4 / 5 Stars; Legal Thriller
Book two in the Philadelphia Legal series follows Vaughn Coburn, a defense attorney under the covering of Mick McFarland’s firm. A train derails in North Philadelphia with catastrophic consequences, and the conductor—Vaughn’s cousin, Eddy—wants Vaughn to defend him in court. Vaughn can’t say no; he has a debt to repay.
The district attorney is hot on Eddy’s trail, and the case against him gets bleaker every day. What’s worse, the son of mob boss Jimmy “Nutzo” Nunzio died in the crash, and Jimmy's out to whack anyone responsible. As the plot screams full-steam ahead, Vaughn finds himself skirting angry family members, corrupt attorneys, murderers, and even Eddy, who has a secret to hide. Vaughn has to pay his debt and get Eddy acquitted to appease the family, but he also needs to do it before he—or someone he loves—buys a pair of cement shoes.
An Engineered Injustice deviates from the story line of Mick McFarland, but don't worry, your favorite defense attorney still makes an appearance, and the characters Myers holds under a microscope this round are no less complex. The beauty of these books, apart from the intricate plot and breakneck pace, is the moral ambiguity of characters. Readers identify with their weaknesses and ask themselves the question: how far would I go to protect the ones I love (or even just myself)? With the introduction of each new flaw comes a new dimension of tension.
The further I read the more unlikely I was to put the book down. I was caught by surprise with each new revelation, and the plot kept me guessing through the very last pages.
You don’t take your time reading this series. You speed through it, eyes inadvertently skipping ahead, curiosity uncontained. Whose fault was the crash? Is Eddy really innocent? Are there darker factors at play? Is someone gonna get whacked? You’ll find yourself pushing back bedtime, riveted to the juddering track.
As for me, I'm gonna waste no time getting my hands on book three, A Killer's Alibi, released this past February. Better still, Myers is hard at work on book four in the series: A Criminal Justice.
But it’s only right to start with book one, A Criminal Defense. Still not convinced you want to try the series? Check out my review of book one here (I promise the end will hit you like. . . well, like a freight train).
Did you know you can check out the series for free on Kindle Unlimited? I picked up my copy at Philly's own Open Book Bookstore, but for those who don't frequent these parts, follow this link to buy.
Learn more about best-selling author William L. Myers, Jr. on his website, or follow him on Twitter!
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