Classic Dugoni novel - well written, great character development and always captivating. This is the second of the series but can be read alone. This one feels like a Grisham novel in many ways. The legal thriller genre is in great hands with the Keera leading the way in this courtroom drama. The question of whether she will maintain her own moral compass is one that we dive deeply into in this novel. Thanks to NetGalley for this read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Keera Duggan isn't sure she is as good an attorney as her father, Patsy, but she does have talent and tenacity. So when a childhood acquaintance, who Patsy had just recently successfully defended in a murder trial, is once again charged with another murder, Keera has to step in. Patsy has decided to cut down on his workload and has lost another battle against the alcoholism that has wreaked havoc with the life of their entire family.

But Jenna Bernstein has burned Keera too many times, and gotten her way too many times, for Keera to feel much sympathy. As Keera's mother says, "trouble just follows that girl" and, once again, it has found her. This time she is charged with the murder of her former lover, the main backer of her failed medical startup. When the company was dissolved, they went their separate ways, but now the Federal government is interested in charging someone with fraud, and they are the two choices. But Sirus Kohl has decided to plead guilty and testify about Jenna's part in the fraud. And now he is dead, murdered with the same gun as the previous victim. And once again Jenna is the chief suspect.

The twists and turns and Keera's defense make for a very good read and it is hard to put it down.

This book is a legal thriller set at a famous family law firm in Seattle. Keera Duggan agrees to take the case of a childhood friend who she does not respect or trust.
Courtroom drama at its best keeps the speculation high!

If you were a defense attorney, would you be able to defend your childhood bully? Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni is another courtroom thriller that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. Switching between the perspectives of a lawyer and a detective combines two of my favorite genres. It brings them into one narrative.

About The Book:
Keera Duggan is following in her father’s footsteps as a defense attorney. When he asks her to represent one of his former clients, Keera hesitates. She is reluctant because Jenna, the client, was her childhood bully. Jenna, a CEO of a biotech company, is accused of murdering her business partner and lover. Keera knew her client was malicious, but she also didn’t want to disappoint her father. Her father said you can learn about yourself by trying cases. This is true even when you believe your client is guilty.

The other point of view in the book is Detective Frank Rossi. I enjoyed reading this point of view because it also brought in the genre of a murder mystery. I was fascinated by what he did to try to solve the case. Was Jenna the real murderer? You have to read the book to find out.

My Thoughts On The Book:
This is a solid read that kept me interested, and I definitely recommend it. I gave it four stars instead of five because I felt that some of the information was a little repetitive. This was especially true in the first half of the book. That being said, the details to help you figure out the murder mystery were fun to find. Discovering them throughout both points of view was enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the courtroom drama and watching Keera’s and Jenna’s relationship play out.

Would you want to defend the person who made your childhood a living hell?

*Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Robert Dugoni for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

I thought the original book always needed a sequel, well, Keira Duggan pulled another Queen's Gambit in this book.

A fantastic legal defense novel where she takes an unsuspecting prosecutor to task and sol es the crime.

Thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and to the author for a free copy of “ Beyond a Reasonable Doubt”.
First a reader cannot go wrong reading a book but this author, Second, you can go wrong if you have not read the first book in this series,#simplpy because the characters and emotional vibes carry through to this book. That said, this is a riveting courtroom drama,,done to a sizzling turn.

A start up firm with a possible breakthrough medical procedure device has fallen fast form multi- billions in share vale to almost nothing following a whistle- blower’s revelation that the company ‘s research team was not able to follow through with the promised results. It did not help that a company big wheel was arrested for the murder of his wife. (See the first book). Now there has been another murder, that of the biggest investor in the company, who was about to cop a plea with the US Attorney on stock fraud charges, and laying the blame off on the CEO , This time as defendant , not witness, in a murder.
Mr. Dugoni gives the reader excellent drama with characters with compleicated relationships with one another. The defense attorney is an old “ friend- enemy” of the accused killer. The accused is manipulative, crafty and very unlikable. Keera, the attorney is crafty and manipulative, too, but she is a lawyer, after all. With plotting going on both the prosecution and defense sides of courtroom, the reader is treated, once again, to a thrilling courtroom drama.
Another must read bynon3 of my favorite authors.

