Influencing Justice

Small Town Lawyer, Book 2

By: Peter Kirkland

Narrated by: J J Hosenfeld

Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

A small town murder hides a dark secret....

When online influencer Simone Baker asks Leland Munroe to defend her on a criminal charge, the small town lawyer is ready to say no. He’s not a criminal lawyer—despite what the people of Basking Rock seem to think. Social media and manslaughter are both far from his area of expertise. But with no other clients coming through his door, Leland takes the job to make ends meet.

At first, he figures the prosecution’s weak evidence should make for a simple defense. But Simone’s case isn’t as straightforward as it seems, and her testimony weaves a tale of missing young women, racism, and evidence tampering by local police.

Leland’s investigation soon reveals a criminal conspiracy lurking in the shadows of the small town. An innocent women may be tied up with a criminal organization he thought was gone from Basking Rock for good. And as the Jury’s verdict looms closer, it’s not just Simone’s freedom that hangs in the balance.

Leland’s own life is on the line as well....

©2022 Relay Publishing (P)2022 Relay Publishing

Surprise

I was totally caught off guard by how awesome this book was! Both of them were a surprise because when you start it doesn’t feel like they are going any where and then…. Surprise! Good books

Leave the pandemic out of stories!

We read books to enter a world different than our own. Leave the pandemic out of it! I’d give this one a better rating if the narrator could do better voices. Slowwww speak for other male characters.

Leland for the win! I loved it!

Online influencer Simone Baker is being charged with manslaughter. She swears she didn’t do it and she stubbornly wont take a plea. Unfortunately, a one in a million victory in a sensational criminal trial (Book 1 of the series) has everyone convinced that Leland Munroe walks on criminal defense water, everyone but Leland that is. But with bills to pay and no other money coming in, Leland has no choice but to take the case and pray he can pull another legal victory out of his hat! Influencing Justice is timely, engrossing, thought provoking and throughly entertaining. Rarely does a sequel measure up to the original as well as this one does! The characters I came to know in book one are back and are joined by a contingent of new characters, all fully developed and running the gamut of likability. This courtroom drama reflects our changing world and nation brilliantly. The plot is easy to understand, easy to follow, throughly engrossing and completely unpredictable! The dialogue is beautifully written and feels like it would actually be spoken by the characters! The narration that brings this marvelous story to life is top notch and has a very authentic sound and feel. Like the first book, once I started, I could not stop and devoted an entire evening to listening to this audio! I loved it and wish I could award more than the five stars I am allowed to give. It was fantastic across the board!

Interesting, Intriguing and Captivating

Leland has landed a new job defending a social influencer against murder.  Although Leland is not a criminal lawyer, he finds himself thrust into this case as he begins to unravel half-truths, weak evidence, and possible conspiracy within the police department.  Leland’s past isn’t exactly the past and it comes back to haunt him.

The author, Peter Kirkland, weaves a mystery around authentic small-town characteristics and believable criminal elements. His ability to grow the main characters from book to book is consistent and allows for a connection to be built between the characters and the audience. His character development is well done and clear.  I enjoy how Leland is so unsure of himself yet comes across as smooth and confident whenever he must be.  I liked the addition of the son being more involved and pleasant.

The narrator, J J Hosenfeld captures the essence of each character and projects it vividly in his performance.  His voices are subtle yet distinct enabling the listener to follow the story easily.  When I hear Hosenfeld perform, I can see the characters clearly in my mind, their characteristics, flaws, and more. I also appreciate how Hosenfeld is consistent with the characters' voices from one book to another. 

Book 2 in this series is not only interesting and intriguing but promises to be the stepping stone of a great series written by a solid author and an excellent narrator.  I look forward to hearing more.

 There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.

Great legal thriller!

Influencing Justice is the 2nd in the Small Town Lawyer series by Peter Kirkland. A social media celebrity is murdered and Simone Baker, a rival, is charged with murder. As Leland Munroe defends Simone, he finds problems with the police investigation, including evidence tampering, he is threatened, and begins to suspect a wider conspiracy. Or, is that just Leland’s suspicious mind after spending 2 decades as a prosecutor? The narration by JJ Hosenfeld is wonderful. He brings the characters and story to life. I received a free copy of this audiobook for my honest review.

Excellent Courtroom Story

Second Book I have Listed to from this Author
Can’t wait to listen to the next in the series
Well Developed Characters
Great plot full of twists and Turns
You Never See the Ending Coming
I have fallen in love with his Characters
Hope he continues to write more books

Can't stop listening

So I listened to this on audiobook. It is 8 hrs long and I couldn't stop listening. I wanted to find out who did it. Had no idea through the whole book. Hope the author will make another book. Can't wait.

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

Fascinating Story

Not great, but well done. Kept my attention and had some interesting insights into cyber world.

Great legal drama

I live a legal dram with consistent but definitely not predictable plot with plenty of twists. Not in the this isn’t possible way. Well developed characters that I actually like and cheer for. Loved it

Influencer on Trial

While legal thrillers are not my typical read, I do enjoy good ones on occasion, and I'm so glad I chose this series at a book review site. The author does an excellent job building a complex web of intrigue that keeps you wondering how everything interconnects and contributes to the story of the defendant at the center of the book as well as to the overarching series storyline about some local villains who have ties to crime outside of this small southern town. I listened to the audiobook version of this and kept returning to listen (even though I should have been doing other things!) as I kept hearing layers and layers being added. I truly was not sure how things would come together and which way it would go for the client until the big reveal at the end. I did, of course, know that the client was innocent, but how she could be found not guilty at trial, given her parameters for what legal avenues she was willing to go down, was certainly a challenge for Leland Monroe, the small-town lawyer of the subtitle. For all the complexity of the book, I felt a little short-changed by the final chapter. It felt abrupt, and I wish this author's books ended more satisfyingly (though what is here is probably more realistic). Since we see the lawyer and his family in jeopardy in this book, it would have been nice to see at least some brief moment of the villains (or even one villain) getting their due. I don't like how we learn about the verdict in retrospect instead of seeing it play out in the courtroom or on the courthouse steps. I guess I'm a little too much of a Law and Order nerd. I just feel like I needed a stronger, more definitive ending.

This is the first book I've read or listened to that specifically is set during the pandemic, and I'll admit it was a little odd returning to those times not so long ago when we didn't know what we were in for in the next couple of years. As someone who has been living in Oregon, I found it very interesting to see how the early days of the pandemic were handled in North Carolina because we had a much longer lockdown and a slower easing back to normality. (Only in this last month have healthcare facilities not required masking at all times!) The author's descriptions of the empty streets and shuttered businesses certainly brought back memories. He should have talked about empty shelves as well!

This is the third book of the series I've listened to—and yes, I listened to them out of order accidentally. I still dislike the male narrator, though he is growing on me a little. He does an absolutely terrible job voicing Terri, a character I adore, though he did a better job of voicing the young influencer Simone, the defendant. All in all, I did enjoy this book and these first three books of the series, but I just wish the endings felt more wrapped up and satisfying and that the narrator did a better job voicing female characters.