses the reader more than intended.

This was a really different story, I was very interested in the beginning, Lila has no memory of her life prior to finding herself standing in a court room responsible for defending a person charged with setting off a bomb that killed many people. Her 'senior' law partner had been in an accident and she was supposed to be the supporting lawyer, instead she has to defend someone who everyone hates. She also quickly finds out that she's on an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and has no way of leaving and she can't quit the case, she receives disturbing messages that mention a daughter (she has no recollection of) and that she won't see her again if the defendant doesn't get cleared of the charge. As the reader you learn along the way as she finds out about the town she's in and the people that live there (not many). The story becomes very convoluted (I found) about mid-way through, but I kept plugging away because I wanted to know what the heck was going on. I didn't think this was a science fiction but towards the end there is a bit of that thrown in, overall I think the story was interesting, perhaps including something earlier about what's happening would have helped. Thanks to #Netgalley and #poisonedpenpress for the ARC.

I had to make myself finish this book because I wanted to see if it would get any better. It was so off and too much conspiracies. The best part was the last page with that little twist and with it ending.

Premise was super interesting but it was just really hard to get into. I wasn't sure where the story was going to go which was nice but it ended up being quite busy and confusing which lost me further. Lost me a little bit more the more complicated it got. So I was disappointed of way it was written and the ending it’s not a bad book, but probably not my kinda of book

3.5 stars. This book was nothing like I was expecting it to be in the best possible way. The author throws you into the middle of a court hearing, and you (the reader) know just as much about what’s going on as the main character (defense attorney). I loved that aspect of it. It was clever and unique and you are fully invested, because you ARE essentially the main character. Things just continue to get creepy and mysterious and futuristic from there which I loved. Would have probably been a 4 star read for me, but the ending had me a little confused and felt rushed.

Lila’s lack of memories is at first unique and intriguing and a fun mystery to try and figure out. It’s impossible to know who to trust as you read through this story. Many of the events of this story felt distracting to me and the complexity of the story didn’t do any favors for the story. The ending was confusing and didn’t help clear things up.

Premise was super interesting but it was just really hard to get into. I wasn't sure where the story was going to go which was nice but it ended up being quite busy and confusing which lost me further. Lost me a little bit more the more complicated it got.