Robert Dugoni has done it again! He is quickly becoming one of my very favorite authors. His writing is top notch and his storylines are woven together like your favorite warm sweater. Keera Duggan is also one of my all-time favorite characters. Dugoni gives an imperfect character strength with a superior legal mind who happens to be a master chess player. That alone just blows my mind. How clever to combine those two facets together. All that blended with Keera's roller coaster relationship with her father (known to many as the Irish Baller), gives the reader all the feels. One of my favorite aspects about this book is the well-written dialogue that takes place inside the court room. If you are like me and love a good court room thriller, again, RUN, don't walk and grab this book! You will laugh and you might cry (I did), but you will also have your mind blown at the twists and turns in this dramatic legal thriller!

This is the 2nd book in the Keera Duggan series. While you could read this as a stand-alone because Dugoni gives you plenty of easter eggs and helps to provide some background from the first book, I still highly recommend you to read "Her Deadly Game" first. You won't regret it!

I gave Beyond a Reasonable Doubt 5 stars and I cannot wait for the next book in the Keera Duggan series!

Thank you Robert Dugoni for allowing me to escape in this brilliantly crafted story and thank you to Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The first book in the Keera Duggan series was fine. Solid even. Dugoni knows how to craft a series, and as a former lawyer, he knows the ins and outs of the law to make it interesting. Add in a dash of family drama and the book was a fun way to spend a day. However, like most good series, book 2 is where it starts to click. First books can be a little awkward as you're still getting to know the characters (even for the authors, in a way), and standalones rely more on plot that characters to keep the pages turning. This book is exactly why people read and come back to series. Now that we know the characters a bit more, we feel more invested. We care. While the case is good (par for the course with a legal thriller), it's following the characters through the plot that we care most about. I think this one was overall just a more fun read. I'm happy to continue reading Keera's adventures (along with Tracy Crosswhite). And it feels good to like a Dugoni book for the year after the slight dud that was his standalone earlier in the year (A Killing on the Hill). I know there's a third book coming in January of 2026, and I'm excited to continue on with the family. But first up -- we're back to Tracy and co. Can't wait!

Robert Dugoni has crafted a spectacular legal thriller that will keep fans on the edge of their seats.

Keera Duggan has had some hard cases in her time as a lawyer but none as hard as having to defend a childhood former friend accused of murder. She knows how manipulative Jenna Bernstein can be ever since they were young and had several run ins with Jenna that didn’t end well. This isn’t the first time Jenna has been accused of murder; the first time Keera’s dad got her off and now it’s Keera’s turn. Trouble follows Jenna wherever she goes and if Keera isn’t careful, she might just find herself caught up in the trouble with her.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

This is the second book in the Keera Duggan series and by far better than the first. I enjoyed the first book, but it was only mediocre. This one was hands down better, better story, better character connection and much more tension to keep the story moving at a fast pace. The back and forth between Keera and Jenna was spot on, especially when Keera would go into memories of what happened between the two of them when they were younger. Robert Dugoni has a way with writing female protagonist in a way that all readers will relate to and want to route for and see succeed. He has done this with his Tracy Crosswhite series and now Keera Duggan. This story had a particularly good flow to it, regardless of if they are in the courtroom or researching things for the case. Robert Dugoni is a one of a kind author that seems to not be able to write a bad book. Fans looking for a fantastic legal thriller will not want to miss this one.

The second book in the Keera Duggan series had me wondering. Acknowledging that everyone is entitled to the best defense when charged with a crime, I had to wonder why an attorney would take on a client that came with a nasty personal history. Not just bad, but hateful, destructive, malicious and a whole slew of other negative adjectives and adverbs. And yet Keera Duggan is going to do just that by defending her old nemesis. And Robert Dugoni is going to convincingly make sense of my confusion.

Continuing the narrative from the previous installment, there is going to be plenty of Duggan family drama. Likewise, chess is going to figure in the story, the game and the courtroom drama. Keera is going to have a revelation, discovering a bit more about herself and having a strategy to win and how to make it happen, believing you always have a chance.

Dugoni quietly tackles several issues in Beyond Reasonable Doubt, not the least is alcoholism and the devastation it can cause an individual, a family, a career. He is a brilliant writer, and I am always looking for his next book whether it be a stand-alone, or an installment in the Tracy Crosswhite, Charles Jenkins or David Sloane series.

So many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for a copy.

