I enjoyed this book which gains momentum with a twist at the end. It did remind me a lot of The Lincoln Lawyer tv series and I wondered if it was modeled on it. Entertaining and well plotted but not terribly original.

JUSTICE BITES is the first in a new legal thriller series. Starring two people facing multiple challenges who are stronger together, supporting each other and doing their best for their clients. The authors have joined skills to build a community and a cast of characters that make an excellent story. An outstanding start to a series with potential.

Justice Bites delivers a gritty legal thriller packed with tension, small-town secrets, and high stakes. Defense attorney Marko Bauer and ex-con Allee Smith find themselves entangled in a case that starts as a routine drug charge but quickly spirals into something far more dangerous. The discovery of a mysterious thumb drive linked to the enigmatic Yellow Lark restaurant puts them on a collision course with hidden forces desperate to keep their secrets buried.

Chandler and Snider craft a sharp, authentic narrative filled with twists and a strong sense of realism. While the protagonists aren’t always easy to root for, their depth and the novel’s tightly plotted suspense keep the pages turning.

Justice Bites is a dark legal thriller that besides really nasty crimes deals (and describes) alcohol and drug addiction. A small town will be torn apart when a teacher is indicted for a conspiracy to murder her husband and the most unusual duo (a lawyer and an ex-con) will pair up to discover the truth. What they did not expect was to unravel an even nastier crime that will make the foundations of family values be questioned and behavior seen as a façade. The book has a very good plot, it's well-written, and chapter after chapter keeps the reader entertained and hooked to learn the end. Highly recommended!
I thank the authors, their publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Fun legal thriller which sets up a future series with the story of a lawyer pulling himself out of a drunken stupor and finding himself. The central mystery was interesting, and I liked how this focused on small town drama, instead of another series set in LA or NY.

Highly recommended for fans of gritty legal thrillers. This is not one of those slick Hollywood-style thrillers; JUSTICE BITES has a real-world vibe, which I especially enjoyed. I liked how the town's secrets became so important in this journey toward potential redemption. The pacing is good, although I suspect the novel could have been tightened and a bit shorter. This is a strong start to a new series, and the writing checks all the boxes for a good legal thriller.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

I love his Sam Johnstone series but this is a bit more hard boiled with a couple of gritty protagonists who are sometimes not that easy to like or empathise with.

Perhaps they will grow on me as the series - and hopefully there will be more books featuring them - develops.

The plot was clever and complex and the writing taut and tense.

A good start indeed.

This was a strong start to the Smith and Bauer series, it uses the legal thriller that I was hoping for and enjoyed the overall storyline going through this. James Chandler & Laura Snider have a great writing style and enjoyed the overall feel of this world. It left me wanting to read more in this world and from the authors.