TH1RT3EN by Steve Cavanagh

(Book 4 of the Eddy Flynn series)

323 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Summary (Goodreads):

The serial killer isn't on trial.
He's on the jury...
They were Hollywood's hottest power couple. They had the world at their feet. Now one of them is dead and Hollywood star Robert Solomon is charged with the brutal murder of his beautiful wife.
This is the celebrity murder trial of the century and the defence want one man on their team: con artist turned lawyer Eddie Flynn.
All the evidence points to Robert's guilt, but as the trial begins a series of sinister incidents in the court room start to raise doubts in Eddie's mind.
What if there's more than one actor in the courtroom?
What if the killer isn't on trial? What if the killer is on the jury?

My thoughts: This book was really hard to put down. I was entertained and captivated the entire time. There are so many twists and turns; it was an incredible read. I'm glad I didn't put it down after reading the first chapter of the serial killer. It was worth it!

This is part of a series - the books can be read out of order. This was my first one. I will keep reading books from this series.

The Holdout by Graham Moore

 The Holdout by Graham Moore

322 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Summary (from Missouri Evergreen):

It's the most sensational case of the decade. Fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver, heiress to a billion-dollar real estate fortune, vanishes on her way home from school. Her teacher Bobby Nock, a twenty-five-year-old African American man, is the prime suspect after illicit text messages are discovered between them--and Jessica's blood is found in his car. The subsequent trial taps straight into America's most pressing preoccupations: race, class, sex, law enforcement, and the lurid sins of the rich and famous. It's an open and shut case for the prosecution, and a quick conviction seems all but guaranteed. Until Maya Seale, a young woman on the jury, convinced of Nock's innocence, persuades the rest of the jurors to return the verdict of not guilty, a controversial decision that will change all of their lives forever. Flash forward ten years. A true-crime docuseries reassembles the jurors, with particular focus on Maya, now a defense attorney herself. When one of the jurors is found dead in Maya's hotel room, all evidence points to her as the killer. Now, she must prove her own innocence--by getting to the bottom of a case that is far from closed. As the present-day murder investigation weaves together with the story of what really happened during their deliberation, told by each of the jurors in turn, the secrets they have all been keeping threaten to come out--with drastic consequences for all involved.

My thoughts: This was a page-turner. I really like anything with courtrooms and law involved, so this was a great read. I especially liked that the main character's actions felt believable. It got me thinking about the justice system - most fascinating to me was the truth is not always the best defense strategy in court. I was not super happy with the ending, but after thinking about it for a few days, it was pretty clever on more than just one level.

Missoula by Jon Krakauer

Missoula: rape and the justice system in a college town by Jon Krakauer - 367 pages

I discovered while writing this entry that its very hard to type Missoula when you live in Missouri, the fingers just want to finish it with ri.  That's about the only levity I felt regarding this book.  It's a hard read but I think a valuable one.  Krakauer was inspired to write the book after learning how many women in his life had been a victim of acquaintance rape.  His research led him to Missoula where a flawed system in a college town was allowing rapists to continue in their horrible activities unchecked.  The book covers several pivotal cases and the Department of Justice investigation that helped bring about a new dawn in Missoula in how sexual assaults are prosecuted. 

The Glass Cafe by Gary Paulsen

The Glass Cafe, or, The Stripper and the State: How My Mother Started a War with the System that Made Us Kind of Rich and a Little Bit Famous by Gary Paulsen - 99 pages

It all started because Tony decided to be an artist.  His teacher had told the class that all artists did life studies of the nude form.  So he drew pictures of his mother's fellow workers at the Kitty Cat Club.  Someone made a complaint and his mother was investigated for abuse.  Then it just got crazy.
I picked up this audio to listen to over the weekend.  I knew it was short.  I didn't look at the info enough to realize that it was only an hour.  So I finished it in a day.  I really enjoyed the story.  It was funny and heartwarming.  A great book for older kids.