Beyond Reasonable Doubt was the second installment in the Keera Duggan series by Robert Dugoni. Although I usually like to begin a series with the first book, Beyond Reasonable Doubt can easily be read as a stand-alone book. It was very well written and had me guessing throughout. I would describe Beyond Reasonable Doubt as a mystery/thriller with added emphasis on police procedures and authentic courtroom drama. It took place in Seattle, Washington and had an array of complex and very interesting characters. Beyond Reasonable Doubt was well plotted and engaging throughout.

Keera Duggan was many things but most people that knew her admired her for her talent as a master chess player and an accomplished attorney. She had recently joined her family’s law firm. Her father, Patsy, had a reputation for thinking outside the box. He had passed those qualities on to Keera. Her father always encouraged her to think at least two steps ahead of her opponent. Being a chess prodigy helped her with this. Her father, Patsy, also known as “The Irish Brawler” had started to take a step back in the practice recently. He had experienced some personal issues that made him decide to quit taking cases as the lead trial attorney. It was no wonder then that Keera was brought in on Jenna Bernstein’s case. Keera and Jenna had known each other since they were young but Keera had never liked or trusted Jenna. The COO and CFO of PDRT, Sirus Kohl, had been found murdered in his own home and Jenna was named as a suspect. Besides working together at PDRT (Ponce de Leon Restorative Technologies) Jenna and Sirus Kohl were lovers, despite their age differences. Just a few months ago, Jenna had been charged with the murder of Eric Wei, the lead scientist at PDRT, and had gotten off due to reasonable doubt. Keera’s father had represented Jenna in that trial. Now, here was Jenna again seeking council for another murder she was accused of committing. Keera knew her father was not about to take this case and Keera wanted nothing to do with Jenna Bernstein. Jenna was a manipulator and a liar. Keera, however, decided to take Jenna’s case with the stipulation that Keera would call the shots and Jenna would comply no matter what she thought. Would Keera be able to prove Jenna’s innocence or at least plant enough reasonable doubt in the juror’s minds to acquit Jenna of killing Sirus Kohl?

I have been a fan of Robert Dugoni for quite some time. Beyond Reasonable Doubt was a gripping mystery that far exceeded my expectations. It was seeping with mystery, doubt, drama and tension. The ending was outstanding. I could not have predicted it if I tried. The alternating chapters that focused on Keera’s and Police Detective Rossi’s POV’s kept me engaged and curious. I loved the twists that Robert Dugoni through in to make me second guess my thoughts. The courtroom scenes were authentic and interesting. I also enjoyed the back stories about Keera’s friendship with Jenna when they were younger. It was gratifying to witness Keera put Jenna in her place during the investigation and trial. I really enjoyed reading Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Thomas Mercer for allowing me to read Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

An absolute thriller of a courtroom drama! Keera Dungan is back as hard hitting defense attorney this time defending her childhood frenemy. Ooooh and it's so easy to dislike this woman, and while you're rooting for Keera you so badly want this woman to get what she deserves.

Also love all the family drama that comes along with the Dungan family inside and out of their family firm. And the tinest hint of wishful romance for Keera, but nothing that distracts from the story at all.

This could easily be read as a standalone but it does refer to events in the previous novel quite a few times and since this is just the second of what I hope to be a long series, I would say start with the first one.

Many thanks for NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for my honest review. I am seriously late in reading and reviewing this book and it's been out for a month now and I am very disappointed that I had such a great story waiting for me and I didn't get to it sooner.

Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni
Keera Duggan #2

Twisted tricky thought-provoking legal thriller that drew me in, made me care, and kept me intrigued till the final page.

What I liked:
* Keera Duggan: brilliant, strategic thinker, responsible, dealing with moving from state prosecutor to private practice defense law, loves her family, chess prodigy, sister, has personal-family-work issues to deal with, competitive, learned and grew in this book
* The Duggan Family’s dynamics and learning more about the impact of alcohol on all of them
* Detective Frank Rossi: bright, professional, honest, diligent, mathematical, wants to have a family someday, could see him with Keera in the future…maybe
* P. J. Harrison: ex-detective now private eye used by the Duggan law firm, wise, steadying, intriguing
* The police procedural aspects and how the process was similar and different for the police and Keera – prosecution vs defense
* The plot, pacing, setting, writing
* The backstory of interactions between Keera and her client Jenna
* A quote I wrote down that Rossi’s father liked to say: “If you take sh*t to heart, you die with a heart full of sh*t.
* The way the whodunnit played out with clues offered, followed, and the way the puzzle pieces slotted together – and – the big surprise(s) toward the end
* Knowing that there will be another book in the series
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about the negative impact alcohol can have
* Trying to figure out how some of the characters in this book could end up so warped and evil

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I’ve seen and heard about Robert Dugoni but hadn’t read any of his work. When I saw Beyond A Reasonable Doubt on NetGalley, I grabbed it. Now I know what I’ve been missing.

