As a longtime fan of Robert Dugoni’s work, especially The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell and the first Keera Duggan novel (Her Deadly Game), I was eager to dive into Beyond Reasonable Doubt. While this second book in the series offers a solid legal thriller, it didn’t quite grip me in the way I’d hoped.

Criminal defense attorney Keera Duggan returns to the courtroom, this time defending her high school rival turned health tech wunderkind in a murder trial. The writing is good, but I didn’t feel invested in the outcome of the trial. The pacing, while steady, didn’t build the same level of tension that made the first book such a standout for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishing for providing me with the ebook and audiobook in exchange for my honest review

A 3.5 rounded to 4 stars.

Last year when I read the first book of the Keera Duggan series, Her Deadly Game, I was completely awed by the taut narration from the author, and it reminded me so much of the quick-paced, legal thrillers by John Grisham. This book too kept me entertained but I felt that the case covered in the first book was more nuanced than the one handled in this book.

Keera Duggan is a defense attorney in her father's firm, but she was also a prosecutor few years back. So it's quite a shift for her in terms of her mindset and strategy to defend and argue for her clients, who are sometimes charged with violent crimes like murder and rape. And in some cases where there is only circumstantial evidence, it's Keera's job to prove that her client is, if perhaps, not guilty, at least maybe, not guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

Keera's vacation abruptly ends when her sister Maggie, calls her into office for an emergency meeting. Jenna Bernstein, the ex-CEO of a biotech company is charged with the murder of her business partner and her lover, Sirus Kohl. Three years earlier, Keera's father, Patsy had successfully defended Jenna when she was charged with the murder of the company's scientist and whistle-blower, Erik Wei. Although Jenna seems to be a sociopath, with absolutely no guilt over the consequences of her actions, can she be a psychopath too?

As Keera gets to the bottom of this tangled mess of a case, she also gets to test her own mettle as an attorney. As always the author's writing is flawless and we get to read some really well written courtroom scenes. I did feel that the author was writing in circles sometimes about the evidence in the case and also the case seemed to be pretty simple one to solve. I also missed the interaction between the Duggan family members, especially since Patsy is MIA for the courtroom drama. But I do love this series, its a quick-read and I love the efficient and focused Keera and how she is always two steps ahead of her opponents.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance copy of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of ”Beyond Reasonable Doubt” in exchange for my honest opinion. Robert Dugoni is one of my favorite authors and I am always excited when I have the opportunity to read his latest work. I enjoy the character of Keera and her latest case was certainly complicated because of her personal connection with the character she was representing. Having lived with an alcoholic, the depiction of her father’s struggle and the impact it has on family members was very authentic. I don’t think I connect with Keera the way I do with Tracy Crosswhite, from one of his other series, but it was a good read.

I did not read the first book in the series, but it didn’t hinder the understanding or the ability to follow the plot at all. The book opens with a very exciting scene. I kind of wished that I could have had more of that. The author gave a lot of background to some of the characters that made their actions make sense. I especially loved the ending. It was pretty satisfying.

Keera and Jenna - frenemies since early childhood. Not much has changed now that they are adults. Keera is a smart, ethical lawyer working at her father’s law firm. For the second time, Jenna has been accused of murder. The first time, Keera’s Dad got Jenna off. Now it’s Keera’s turn. Part of the problem is that Jenna is the consummate liar. She’s so good at manipulating, no one knows what to believe.

I was not aware this is book #2 of a series. It worked extremely well as a stand alone but is enticing enough for me to want to read book #1. The intrigue for Keera is trying to find the truth and to give the best defense for her client, even if she personally does not like Jenna.

This was highly entertaining. I was thrilled to see it in the Read It Now section on Netgalley, as I know Mr. Dugoni is a veteran author of numerous well written books. This one did not disappoint.

Thomas & Mercer publisher via Netgalley. Publication date is October 22, 2024.

Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni is the second in his courtroom drama featuring Keera Duggan, who was making a name for herself as a defense lawyer, despite initially being seen only as her father’s daughter. Her father, Patsy, is known as the Irish Bulldog. She was, maybe, not so far away from that title herself. She had just finished a case wherein it was possible her client was guilty and was taking some time for herself. She was on a run when her sister texted. She ignored. Texted again. Ignored again. Finally she gave up and called and Maggie, also the firm’s receptionist, told her she needed to come in. Her father had decreed. So, she went in, not expecting clients. Who was it but Jenna Bernstein and her parents? Patsy had gotten Jenna off on a murder charge. She had been the CEO of a fantastic new startup that promised great inroads into medical science with their device. Then, their head scientist had been murdered, after he threatened to go public with the fact the device was not there yet. Patsy had done an amazing thing: he had let Jenna testify. She was the consummate sociopath, lied well, and got herself off. Now what was going on?

