A Criminal Defense

Philadelphia Legal

By: William L. Myers Jr.

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 13 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Losing the trial of his life could mean losing everything.

When a young reporter is found dead and a prominent Philadelphia businessman is accused of her murder, Mick McFarland finds himself involved in the case of his life. The defendant, David Hanson, is Mick's best friend, and the victim, a TV news reporter, had reached out to Mick for legal help only hours before her death.

Mick's played both sides of Philadelphia's courtrooms. As a top-shelf defense attorney and former prosecutor, he knows all the tricks of the trade. And he'll need every one of them to win.

But as the trial progresses, he's disturbed by developments that confirm his deepest fears. This trial, one that already hits too close to home, may jeopardize his firm, his family—everything. Now Mick's only way out is to mastermind the most brilliant defense he's ever spun, one that may cross every legal and moral boundary.

©2017 William L. Myers Jr. (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

More twist than a pretzels!

Without providing a reason to write SPOILER ALERT!! the end of this story during the trial was written magically, total jaw dropping conclusion.

B movie narration.

The book is great. Lots of twists and turns. But it was like having your teeth pulled out listening to this narrator. Almost didn't listen to to it because of the narration, but got hooked on the book.....

An honest to goodness whodunit.

Listening to books is a major part of my life these days. Rarely do I get "hooked" anymore. This one had me on the edge of my seat. Good book, good reader, good mystery.

Best Book I’ve Read in a long time

OMG!!!What a fabulous book. I was unsure when I started listening but the characters are well thought out and introduced in the book. The ups and downs keep you on your seat. FABULOUS FABULOUS FABULOUS

The reader... ugh

I can't past the voice of the reader, and the way he's reading. He's overacting! It was so irritating. I'm gonna have to read the book, instead of listening.

narrator's voice is very unpleasant

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Hard to keep listening because of the voice of the narrator. i'm glad I kept at it because it had a pretty decent plot. But i feel sorry for the author, because I am sure there are lots of people who would have given up after the first few minutes of grating irritation.

Would you be willing to try another book from William L. Myers? Why or why not?

only if he had a different narrator

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Peter Berkrot?

anyone else. Simon Vance is my favorite narrator, but his cultured voice wouldn't have suited this novel.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

yes. i think it would make a good film.

WOW!

Talk about a twist I didn't see coming! Well done! excellent story and well told!

Twists and turns!!!

Lots of twists and turns, i was sure I had it all figured out! Then bam! Another sharp turn!

I did not enjoy the reader so much. He has a really gruff voice and made everyone sound like a thug.

Great book - narration grating melodramatic phony

The unrelenting urgency of the narrator's delivery robs the story of it's considerable suspense and elegant plot. The whispery voice really grates on the ears. This book was highly rated by many who read it rather than being forced to listen to this narrator. I switched to "reading" permanently in order to avoid the forced and phony narration. The author should seriously look for a narrator who can due justice to his talent. The narrator's performance does an injustice to Audible as well ---making "listening" a grating, melodramatic and seemingly interminable ordeal.

Great criminal law thriller

If you could sum up A Criminal Defense in three words, what would they be?

Best intricate plot!

What other book might you compare A Criminal Defense to and why?

Goodbye Girl, Girl on a Train, The Sixth Sense. Surprise endings with lots of twists and turns.

What about Peter Berkrot’s performance did you like?

I will admit, at first I did not like his voice. This was one of the first times I ever felt that way about an audible book. At one point I almost thought I couldn't make it through the book because the main character had such an angry sneering tone. But after I finished the book I realized what a great character actor this narrator actually is. The tone got better as the book progressed. Thank goodness I did not stop in the beginning!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. I did not listen to it in one sitting because of time constraints, but I certainly looked forward to each moment I could get my headphones back on and start back up with the plot.

Any additional comments?

After I finished the book, I listened to the first few chapters over and had a new appreciation of how well the author did setting up the story line and developing the characters. After you know the ending, you can then appreciate how logical the story developed. As a lawyer who has been practicing in the criminal law field exclusively for the past 23 years, I always fantasize about someday creating a great legal fiction. Mr. Myers has outdone himself. I can only dream of creating such a great plot. Myers shows how we do not deal in black and white issues .... everything is a shade of grey.

Someone should buy the rights to this book and make a movie!