Stuggled a bit with this one and wanted to like it more than I did. Loved the concept and the conspiracy theory angle but I had difficulty getting behind the main character. The plot was complex, as expected with a legal thriller and gave me lots of food for thought on the legal system which I welcome! Unfortunately it left me feeling unsatisfied.....Thanks for the opportunity to review this book!

I liked this. ⭐️⭐️⭐️, I would’ve preferred it to go a little quicker but other than that it has a good plot

I would like to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on August 27, 2024.

DNF’d at 35%
When I’m reading I need something to grab on to. Without a memory Lila was simply a blank slate, and I know that is the point (and is a testament to writing skill) but unfortunately I just didn’t care. I didn’t care about Lila, or her potential daughter. I didn’t care for anyone I meet in the first third of this book and so that made it, regrettably, easy to put down.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Aug. 27, 2024
L.J. Shepherd’s debut novel, “The Trials of Lila Dalton” is a propulsive, compelling, legal thriller ideal for fans of “The Matrix” and “Memento”.
Lila Dalton is standing in a courtroom, defending a client charged with acts of terrorism. The problem? Lila can’t remember how she got there, or even where “here” is. In fact, Lila can’t even remember her name. Stranded on an island, with no memory and no one to help, Lila is left scrambling to figure out who she is. But then she starts receiving threats, insisting Lila clear her client of all charges, or risk losing her daughter (a daughter that Lila has no recollection of) forever. But how does she defend a client she doesn’t recognize, when she can’t even remember her own name?
“Trials” started off hot, with Lila facing a jury and a judge in a courtroom as a defense lawyer, defending the most popular case of the year. Lila has no memory of course, but her knowledge of the law has been retained, so she clumsily tries to fumble her way through while she searches for any clues as to how she ended up in her current situation. There’s no slowing down for Shepherd, as the plot hits hard and keeps on going, with twist after twist.
The first half of the novel is a legal thriller and the second half veers off into the world of government conspiracy and secret organizations. Both are intriguing, and Shepherd does a good job of connecting the two seamlessly. There are some confusing parts in the novel, especially in the latter half, when the conspiracy plotline takes over, but that did not stop me from enjoying “Trials”.
Shepherd has a background in law, as the courtroom segments make quite obvious, and I loved the premise of a lawyer who suffers memory loss in the middle of the hottest trial of her career. What was happening to Lila was not clear from the beginning, and I loved making guesses and trying to figure it out before Shepherd revealed it. When the truth comes out, I was taken by surprise, in a good way, and the ending was definitely a twist I did not expect.
“Trials” is unique and creative, and I look forward to future works from Shepherd.

Lila has no memory of what she did to be on trial. The plot is very intriguing and a little bit crazy! Lila's memory is still not at 100%. As the book progressed, it became very odd at times, random stuff happened.

The story is complicated but the courtroom drama keeps the reader engaged. At times, it became confusing. As the pages went on, the plot was not as interesting. The premise of the story was promising until the ending.

Interesting Plot, Quite Political and Alternative Reality! 2.5 stars!

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book will be released 8/27/24.

I did complete this book but I'm not entirely convinced I understood it. It was confusing from the outset and while it was helpful to understand Lila's disorientation, I ended up disoriented myself trying to follow the various threads and keep the myriad of characters separate.

It reminded me a little of a Black Mirror episode. Good idea, poorly executed and not for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

This book sounded so good and i was so looking forward to reading it. However although it started well i got confused very quickly. The author put i think maybe too much into this book! Such a shame as it started so well! Maybe the book wasn't for me.

I really gave this one a shot but ultimately it wasn't for me. I tried to but just wasn't feeling it.

Ultimately, I could not finish this novel -- the writing style felt confused, strange, and at times, immature. I rarely DNF books but this style left me scratching my head and not in a way that made me intrigued for what came next. The plot summary sounded interesting but I'm quite let down by the result. I ultimately don't believe in "pushing" through titles only to berate them later, as I read for pleasure. While I appreciate the opportunity to read this title, it just was not for me.

Unfortunately I didn't now finish this one. I didn't like the storyline or the writing style as I was hoping.

I'm afraid to say this book just wasn't for me. I never really got into it and forced my way through it.

I thought the premise of this book was interesting (a women finds 12 jurors staring at her but realizes she has no memories of how she came to be trying a case in court, or anything before that moment for that matter). However, the plot felt like it was being pulled in a dozen different directions, none of which seemed to logically lead to the big reveal around 95% of the way in. This book was hard for me to read - I had to force myself to pick it up and keep reading. There was a lot happening in terms of the plot, but also it somehow felt extremely slow. Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me.

***ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I can not get into this book , the woman's voice in my head is really bothering me and I am finding it very confusing and having a hard time getting into this . Just seems off and not a book for me , I am so sorry that I could not get into this, I don't DNF books very often like maybe 3 to 5 times a year and I read alot of books .

I am sorry, but thank you so much for gifting me this ARC, I wish it tons of success .

Respectfully Another Read by Angie

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the copy of The Trials of Lila Dalton by L.J. Shepherd. After I finished this book I wished I had loved it more. It all came together, but it was a tough road to get there. The writing was confusing and I wish there had been hints about what was happening earlier so I didn’t feel so lost as I was reading. While I loved the premise of this book, it just wasn’t for me.

The Trials of Lila Dalton – L.J Shepherd
All of a sudden, Lila is standing in a court room, with no idea how she got to be there. She has no memory of who she is, why she is there, and what’s going on. As she looks around her, she puts together that the man on trial has been accused of a mass murder, and she is in fact his lawyer.
As Lila continues to carry on with no memory, she discovers she has a daughter, and she is possibly being held hostage until Lila gets the mass murderer acquitted. She receives notes and phone calls, all leaving her on edge.
As well as having no memory, trying to get a murderer acquitted, find her daughter she can’t remember, she also deals with the issue of being trapped on a small British island with no way to access the world outside this island to find answers.
Can Lila pull this off and get her memory and her life back?
The premise of this book had me excited and I couldn’t wait to dive right in. Unfortunately, for me it fell flat. I found the book to be slow and lacking action. Mostly likely intended to be a slow burn, but it fell so flat for me, that I honestly can’t remember how the ending played out. However, some credit is due because this book really did have potential, and hopefully any books that come in the future will have just a bit more umph! Everyone has to start somewhere! In the end, sadly I opted for 2 stars. I just needed something more.

This book was pretty good, it sucked me in right away and I could wait to get to the end to figure it out. It was well written, but slightly confusing especially at the end. The ending was definitely not where I thought this was going, but still very good!!

A brilliant story for fans of compicat3d, suspenseful legal thrillers. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend xx

Thrilling and addictive. I devoured this book and highly recommend it to my fellow book worms. This is a entertaining and well written book that will stay with the reader for a long time.

This books starts off very intriguing! I was hooked for sure! It has a nice pace. There is a lot of legal jargon that I wish there was a glossary for, but besides that I really enjoyed this book. it took an unexpected term which I quite enjoyed, but I can see where others may not. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this ARC