-
Standby Counsel
- A Monica Spade Novel
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $3.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
This title uses virtual voice narration
Publisher's summary
★★★★★ Named "The Best Legal Thriller of 2021" by BestThrillers.com
★★★★★ "A sexy legal thriller that deftly blends an international terror plot with romantic obsession. Highly recommended." -- Best Thrillers
Monica Spade insists she isn't a trial lawyer, much less one who represents dangerous criminals. Despite her protests, Judge O'Brien orders Monica to serve as standby counsel for a young woman accused of repeatedly stabbing her boyfriend.
Setting aside her abject fear, Monica drags herself to the jail to meet her new client, Stela Reiter. A demure Romanian, Stela looks more like a meek librarian than a person capable of overpowering and stabbing a young man to death. Unlike Monica's other clients, Stela is coy and secretive during their interview.
Meanwhile, Monica's girlfriend, Shelby St. Claire, is keeping secrets of her own, forcing Monica to question the foundation of their relationship. Cursed with intrepid curiosity, Monica digs into the backgrounds of both women.
Monica uncovers sexual innuendo and layers of international intrigue. Stuck between an unrelenting judge and a killer in a pink cardigan, Monica pursues the truth in court while fighting to keep Shelby and herself out of harm's way.
Set in the dead of winter in surprisingly progressive Apple Grove, Wisconsin, Standby Counsel will keep readers' hearts racing.
★★★★★ Over 400 ratings and reviews on Amazon and Goodreads
★★★★★ "Among legal thrillers, Standby Counsel excels in its depth of characterization. The chapters devoted to Monica's romantic life are no less gripping than those devoted to the primary plot. While Standby Counsel is the second book in the Monica Spade Series, it's a perfect entry point for new fans. Highly recommended." Best Thrillers
More from the same
Related to this topic
-
The Accidental Dating Experiment
- By: Lauren Blakely
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Jacob Morgan
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eight years ago I fell into a secret summer fling with my best friend’s little sister before our lives went in different directions. Now, I’m the grumpy to Juliet’s sunshine on a popular dating podcast we host, and when a wealthy fan gives us a charming coastal cottage as the biggest thank you ever, we head to the town where I grew up to give it a makeover. And find the house has only one bed. Located under a mirrored ceiling.
-
-
The kind of Romance everyone needs in their collection!
- By M. Santos on 04-11-24
By: Lauren Blakely
-
A Murder to Remember
- By: Brynn Kelly
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Max Roll
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jane Austen fan Amelia Bennett sneaks away from a dull tour of an English country manor, only to run into a man more dashing than Mr. Darcy himself. About to lose his ancestral home to family debts, charming aristocrat Tom Calder invites his American guest to join him in drinking his way through the estate’s priceless wine collection. But when they wake in his bed the next morning, they’re convinced that in their drunken haze they witnessed a murder. Problem is, the body has vanished and no one believes them.
-
-
Fun rom-com mystery
- By C. Wright on 03-01-24
By: Brynn Kelly
-
Maybe This Time
- By: Cara Bastone
- Narrated by: Zoë Chao, Noah Reid, Josh Hurley, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Romance can be a little complicated when you get sucked into a wormhole. Just ask high school English teacher June Flint. One little solar flare happens and suddenly you find yourself 85 years in the future. Eighty-five years from your dream job. Your ailing mother whose only companion in this world is you. Your favorite stuffed-crust pizza from DeLucia’s on Sunday nights. But when June’s cell phone inexplicably picks up a signal, she’s able to call back to the present—more specifically, four weeks before she accidentally time traveled.
-
-
Not surprised that I LOVED this!
- By Brittany Bowman on 05-22-24
By: Cara Bastone
-
Verity
- By: Colleen Hoover
- Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson, Amy Landon
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.
-
-
intriguing but skip if triggered by child abuse
- By Amazon Customer on 05-16-19
By: Colleen Hoover
-
Iris is More than Okay
- By: Natalie Cooper
- Narrated by: Jenna Coleman
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Iris Nightingale is more than okay. She has her life planned out to a perfect schedule. Work, run, sleep, repeat. She spends her quiet Friday nights sitting alone on a bench in the park, trying to push back the memories that no amount of running can help her escape. But one evening, there’s someone else on her bench - Hunter. Tall, wry and infuriating: everything about him gets under Iris’s skin. Little does she know that he's about to upset more than just her routines...
-
-
Hang in there!
- By Stephanie on 06-02-24
By: Natalie Cooper
-
Credence
- By: Penelope Douglas
- Narrated by: Sofia Willingham, Greg Tremblay, Carson Beck, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tiernan de Haas doesn’t care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she’s grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she? Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of 18. She's sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado.
