Innocence on Trial

De: Rick Bowers

Narrado por: Eleanor Caudill

Duración: 7 h y 31 m

Resumen del Editor

Seeking a high profile case to jet-fuel her career and striving to strike a blow for justice, attorney Laura Tobias sets out to clear a man she believes was wrongfully imprisoned for murder, ten years before. The young lawyer, a rising star with the Council Against Wrongful Convictions, is the last hope for inmate Eddie Nash, serving life without parole at the infamous Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York.

Attica, one of the last of the classic "big houses", is still haunted by the 1971 inmate revolt and police siege that left dozens of prisoners and hostages dead. Appealing the cast in federal court and unraveling the facts, Laura uncovers evidence that Eddie was framed by the police for murder - the brutal hanging of a troubled young woman in the remote upstate town of Eden.

Realizing that the real "hangman of Eden" may still be at large, Laura also finds herself being stalked. Are the police out to stop her from exposing their frame-up? Is the real killer seeking to keep her from reopening the investigation?

Teaming up with noted innocence investigator Charles Steel, she gets a lead on evidence that could clear her client and point to the real killer. With a new trial moving forward, Laura must find the truth and prevail in court, without becoming the next victim.

©2019 Richard J. Bowers (P)2020 Richard J. Bowers

Well done...

This is a very well written plot based, wrongful conviction legal thriller. It’s a very good story that held my attention especially when facts are mixed in. The story revolves around one wrongfully imprisoned black man, but give shocking statistics on our overall prison systems inequalities in convictions between the races. The story also gives detail how quick the police are to 1) close a murder case and 2) the lengths the system will go to to obtain a conviction. Of course there are a few dirty cops thrown in and an incompetent attorney.
The ending is a total surprise! Never saw it coming!
Eleanor Caudill does a great job narrating.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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well developed story line

many slow parts but well developed story and characters. I really liked this writer. narration was great. unexpected end.

Compelling legal thriller from Upstate NY

A great listen - the story has a lot going on and I couldn't "put it down." Learned a lot about wrongful conviction and I loved the setting in upstate NY and Brooklyn. Killer surprise ending.

Everyone's Guilty of "Something"

Edward Thomas Nash has been a resident at Attica Correctional Facility for ten years and seven months for the brutal murder of a young stripper. Supposedly, he didn’t approve of the employment choice of his former childhood friend and alleged lover and was heard threatening her hours before her body was found hanging over an embankment. Nash didn’t have an alibi and his DNA was found at the scene… on the victim.

Guilty as charged. Goodbye, Mr. Nash, end of story. The end, right?

Not even close.

On the surface, Innocence on Trial plays as a legal battle to free an innocent man from prison. But is he innocent?

Is Attorney Laura Tobias really a pure of heart do-good litigator out to correct a miscarriage of justice or does she have a more self-serving agenda?

An imperfect legal system imprisons innocent people all too often, but was there more at the heart of the Nash case than the status quo rush to justice and racial inequity?

And if Eddie Nash didn’t kill Erin Lambert, who did? Who is the Hangman of Eden?

The author has done a great job of constructing a maze of shady characters, inept attorneys, and dirty cops that allow for anyone to have been Erin’s killer, including Eddie Nash. But the suspense is turned up to high after Laura is stalked and assaulted and an attempt is made on Eddie’s life in his prison cell.

Standouts for me were Charles Steele, the African-American investigator for the Council Against Wrongful Convictions. Steele and his undercover team can go where most people cannot to find the truth. Loved Lou “no last name.” Judge Peter Striker, who presides over the second trial. He’s seen it all, done it all, and is not putting up with anyone’s nonsense. We could use more judges like him IRL. John Tobias, Laura’s father. A retired New York prosecutor, John isn’t a fan of the old boys’ network and still has a hand in fixing the system. However, his daughter is always his first concern.

I liked Laura and Eddie. I saw many sides of their personalities, flaws, and all, and they are not cardboard cutout characters. Laura is sharp and knows she’s underestimated by her colleagues. She’s driven and aggressive but takes the time to consider her every word and action. Laura is out to prove herself, but she also wants to be on the right side of the truth. Eddie doesn’t lie to himself about who or what he is, and he’s haunted by the words of benevolent prison guard, Fridge, that “every con ever to enter this prison is guilty of something.”

The finishing touch to this legal thriller is the great narration by Eleanor Caudill. Voicing well over a dozen characters, Caudill masters gender, ethnicity, social status, and vernacular with tone and inflection and kept me riveted in the story right up to the ending I was not ready for!

This gritty, well-written legal thriller will appeal to anyone to enjoys a good story, especially lovers of suspense. Kudos to the author… and I wouldn’t be upset should Charles Steele or Peter Striker appear in other stories. Or the same story! Just saying.