Keera is clever and audacious. The lead detective in this case is Frank Rossi, an excellent investigator. One she had toyed with having a relationship with when she work for the DA. Now he was on the other side; still wouldn’t work. He was the police representative in court. He knew her well, but even he couldn’t figure out what she was up to, but he knew it was something. Keera didn’t like Jenna. They had known each other as children and young teens and Jenna had tortured her. She knew her client was lying. Could she change that? This was an in-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of book. The reader didn’t know exactly what Keera was planning either. The story was easy to follow, built slowly, and was extremely well-plotted. The characters are full of charm and charisma, albeit of different sorts. The crime was also well thought out and obvious once it was brought to light. The truly amazing thing was the startup, PDRH, and their inner workings. Hopefully that was all fiction. Can’t go wrong with Dugoni.

I was invited to read Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Thomas & Mercer. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #ThomasAndMercer #RobertDugoni #BeyondReasonableDoubt

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Beyond Reasonable Doubt’, the second book with Keera Duggan written by Robert Dugoni, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Defence Lawyer Keera Duggan is working on behalf of childhood acquaintance Jenna Bernstein who’s been charged with the murder of ex-lover Silus Kohl. Frank Rossi and Billy Ford are the detectives called out when Silus Kohl is found shot dead in his home. They’re all seeking evidence, Keera to get her client acquitted and Rossi and Ford to get her found guilty and locked away.

‘Beyond Reasonable Doubt’ is probably the best legal thriller I’ve read with a plot so exquisitely woven I felt I was there with them in the Courtroom. I could feel the tension increasing as the story gradually built-up and the dramatic twists and turns had me guessing from the first page to the last especially as Jenna was unable to tell the truth even if her life depended on it. I could feel the attraction between Keera and Rossi and the respect they had for each other and hope that in a future book they get to watch a match together. It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable book to read, worthy of its five stars and more, and I look forward to reading more of Keera and the Duggan family in the future.

Keera Duggan is back defending a morally questionable person. I like this! No clear cut good or bad, just a lot of grey. I did guess/assume the true culprit pretty early on. It was just a matter of waiting for Keera to figure it out. I also liked how we got to learn some more about Keera's history. But, there was one subplot that I am not sure I am a fan of; however, to tell you would be a spoiler, so you can read and decide for yourself. I can't quite decide. Part of it I like but part makes me a little uncomfortable. Intriguing, isn't it? Just means I need to hope we get a third in the series soon so I can find out where this all leads. I hope we continue getting interesting and convoluted plots like this one, along with developing the characters around Keera. I think there is a lot there and I'm looking forward to reading all about it!

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The story begins with Keera awaiting the results from the jury for whether her client is guilty or not. Once the verdict is given, Keera has a discussion with her client. The story jumps then to a scene where an individual associated with Keera's childhood friend, Jenna, has been discovered. Keera is on a vacation when she gets several calls and messages from Maggie telling her she needs to come to the office immediately. Once Keera arrives, she goes to the conference where she discovers Jenna and her parents are there with Keera's father Patsy and sister Ella. Since Patsy had gotten Jemma off at a previous murder trial, they wanted him to handle the murder case if Jenna is charged. Patsy is no longer doing trials and that now falls to Keera to handle. Keera tells Jenna if she is to handle the case, she has to do what Keera says.

Jenna is finally charged and the story follows the measure that Keera plans to use as she tries to defend Jemma.

To learn what evidence the prosecution has against Jenna and how Keera handles it, what steps she has JP, her investigator does and how everything works out in the end, then you need to read this book. The trial ending is one that is unexpected. Don't miss out!

Book 2 in the Keera Duggan Series, Beyond Reasonable Doubt, was one of my highly anticipated books of 2024. I loved Her Deadly Game and highly recommend reading it first - though not absolutely necessary.

Forced to give up her staycation, Keera is back in the office when another high profile case lands on her desk. What follows is another legal drama told from a couple POVs - Keera the lawyer and police detective, Frank Derossi. Again Dugoni has written a compelling courtroom legal story that was authentic and had me reading the last 50% in one day.