-
-
😒 creepy underage vibes/horrible narration
- By Chelsea Wentworth on 05-28-21
By: Penelope Douglas
-
The Accidental Dating Experiment
- By: Lauren Blakely
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Jacob Morgan
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eight years ago I fell into a secret summer fling with my best friend’s little sister before our lives went in different directions. Now, I’m the grumpy to Juliet’s sunshine on a popular dating podcast we host, and when a wealthy fan gives us a charming coastal cottage as the biggest thank you ever, we head to the town where I grew up to give it a makeover. And find the house has only one bed. Located under a mirrored ceiling.
-
-
The kind of Romance everyone needs in their collection!
- By M. Santos on 04-11-24
By: Lauren Blakely
-
A Murder to Remember
- By: Brynn Kelly
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Max Roll
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jane Austen fan Amelia Bennett sneaks away from a dull tour of an English country manor, only to run into a man more dashing than Mr. Darcy himself. About to lose his ancestral home to family debts, charming aristocrat Tom Calder invites his American guest to join him in drinking his way through the estate’s priceless wine collection. But when they wake in his bed the next morning, they’re convinced that in their drunken haze they witnessed a murder. Problem is, the body has vanished and no one believes them.
-
-
Fun rom-com mystery
- By C. Wright on 03-01-24
By: Brynn Kelly
-
Maybe This Time
- By: Cara Bastone
- Narrated by: Zoë Chao, Noah Reid, Josh Hurley, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Romance can be a little complicated when you get sucked into a wormhole. Just ask high school English teacher June Flint. One little solar flare happens and suddenly you find yourself 85 years in the future. Eighty-five years from your dream job. Your ailing mother whose only companion in this world is you. Your favorite stuffed-crust pizza from DeLucia’s on Sunday nights. But when June’s cell phone inexplicably picks up a signal, she’s able to call back to the present—more specifically, four weeks before she accidentally time traveled.
-
-
Not surprised that I LOVED this!
- By Brittany Bowman on 05-22-24
By: Cara Bastone
-
Verity
- By: Colleen Hoover
- Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson, Amy Landon
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.
-
-
intriguing but skip if triggered by child abuse
- By Amazon Customer on 05-16-19
By: Colleen Hoover
-
Iris is More than Okay
- By: Natalie Cooper
- Narrated by: Jenna Coleman
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Iris Nightingale is more than okay. She has her life planned out to a perfect schedule. Work, run, sleep, repeat. She spends her quiet Friday nights sitting alone on a bench in the park, trying to push back the memories that no amount of running can help her escape. But one evening, there’s someone else on her bench - Hunter. Tall, wry and infuriating: everything about him gets under Iris’s skin. Little does she know that he's about to upset more than just her routines...
-
-
Hang in there!
- By Stephanie on 06-02-24
By: Natalie Cooper
-
Credence
- By: Penelope Douglas
- Narrated by: Sofia Willingham, Greg Tremblay, Carson Beck, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tiernan de Haas doesn’t care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she’s grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she? Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of 18. She's sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado.
-
-
😒 creepy underage vibes/horrible narration
- By Chelsea Wentworth on 05-28-21
By: Penelope Douglas
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Stabscotch
- The San Francisco Mystery Series, Book 3
- By: Alexi Venice
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
★★★★★ "An emotional & entertaining story with characters that become so authentic they truly become like they're your family in your mind. The riveting plot lines draws you in without you even noticing & the action is compelling enough to grab, hold & keep you anticipating the "end game.'" 5 Stars - Goodreads Reviewer Detective Tommy Vietti expects the Feds to take a murder case from him since it involves an employee of the Federal Reserve Bank. Instead, they send Roxy MacNeil, a Scottish banking expert, to co-investigate. Smoking her cigarettes, using vulgar language, and ...
By: Alexi Venice
-
Billionaires' Game Trilogy, Books 1-3
- Dark Psychological Suspenseful Romance Antihero Trilogy
- By: Marata Eros, Tamara Rose Blodgett
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 21 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written by New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller Marata Eros, the Billionaires' Game Trilogy is a Top 100 International Mystery & Crime Thriller and Psychological Literary Fiction bestselling series! "Would you pay fifty million for your soul mate?" This mega-length compilation includes all three novels from the thrilling Billionaires' Game Trilogy each with individual star ratings: CLUB ALPHA (4.3): Meet Francisco "Paco" Castillo, a bilingual billionaire with unconventional views on love and possession. When Paco dreams of exploring a dangerous reality, Club Alpha owner Zaire Sebastian ...