Beyond Reasonable Doubt is a mishmash of genres: mystery, police procedural, courtroom drama, legal, suspense and thriller. It sure kept my attention, from beginning to end.

I saw where it was the second book in the series, but I never felt lost. Robert Dugoni filled me in on what I missed and what I needed to keep my head in the game. A head that Robert kept spinning as I tried to figure out all the details. We do have multiple suspects with motives for killing their fellow workers.

We have characters with their personal struggles and a sociopath that could be responsible for two deaths. Is she too obvious a suspect? I bounced back and forth between the suspects, just as I did for the rating for Beyond Reasonable Doubt. As you can see, I rate up when bounce around. I look forward to reading more of his work in the future.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com

Keera Duggan is on vacation after her last trying case at the family law firm. Now if only her family would recognize that. Called in for a new case, Keera is already none too happy, but when she finds out it’s a nemesis from her past, she’s even threatening not to take the case, after all, Jenna made her life miserable while they were growing up. As push comes to shove, Keera’s dad, Patsy, encouraged her to take the case on her own terms, stating that sometimes the things you learn about yourself while trying a tough case are worth it. As Keera dives in, she knows that Jenna is not telling the whole truth and decides going for reasonable doubt is her best option, but is there something she’s missing? This is the second book in the Keera Duggan Series starting right where the first left off, but can be read as a stand alone as well. Dugoni has a way of capturing your interest from the first page and carries it out until the end. Hoping to see more of Keera in the future. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

EXCERPT: Keera wouldn't take the case for Jenna or her parents, nor because their firm needed the money, nor even for Patsy's belief in preserving the judicial system. She'd take the case because she'd meant what she said. She wanted to be the best, just like he had been. And because she suspected her father was right - that she'd learn more about herself defending the most difficult cases rather then the easy ones. She wouldn't run from Jenna Bernstein. She hadn't run when they'd been young, and she wouldn't run now. She'd defend her, but she'd do it her way. And in the process, maybe she'd learn a little more about Keera the defense lawyer, as well as Keera the person.

ABOUT 'BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT': A master manipulator accused of murder. An attorney sworn to defend her.

When Jenna Bernstein, disgraced wunderkind CEO of a controversial biotech company, is accused of murdering her former partner and lover, she turns to Seattle attorney Keera Duggan to defend her. Keera is more than a master chess player who brings her intuitive moves into court—she’s Jenna’s childhood friend. But considering their history, Keera knows that where Jenna goes, trouble follows.

Three years earlier, Keera’s father successfully defended Jenna when she was tried for the killing of her company’s chief medical scientist who threatened to go public with allegations of corporate fraud. Keera knows Jenna too well. When she was a kid, Keera saw Jenna for what she a manipulative and frighteningly controlling sociopath. Now, with only circumstantial evidence against Jenna, Keera is willing to bury any trepidation she might have to defend a woman she believes, this time, to be innocent.

As the investigation gets underway and disturbing questions arise, Keera puts her trust in a client who swears she is telling nothing but the truth. If this is all just another devious game, Keera might be working to set a murderer free.

MY THOUGHTS: The plot to Beyond Reasonable Doubt is complex. I wouldn't recommend you try reading it without first having read Her Deadly Game.

I loved Her Deadly Game, and I was excited to lay my hands on a copy of Beyond Reasonable Doubt where Keera finds herself agreeing to defend her high school nemesis in a murder trial.

While I enjoyed Beyond Reasonable Doubt, it didn't grip me to the extent that Her Deadly Game did. The pacing is steady - maybe a bit too steady. I was looking for a little more excitement, a lot more tension.

The larger portion of the book is taken up by the Discovery phase. Interesting, but . . . . The trial itself is full of manipulation, and once that started I simply could not put this read down. The solution was a complete surprise, so full marks Mr Dugoni for that!

What an ending! And I'm glad to see that Keera is sticking to her guns.