Enjoy!

(I volunteered to review this audiobook as part of my participation in a promotional blog tour. Opinions are my own!)

An emotional and thrilling story shines!

The Review

What an exciting thriller. Having the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of the novel, narrator Eleanor Caudill does an amazing job of bringing the visceral settings and complex characters come to life for the listener.

The story itself is well woven, creating characters that are multi-layered and full of complexities that keep readers engaged throughout the entire book. The book plays out like a court-room drama taken to the tenth power, with the drama and tension of the courtroom trial blending into the thrill of a dangerous set of foes lurking ever closer as the truth fights to breakthrough.

The cast of characters are the heart of the story, with protagonist Laura Tobias fighting to prove herself and showcase her talent while trying to uncover the truth of the case and her client Eddie struggling with the sins of his own past while fighting the crime he didn’t commit or did he?

The Verdict

An emotional and thrilling story shines brightly in this novel. A must-read book, the story takes readers for a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seat, and by books end the reader will be fully invested in Laura’s fight to get to the heart of this tragic and gruesome case. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy of author Rick Bowers’ “Innocence on Trial” today!

Innocence on Trial

Innocence on Trial is my first introduction to the writings by Rick Bowers. I thought it was a great read. I had the pleasure of listening to the audio version with the narration by Eleanor Caudill. Her performance was phenomenal. I felt like I was riding on a thrilling roller coaster ride from start to finish. I never knew what was going to happen next. I could not push pause on the book until I was completely done listening to the whole book in one day. It was great!

I am giving Innocence on Trial a very well deserved five plus stars. I would love to read more by Mr Bowers in the near future.

I received the audio version of this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

Fantastic

Very easy to get lost in this story.

A young lawyer who specializes in helping those who have been wrongly convicted is trying to make a name for herself by working with a man who has been charged for the murder of his friend. Laura set off on a journey to find the truth of who really killed him, finding herself in the middle of not only police corruption but of other dangers as well.

This book seems pretty straightforward until you get to the ending and it smacks you in the face. This is one of those books that keeps you on your toes with brilliant prose and interesting characters. I was able to finish it in one sitting.

Narration fit the story.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Gripping

Innocence on Trial.
Well written and researched with some great characters.
The book entrapped me and held me thru to final sentence.
A really entertaining audiobook.
I received a free copy of this audio book at my own request and voluntarily leave this honest review. .

Justice calling ...

A story set in a courtroom? Yes, please. 

Laura Tobias is an up-and-coming attorney working for the Council Against Wrongful Convictions, and some of her co-workers feel her latest case - that of Eddie Nash - is too big for her to handle alone, not to mention that as a black man, Nash's case might be harder to win. Yikes, that's pretty damning of the system!

But, Laura already has vast swathes of evidence to disprove the claim that Nash is the infamous Hangman of Eden, convicted of murder Erin Lambert. After ten years in Attica, the roughest of all US correctional centres, Nash is still a model prisoner - not violent, not vocal, and not vindictive. So, is this his chance at freedom?

Laura's examination of all the evidence brought in against Nash is wide-reaching, identifying not just one single mistake but rather a litany of errors: tampering, coercion, and corruption.
Was Nash's confession sound? What was his motive for killing Erin? How would he know the machinations of hanging someone so precisely? There's more to it than putting a noose around a person's neck. Why was Nash made to wear an electric shock device under his clothing during the trial? How did the judge surmise he was a risk? And what about the DNA evidence that put Nash at the scene?
Laura has so many questions ...and lots of answers. But is it enough to suggest reasonable doubt? Well, someone surely thinks so when they begin stalking Laura.

As the date for the retrial looms ever closer, Laura finds herself in ever greater danger. But once the trial is underway, she forensically undermines the prosecution. The trial is deliciously detailed, the pace is tense, and hopes are high. The ending, while unexpected for the most part of the story, is delightful in its misdirection. Just when you think it's all over ...wait for it, and BOOM! 

Loved it, and would recommend to any readers who enjoy legal thrillers and courtroom drama. 
Great narration. Easy to follow. Perfectly paced diction.

  I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Rick Bowers. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

✨Gripping,Gritty,Great✨

This quick listen had me so focused on the main plot, it was only at the end of the book I realized that there was no character build up for anybody,other than Laura. But that did not hinder or hurt the narrative one bit. Laura had the centerstage and she rocked it. Her investigation and legal court arguments were no-nonsense and to-the-point. I could picture the fierce lawyer going at it with everything in her.
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I really enjoyed how the story did not have a romance or any other site plots to distract from the main story. The Author keeps the suspense about the murderer till the very end, and this had me totally gripped. A very well written book & excellently narrated!