The storyline, red herrings and characters were real (even if I didn't like them - looking at you Jenna). The backstory of Keera and Jenna's relationship was woven in nicely to get that big picture of what Keera was going through as she defended her.

I am a relatively new fan of Robert Dugoni, my thanks to TheBakingBookworm for the recommendation and now I continue with his backlist to keep me occupied until book 3 comes out.

My thanks to Thomas Mercer for a digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.

“…a defense attorney’s job was not to find guilt or to exonerate. That was the jury’s job. Trials were not about determining the truth, only what the evidence could support.”

When Jenna Bernstein, disgraced CEO of a biotech company, is accused of murdering her former partner, she turns to Seattle attorney Keera Duggan to defend her. Keera, who is Jenna’s childhood friend, sees her for who she was: a manipulative and frighteningly controlling sociopath.
As the investigation gets underway, Keera puts her trust in a client who swears she's telling nothing but the truth. If this is all another devious game, Keera might be working to set a murderer free.

Beyond Reasonable Doubt, the second Keera Duggan book, brings Keera’s brilliance to the fore as she applies chess moves to her defence strategy in the courtroom. One can’t help but admire how Dugoni studies human psychology through this case where Keera and her client are locked in an intense battle of trust.

The case itself is intriguing where the defendant is on trial for one murder but there is a second closely-related case from five years ago that remains unsolved. With the story narrated from the POV of Keera and the detectives, Dugoni does a fabulous job of keeping the tension high.

I was glad to see JP Harrison return and enjoyed his witty interactions with Keera. I’m also curious to see how things progress between Keera and Det. Frank Rossi.

With psychological drama both in and out of the courtroom, Dugoni pulls you in with his clever writing and nail-biting suspense. It is impossible to stay away from his books and I’m already eager for Keera’s next case.

This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

Thanks to MBC books for the gifted copy.

These are the kind of books. I really like to get lost in. While fantasy is a natural choice to escape my life, I always enjoy a good legal thriller, imagining my life if I had taken a different path. I like the strategy and the unexpected turns.

The story plays off of the real life story of Elizabeth Holmes and her biotech that was a bit of a house of cards. In this story, there is a similarly charismatic but perhaps a bit sociopathic powerful female leader who is sleeping with an older male who is funding her company. We join them after the company has folded and she’s already been acquitted of the death of the whistleblower that took her down. Now her ex-lover is dead and the cops are looking to nail her for this murder.

Her lawyer is a former prosecutor taking over her father’s practice, her father notoriously got the prior acquittal. About half the story takes place in the lead up to the trial and then the fireworks begin at the trial itself.

I loved the balance of characters to root for and ones to hate in this one. Lots of little tidbits of evidence lead you to the truth with a few great twists along the way.

Read this if you like John Grisham or Scott Turow.

"Trouble seems to follow that girl." Jenna Bernstein, CEO of Ponce de León Restorative Technology, is facing yet another murder charge after having been found not guilty in a previous case. All Keera Duggan needs to do as her defense attorney is create enough doubt in the jurists' minds to find her client not guilty. The only problem is that Keera herself believes Jenna, a lying narcissistic sociopath she's known most of her life, is entirely capable of murder.

I always enjoy a good legal thriller like this. Here, we get to watch both sides at work as the case is built and brought to trial. Keera has recently joined her family's law firm run by her father, Patsy. In fact, he's the one who got Jenna off in her first murder trial. But this time around, Patsy is stepping back and letting Keera take the case. He has been a life-long alcoholic and the struggle to stay sober has taken too much of a toll. Interesting characters and a strong family dynamic make this series different and entertaining.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new legal thriller via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

How do you defend someone you loathe? Could you put aside your personal feelings and just "do the job"?
In this second installment to the series, Keera Duggan is back, and once again, she is given a horrible case. Why is the case so bad? She is asked to defend an "old family friend" who basically is a manipulative b***h. But is she a killer?

Jenna Bernstein, former CEO of Ponce de Leon Restorative Technology (PDRT), is clearly based on Elizabeth Holmes. Like Holmes, she started a company with good intentions, and she used those good intentions to obtain millions from investors. Also, like Holmes, her promises were more than could be delivered and eventually caused the downfall of the company.