Legal thriller, family drama, who and howdunnit, this is an exciting mix of genres with Robert Dugoni's trademark unexpected ending. Will I be reading the next in this series? Definitely.

⭐⭐⭐.8

#BeyondReasonableDoubtKeeraDugganBand2 #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: A writer turned lawyer turned writer.
Robert Dugoni was born in Idaho and raised in Northern California the middle child of a family of ten siblings. Dugoni jokes that he didn't get much of a chance to talk, so he wrote. By the seventh grade he knew he wanted to be a writer.

Dugoni wrote his way to Stanford University, receiving writing awards along the way, and majored in communications/journalism and creative writing while working as a reporter for the Stanford Daily. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and worked briefly as a reporter in the Metro Office and the San Gabriel Valley Office of the Los Angeles Times.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni allows Keera to learn more about herself.

Will Keera get a not guilty verdict and set Jenna free?

Keera Duggan
Our main character is attorney Keera Duggan. She is the trial attorney for her family's law firm, Duggan and Associates. Even though Kerra is one of the leading attorneys at the firm, she still feels like her dad is her safety net; in this case, he wasn't able to be there with her. So, Keera figured out how to proceed with this particular client. It wasn't easy representing a pathological liar. Yet, she figured out how to deal with her client and get her desired outcome.

Keera is still developing her character and learning not to let others impose their expectations on her. I love how she can be honest with her dad and get past some of her anger. This installment had real growth for Keera and Patsy.

The Case
Keera's high school friend, whom she didn't like, is being accused of murder yet again. Only this time, Patsy isn't up to being the first chair, which is now Keera's job. Jenna is known to lie more than tell the truth, and Keera thinks she has figured out what Jenna is up to. Yet, how can she really know if Jenna is telling the truth?

Five Stars
I absolutely enjoyed Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni. I adore his writing style. He transported me to Seattle to follow the case. Keera is a spectacular character.

I look forward to the next installment. Oh, I do recommend Beyond Reasonable Doubt.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni.

Until the next time,
~Jen

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

Another Keera Duggan thriller that hits it out of the park. I love police procedurals and court room dramas. This was the best of both worlds.

So engaging. Keeps you guessing the entire time.

BOOK: BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT
AUTHOR: ROBERT DUGONI
PUB DATE: 5TH NOVEMBER 2024
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REVIEW- 3.8stars
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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This is the second book in Keera Duggan's series, I liked Keera in the first book and was eager to know what was next for her. In this aspect, I was not disappointed. In the first book, she was an accomplished lawyer, but she kinda depended on her dad. Maybe that was because she was starting off as a defense lawyer from being a prosecutor. But, that changed greatly in this book. Her Patsy was away for most part of the book, so Keera really grew into her own and managed to drop the 'Patsy's daughter label', and I liked it for her.
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Now, I liked this book, and I'd definitely recommend it, but... First, I enjoyed that this book was thriller fulfilling the thriller part of the legal thriller. Keera's firm really worked hard to uncover the stones and find out what really happened. About Jenna Bernstein, she was not my favorite character, vut she got what she deserved. At first, I wondered how Keera would defend her, but she did a very good job, and I enjoyed reading her process. I also acknowledge the MMC, Detective Frank Rossi's efforts in doing his job. He also turned every stone, and between him and the firm's private detective, they were able to discover who the real culprit was, although Keera uncovered the last clue.
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I liked Keera's growth, but it was kinda annoying when she kept going on and on about how Jenna treated her when she was in school. It was overdone, and I think she was too fixated on her. Keera did a very good job in her defense of Jenna, but I feel like it wouldn't have worked in real life, Keera hated Jenna, but it was justifiable.
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But, I didn't really get the motive for the murder, Sirus Kohl's. I felt like it was rushed, but it was a good ending, so I accepted it. I was disappointed at the slow progress of Keera and Frank's relationship. Are they going to get together or what?
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The book was fast paced in the beginning and the end, but it was kinda slow in the middle. I also liked the legal aspect of the book. This book was worth it. I would definitely recommend this series. Can't wait for more of Keera and Rossi!
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This was okay! It’s a continuation of a series, but there’s plenty of context to put together the history between the main characters. I especially like the two sides of the coin in this series, both seeing a detective and a criminal defense attorney. The mystery that was unraveling was okay, but it didn’t pull me along and I didn’t feel particularly invested. I felt more invested in Keera’s story itself. It was a quick read and it moves at a quick pace. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.