False Witness - by Phillip Margolin

Karen Wyatt is a defense attorney who was temporarily disbarred when she went to prison, then reinstated when the truth came out. Now that she is free, she wants to find out which person in the DA’s office set her up. Basically, one plot thread is her desire for revenge and finding the truth about who sent her to prison. The second and main plot thread is about Karen’s job defending a man who is either naive or a liar and it is up to Karen and her investigator Morris to find out what the truth is and who is actually responsible for the murder of a well-known millionaire. The twists are abundant and the red herrings are plentiful as well, making this a legal thriller that is excellent and engaging. I enjoyed meeting all of the possible suspects and even liked Karen’s defendant Jack, a man whose love for fast cars has led to his being charged with murder. I especially enjoyed the police procedural aspect of the book, with some investigation being done by Karen’s private detective and the rest by two intrepid Portland detectives who are honestly trying to follow the clues. There are a lot of possible villains, but none is more worthy of being caught that Zegda, a leader of a motorcycle gang and a kingpin in organized crime in the area. From the first time I met him in the book, I was rooting for Karen or someone to catch him and make him pay for his numerous crimes. This is a book that is memorable in its intricate tapestry of the quest for justice, even when justice is elusive. I enjoyed every minute I spent with the lawyers and detectives and applaud the author for making the story and the characters so appealing and so realistic. I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

This was a story of corruption inside the police force in Portland, Oregon. It was a slow start. I wasn’t sure where it was going at first. One challenge was trying to keep track of the multiple characters. Yet, it showed another side of how power can corrupt in the government system. We always want the honest characters to win over mismanagement. This was one variation of what can happen. It had some far-fetched twists and suspense that made a decent story.