Full Disclosure Volume 1

A Novel

By: Beverley McLachlin

Narrated by: Joy Osmanski

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ARTHUR ELLIS AWARDS

From the former Chief Justice of Canada comes a riveting thriller starring Jilly Truitt, a rising, young defense attorney faced with a case that hits close to home.

When everyone has something to hide, the truth is the only defense.

There’s nothing Jilly Truitt likes more than winning a case, especially against her former mentor, prosecutor Cy Kenge. Jilly has baggage, the residue of a dark time in a series of foster homes, but that’s in the past. Now she’s building her own criminal defense firm and making a name for herself as a tough-as-nails lawyer willing to take risks in the courtroom.

When the affluent and enigmatic Vincent Trussardi is accused of his wife Laura’s murder, Jilly agrees to defend him, despite predictions that the case is a sure loser and warnings from those close to her to stay away from the Trussardi family. Determined to prove everyone wrong, Jilly investigates Laura’s death, hoping to discover a shred of evidence that might give the jury a reasonable doubt. Instead, she is confronted by damning evidence and uncooperative witnesses at every turn. Someone isn’t telling the truth, but who?

With her reputation and Vincent’s life on the line, Jilly tries to unravel the web of secrets surrounding Laura’s murder. As she digs deeper, she uncovers a startling revelation that will change not only the case, but her life forever.

From the gritty streets of Vancouver to the fateful halls of justice, Full Disclosure is a razor-sharp thriller that pulses with authenticity and intrigue.

Critic reviews

Shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Awards

“Gripping, intricate, and full of heart, Full Disclosure is a bold debut by the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Novelist Beverley McLachlin is a force to be reckoned with.” (Kathy Reichs, bestselling author of the Bones series)

“We know Beverley McLachlin as a pioneer — the first woman to serve as Canada’s Chief Justice. But now we’ll know her for something else entirely: gripping crime fiction. . . . Full Disclosure is a well-crafted page-turner in the vein of international bestsellers like Sarah Vaughan’s Anatomy of a Scandal, and is packed with courtroom drama, intrigue, plot twists, and fascinating details about our criminal justice system. Written in an accessible voice, with a fast-moving narrative, this is beach, cabin and airplane reading at its best.”

“For page-turning legal thrillers, it’s hard to do better than this one, and not just because it’s by the ultimate insider: the recently retired chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.”

"A great read. . . . Has sequel written all over it."

“Totally compelling: McLachlin brings her wit and intelligence—and unrivalled experience—to this courtroom drama, which brilliantly illuminates the games lawyers play and the risks of wrong choices. The main character, Jilly Truitt, is a woman I want to meet again.” (Charlotte Gray, bestselling author of The Promise of Canada)

“Her legacy . . . is now part of the country’s foundations.”

“McLachlin puts her experience on the Court to good use, writing a taut legal thriller with great twists and turns that will keep readers guessing to the very end.” (Catherine McKenzie, bestselling author of Fractured and The Good Liar)

“A riveting thriller.”

“What we have here is the inquiring mind of the lawyer and jurist, now bold new writer. . . . Beverley McLachlin has created something real and visceral. Hats off, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, and all rise for what we hope will be the encore.”

“McLachlin has the sure hand of a much more experienced author. . . . Jilly’s the perfect legal protagonist—smart, suspicious and driven.”

I wanted to like this more

I was so excited to read this book, given that it was written by Canada's former Chief Justice. The storyline, although good, was void of enough detail, and the character development was virtually non-existent. The narration was alright, but the whole thing left me feeling a bit disappointed; I suppose being a Chief Justice was ultimately a far better fit. So in conclusion, it was not a bad book, but I had higher hopes.

Excellent

It is great to read a novel written by a Canadian with the story based in Canada about a Canadian. Beverley McLachlin just retired as the longest serving Chief Justice of the Canadian Supreme Court. She was also the first female Chief Justice. Four of the nine justices on the Canadian Supreme Court were women; that has recently change to three with a retirement.

The book is well written. Our protagonist is Jilly Truitt. She is a defense attorney. She takes on the case of Vincent Trussardi who is accused of killing his wife, Laura. I enjoyed learning about Canadian criminal law and the procedures alone with pomp and circumstance of a Canadian criminal trial. I have read lots of courtroom drama novels taking place in the United States and in Britain, but this is my first taking place in Canada. McLachlin located the story in Vancouver, British Columbia with all of its beautiful scenery. Taking into consideration this is McLachlan’s first novel, it is well done. I am looking forward to the next book.

The book is eight hours and forty-five minutes. Joy Osmanski does a good job narrating the book. Osmanski is a Koran actress and voice artist. She has won three Audiofile Earphone Awards for audiobook narrations

A Canadian courtroom legal thriller

A Canadian told me about this series and since I grew up in Canada and attended law school in Vancouver, I figured that I had to read this article. I was not a fan of Beverley McLachlin as a judge, but I am not a fan of any of the Canadian Supreme Court justices of the last half century. I left Vancouver in the mid-1990s though I often visit, and reading this book had a certain nostalgic quality for me as McLachlin often drops locations into the story. Overall, I thought that while this book was very entertaining and an easy read, it wasn't up to the writing quality of the best in the genre. There were multiple mysteries and I did think that one of the twists was pretty obvious, though there were aspects about it that weren't. This book follows Jilly Truit, a young defense attorney (yes, I know this is a Canadian book so I should say "defence lawyer"), as she defends a man accused of murdering his wife. This is the overarching story, but there are other important side stories also. I found that the protagonist Jilly didn't really resonate with me, nor did any of the characters. But the story moved at a good pace and kept my attention throughout. I would recommend this book and will continue through this series.

Retired

Simple plot. Unbelievable developments. Couldn't relate to anyone. Another rich lawyer story.. Not for me.

Predictable

The story was very predictable. The narration was odd. Sometimes we were given a british accent, but the story takes place in Canada. If the narrator was going for a french accent she failed. There was an angsty immaturity about the story.