This book centers on two key employees at the company who were later murdered. And Jenna was charged with both murders. One, she was found not guilty (this does not mean she was found innocent, just prosecution couldn't prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt). The second case is assigned to Keera, who like everyone else, isn't convinced her client is innocent. But Keera, as she proved in book one, is able to set aside personal feelings and just try to case to the best of her ability - let the truths fall where they may.

Like Keera, I really disliked Jenna and very much wanted her to be guilty of the crimes. However, things aren't always simple and Keera does a great job of uncovering the truth, while making sure other injustices are corrected.

I don't read a lot of courtroom dramas, but this is a series I'm eager for more. Hopefully the author isn't done with this intelligent protagonist yet.

In Beyond Reasonable Doubt, attorney Keera Duggan reluctantly and cautiously represents her childhood nemesis in a case that involves fraud and murder. Detective Frank Rossi is the lead police investigator while J.P. Harrison is once again Keera’s gumshoe. With lots of twists, turns, and red herrings, Keera eventually figures it all out and ably presents her case in court. Another suspenseful mystery thriller by Robert Dugoni!

Hook: I’m a sucker for legal thrillers.
Line: Throw in a whistleblower.
Sinker: Gave me vibes of a real life medical startup company (Elizabeth Holmes founder of Theranos)

I love Keera’s story and cannot wait for more of this series. Her relationship with her dad/family and how every legal strategy is like a game of chess keeps you engaged. This book will have you at the edge of your seat either waiting for the missing piece in the case or giggling out loud at the cross examination one liners.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC for my honest review.

Another great novel by Robert Dugoni. I really enjoyed following Keera to figure out Jenna’s true innocence or guilt. Fast paced and enjoyable.

Another NetGalley read! 4.5⭐️

I don’t know that I have anything bad to say about this book. I loved the main character & the other character POV’s that we got. The description of the courtroom scenes and everything else was never boring & was woven together well.

The ending didn’t shock me but it was still a great read. Hoping that there’s another one after this!

I'm a sucker for a good courtroom drama, and this book, Beyond Reasonable Doubt, is a winner. It's the second book featuring lawyer Keera Duggan, and it's every bit as good as the first one, Her Deadly Game.

Her father pressures Keera at their family law firm into taking the case of Jenna Bernstein, a woman accused of murdering her former business partner and lover. Keera has known Jenna since childhood and considers her to be a controlling sociopath incapable of telling the truth. Trouble seems to follow Jenna. Once a billionaire and CEO of a startup company, all came crashing down when, five years earlier, she was accused of murdering one of her employees. Keera's father successfully defended Jenna then; now it's Keera's turn. But Keera has her doubts. Can she get past her feelings toward Jenna and be the lawyer Jenna needs?

This is an excellently plotted book. In addition to Keera's moral dilemma, there's the question of Jenna's innocence. Did Jenna get away with murder once and possibly a second time? Jenna is not likable, and I was almost rooting against Keera winning the case. Watching Keera's strategy change as more information came to light was fun, as was her battle of wits with Jenna. Although this is the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone. 5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is October 22, 2024.

4.25 stars
Jenna Bernstein, the CEO of a controversial biotech company, is accused of killing her former business partner and lover. She hires her childhood “frenemy”, former chess champion and now a top attorney, Keera Duggan, to represent her. While others are charmed by Jenna, Keera knows how manipulative she is and actually thinks she is a sociopath. Keera’s father represented Jenna on a prior murder charge, but this time Keera thinks Jenna might be innocent and agrees to be her attorney.

I didn't read the first book in this series, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book, which is a mixture of a procedural and a legal thriller. Keera is a shrewd lawyer who seems to be one step ahead of everyone, just like when she was a chess champion. Much of the book is told from her point-of-view and I respected her intelligence and determination. I enjoyed watching her in action in the courtroom on this complex case and seeing how much confidence she had gained since she was a child, making it clear to Jenna that it’s Keera who is in charge.

Keera's family drama and her relationship with her alcoholic father also plays a large role in the book. In addition, parts of the book are told from the point-of-view of Frank, one of the detectives assigned to the case. These give the book procedural elements which I like. It helps that Frank is likable and a man of integrity. Even though Frank is a cop and Keera is a defense attorney, there is a friendship and a connection there. I enjoyed the plot, the suspense, and getting to know the main characters in this book. This is a series I intend to follow.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and MB Communications for the gifted copy. My review is voluntary and unbiased.