Burning Evidence

Small Town Lawyer, Book 4

By: Peter Kirkland

Narrated by: J J Hosenfeld

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

In a small town, some secrets are better left buried…

When a young woman dies in a late-night restaurant fire, the owner, Bobby Carter, is charged with arson and murder. The evidence is stacked against him, but something doesn’t add up. And his only chance for justice rests on the shoulders of small-town lawyer Leland Munroe…

Leland is convinced someone’s out to frame his client. But as the trial heats up, he realizes that he's facing more than just a legal battle. The local media is quick to demonize Carter, and someone behind the scenes is determined to keep the truth buried. Leland must navigate a web of corruption and deceit to expose the real culprit.

Trapped in a race against time, Leland will have to use every legal trick in the book to clear Carter’s name and expose the truth. Can this quick-witted lawyer outsmart the real killers? Or will he become their next victim…

©2023 Relay Publishing (P)2024 Relay Publishing

Great story, terrible reader

I don’t want to put a bad review out about this book because the story is excellent. I listened to the audio book and the reader did all the voices, men’s and women’s, which is common in most cases. However this person made everyone other than the main character, sound absolutely weird and like a moron. Terrible terrible voices. If you’re going to have a woman as another main character, you might want to get a real woman to do the voice. I had a hard time listening but I finished it because the story itself was very good! Just my opinion.

Enjoyable Legal Defence Audiobook

Burning Evidence is another enjoyable Leland Monroe legal defense audiobook as he takes on two court cases. He defends Jacob, a champion shooter focused on the Olympics, who is charged with drug possession, and Bobby, a pizza shop owner charged with arson and murder. This riveting audiobook has plot twists and intrigue. I highly recommend this audiobook.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Leland is a superb lawyer..on both sides of the aisle!!!!

Again, Leland finds the most simplistic cas3s that actually turn out to be deeply complxed and thraught with people that are one way in public and something totally different behind closed doors...and his clients are innocent. He has this ability to take on two cases and solve both with sheer cunning with the help of Terri...his crush.

I am loving this series and looking forward to more on Leland and Terri...does Terri feel the same as him? We shall see.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A Brilliant Legal Thriller! STUNNING!

A restauranteur accused of arson resulting in death … a young man accused of possession with the intent to distribute … both clients of Leland Munroe, former prosecutor turned criminal defense attorney. Two unrelated cases and someone doesn’t want them defended… Only one word describes “Burning Evidence” and that word is STUNNING, from start to finish, absolutely stunning! The plot is beautifully woven, interesting, entertaining and holds just the right amounts of mystery and suspense. I love that any “legalisms” that might need explaining are brilliantly worked INTO the story so that even a legal newbie listener will have no issues understanding or following along! The plot itself is gloriously full of twists and surprises, and I’ll not be giving any details so that they remain just that, surprises for future listeners, though I will say my jaw IS a bit sore from hitting the floor … The characters are diverse, fully developed and have complete personalities. I really felt for the two defendants! I came to care about them, as well as the other characters. They became real to me as I listened, becoming one with this fabulously engrossing story. As with people in life, not all of the characters are ones I would choose to associate with, but to protect the guilty, I’ll refrain from naming names 🙂. All of the characters, and this engrossing story, came beautifully alive through fantastic narration! Emotionally on point, perfectly timed, and clearly voiced, leaving no doubt what the characters were feeling at any given time, truly giving life to the authors vision. I absolutely loved this stunning, five star story.

Mystery and Twists and Turns

This is the fourth book in the Small Town Lawyer Series. I liked the investigation, the mystery, and the twists and turns. The storyline is interesting, and intriguing. J J Hosenfeld did a great job bringing this story to life. I received a free copy of this audiobook via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Suspense

Once I started I could not stop. Very good storyline. Definitely would like to hear more stories from this author. Narration was good.
I received a free copy for an honest review

Fun story but annoying voices

I liked the story but the performance lagged. I finally increased the speed to 1.2x. The hypnotherapist with laryngitis and the southern males who sound like they smoked too many cigars and were half asleep were very annoying. The last quarter of the book was more palatable when Leland no longer had to deal with in person with Mary Ann and Bobby.

Burning Evidence!

This is such a good and thrilling read with an addictive plot. I like the characters. The author does a great job weaving a story that keeps you engrossed in the story-line and characters. Leland, a small town lawyer, is dealing with a case of arson and murder. The story develop is great with intrigue and suspense. The narrator did a great job as well.

Such a Great Series!

I have enjoyed every book in this series and this one is my favorite so far. So interesting to see how Leland deals with the legal system and the complications that arise in the case. The narration is spot on. I love the relationship between him and Terry and anxious to see how it develops further in the next novel. Highly recommend!

Two Cases to Adjudicate, But the Narrator!

I’ve listened to every book in this series up to this point, and I’ve enjoyed every one. This is no exception, I’m happy to say. The author crafts a well-written legal thriller, and I like the small personal touches he weaves into every tale. For instance, in this book, our protagonist’s son is now on his own. Throughout the series, the single father/only child dynamic has been a small spotlight I’ve enjoyed watching evolve. Their relationship has the complexity of real father/son ones, which has certainly changed since their lives will change as the son becomes an independent adult.

But a legal thriller is about the cases, and this book has two. Those in trouble with the law are complex characters with rough edges who still come across as sympathetic. Not an easy line to toe, but the author does it well. The cases themselves are complex and fascinating—especially one, as I am an addictions nurse—and getting justice is a rocky road, as it must be. I really enjoy this author's stories and characters.

I’m not wild about the series’ narrator, however. One minor quibble and one broader issue. Small quibble: I wish he gave the hero a hint of a Southern accent. He seems to do this with most other Southern characters but not the lead. More significant issue: He doesn’t voice female characters well, any of them. I’m particularly annoyed by the voicing of the protagonist’s assistant/investigator (not sure of her specific title) whenever she shows up. She’s actually a great character, and I like her on that level, especially how she complements the protagonist and isn’t afraid to take him to task. But, yikes, that VOICE. Still, all in all, this is a great book and fantastic series.