False Witness
A Novel
-
-
3.9 • 70 Ratings
-
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
A lawyer who was set-up, imprisoned, and disbarred, only to be vindicated and reinstated, is determined to find out who set her up and cover their tracks with a trail of dead bodies
Defense Attorney Karen Wyatt exposed corruption in the police force and the District Attorney's office while getting her client exonerated in court. But in doing so, she put a target on her back and she was set-up on fake drug charge, imprisoned and disbarred until the conspiracy unraveled and her innocence was proven. Now reinstated to the bar, Wyatt is still interested in finding out who ordered her to be set-up - but the key figures were either killed or are in Witness Protection.
In the meantime, Wyatt is a practicing defense attorney, whose current client is either guilty of a heinous murder, or is a too-trusting patsy for an acquaintance set-up for a crime he didn't commit. It will take all of Wyatt's genius to defend her client successfully but that's just one piece of an increasingly complex puzzle.
With a deadly criminal drug gang, a powerful, corrupt figure hiding in the D.A.'s office, and a Congressman who turned up with an unbelievable story after disappearing for days, False Witness is twisty, breathtaking, and unpredictable thriller.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Margolin's daffy latest legal thriller (after An Insignificant Case) gets lost in the weeds. Corrupt officials framed Portland, Ore., attorney Karen Wyatt for cocaine possession, putting her behind bars, but she's released early when her lawyer uncovers exonerating evidence. Three years later, a civil suit has made Karen wealthy, though she continues to work. Her latest client, Jack Blackburn, has been charged with murdering a man named Terrance Cogen by bashing in his skull. Karen's probing quickly enmeshes her in a complicated mystery involving a congressman who claims he was abducted by aliens and the leak of sensitive information from within the local district attorney's office to Walter Zegda, a brilliant former high school quarterback who runs a motorcycle gang. As Wyatt tries to fit the pieces together, she also seeks revenge for her own imprisonment. For a while, it's almost exhilarating to watch Margolin add layer upon layer to the overstuffed plot, but the resolution disappoints, and a few far-fetched moves on Wyatt's part make it hard to suspend disbelief. It's not one of the author's better efforts.
Customer Reviews
Writing is a difficult task
Easy read, simple structure and plot. Don’t want to say more as Mr. Margolin deserves a lot of respect for his career. I had much higher expectations for this story - not sure why.