• The Best Defense

  • A Barbara Holloway Novel
  • By: Kate Wilhelm
  • Narrated by: Anna Fields
  • Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,622 ratings)

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The Best Defense  By  cover art

The Best Defense

By: Kate Wilhelm
Narrated by: Anna Fields
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Publisher's summary

A gripping, poignant, and masterful courtroom novel, The Best Defense is a major work from one of America's most popular writers.

After her recent harrowing experiences, attorney Barbara Holloway isn't looking to take on any new courtroom cases; instead she's happy working from a booth in a cafe in the local working-class neighborhood.

But when the sister of "Baby Killer" Kennerman asks for help, Barbara reluctantly looks into matters and finds that incompetent lawyers and a smear campaign from the local right-wing press are going to allow a killer to go free. The deeper Barbara delves into the case, the more atrocities she finds and the more she believes that the best defense may not be enough.

With this extraordinary novel, Kate Wilhelm returns to the marvelous milieu of Death Qualified, bringing us a legal thriller of the finest caliber.

It's legal: download more of Barbara Holloway's cases.
©1994 Kate Wilhelm (P)2003 Blackstone Audiobooks

What listeners say about The Best Defense

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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Gripping

A story that grabs you and doesn’t let go! Great mystery read by the perfect narrator.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fairly good… Questionable Narration

Author simply got tired of writing. The story is a bit preachy and once that point was made simply hours of great possibilities in trial questioning and intrigue and the final stroke to the heart alas was left to the imagination! Missed opportunity for a masterpiece.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hooked

I have been binging Kate Wilhelm novels. I never tire of Barbara's unravelling the truth in every case and this one is no exception. My heart still races while waiting for the verdict--every time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Detective book!!

I highly recommend this audiobook. Great story and reader of the story does a fantastic job too!! This book should be made into a movie!! Maybe it already has - I’ll have to look.

There are more books in the series and I intend to listen to them all!!

Many Thanks to Kate Wilhelm and Anna Fields!!

Tim C.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed but...

Trying to understand the way this author writes and describes about a black person. This book she mentioned a black guy arguing with a brown guy. As she describes present people in a crowd, she says a black guy and he was really black. Noone is black. Weird.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good story, but too much hatred

I liked the overall story. I liked the play off of the far right guy being the ru489 drug dealer. But what I didn't like was the hatred. I think Ms. Wilhelm's portrayal of anti-abortion conservatives was off base. Are there far right haters? Yes. But her story became a diatribe of hatred by the far left! I love the characters. Stick with the law, not the hate.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good story!

Good lawyer story. Love the father daughter relationship. People with integrity. Good narration. Kept my interest throughout.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Book

I love a good legal thriller/courtroom drama, and this one did not disappoint. I had love and hate relationships with the characters. I cried, laughed, and loved throughout the whole book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I love this narrator she is so good

2nd book I've read from this author and it's really good. Lots of twist and the ending was a total surprise

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't put it down

Anna Fields now has a fan in me for her character readings. And Kate Wilhelm's plot is full of surprises and new twists. Great investigative and courtroom scenes. I could not put it down, and found myself looking for an excuse to get back to the book. It is a great sequel to Death Qualified. I highly recommend it.

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11 people found this helpful