By: Marata Eros, and others
-
Conscious Bias
- A Monica Spade Novel
- By: Alexi Venice
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Monica Spade Trilogy from award-winning Author Alexi Venice. Conscious Bias, Standby Counsel (winner of the 2020 Lesfic Bard Award and named The Best Legal Thriller of 2021 by BestThrillers.com) and Graffiti Red Murder. ★★★★★ "An impeccably well-written legal drama with a slow burn romance front and center. Look for a surprise twist at the end of this book, too!" Goodreads Reviewer Trevor McKnight, a young, white male, is charged with the murder of Abdul Seif, a Saudi Arabian foreign exchange student. Attorney Monica Spade's physician clients plan to testify at trial that ...
By: Alexi Venice
-
The Legal Limit
- By: Martin Clark
- Narrated by: Ed Sala
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Martin Clark has been praised as "part John Grisham, part Hunter S.Thompson, and part sheer grit". Mason Hunt returns to his small Virginia hometown as the county's commonwealth attorney. Mason's brother Gates, who's currently serving a 20 year prison term, thinks Mason should have enough pull to set him free. And when Mason refuses, Gates hatches a plan to destroy his brother's life with a secret they both swore they'd take to the grave.
-
-
I wish there were more books by this author
- By Mary on 05-11-09
By: Martin Clark
-
Steel City Confidential
- By: Anne Hagan
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clients hide things from their lawyers all the time. Pam Wilson makes it an art form. Pam’s been on the run from the law for years and she was getting away with it. The statute of limitations ran out on most of her crimes. For her spouse Charlotte? Not so much. Though they were aging, they looked forward to enjoying their golden years and, hopefully, forgetting about the past. Life got complicated when Charlotte became gravely ill, their daughter got pregnant with the child of a married man…a married man someone took shots at from a rare motorcycle Pam happens to own. When the man was ...
-
-
Great Reinterpretation of story
- By Carolyn G. Manuel on 03-03-24
By: Anne Hagan
-
Wedding Balloon
- A Sapphic Novella, SFMS Book 8
- By: Alexi Venice
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 4 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
√ Sapphic Novella √ Romance √ Part of a series but can be read as a standalone √ A perfect way to sample The San Francisco Mystery Series √ A wedding with action, adventure, and a touch of fantasy The eagerly anticipated day has arrived for Dr. Jen Dawson and Agent Amanda Hathorne to exchange wedding vows at a breathtaking destination on the California coast. Best friends and soulmates, Jen and Amanda have triumphed over a myriad of obstacles, ranging from an unexpected pregnancy to the perils of Amanda’s dangerous, all-consuming career. Despite the lingering drama and trauma ...
By: Alexi Venice
-
Stabscotch
- The San Francisco Mystery Series, Book 3
- By: Alexi Venice
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
★★★★★ "An emotional & entertaining story with characters that become so authentic they truly become like they're your family in your mind. The riveting plot lines draws you in without you even noticing & the action is compelling enough to grab, hold & keep you anticipating the "end game.'" 5 Stars - Goodreads Reviewer Detective Tommy Vietti expects the Feds to take a murder case from him since it involves an employee of the Federal Reserve Bank. Instead, they send Roxy MacNeil, a Scottish banking expert, to co-investigate. Smoking her cigarettes, using vulgar language, and ...
By: Alexi Venice
-
Billionaires' Game Trilogy, Books 1-3
- Dark Psychological Suspenseful Romance Antihero Trilogy
- By: Marata Eros, Tamara Rose Blodgett
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 21 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written by New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller Marata Eros, the Billionaires' Game Trilogy is a Top 100 International Mystery & Crime Thriller and Psychological Literary Fiction bestselling series! "Would you pay fifty million for your soul mate?" This mega-length compilation includes all three novels from the thrilling Billionaires' Game Trilogy each with individual star ratings: CLUB ALPHA (4.3): Meet Francisco "Paco" Castillo, a bilingual billionaire with unconventional views on love and possession. When Paco dreams of exploring a dangerous reality, Club Alpha owner Zaire Sebastian ...
By: Marata Eros, and others
-
Conscious Bias
- A Monica Spade Novel
- By: Alexi Venice
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Monica Spade Trilogy from award-winning Author Alexi Venice. Conscious Bias, Standby Counsel (winner of the 2020 Lesfic Bard Award and named The Best Legal Thriller of 2021 by BestThrillers.com) and Graffiti Red Murder. ★★★★★ "An impeccably well-written legal drama with a slow burn romance front and center. Look for a surprise twist at the end of this book, too!" Goodreads Reviewer Trevor McKnight, a young, white male, is charged with the murder of Abdul Seif, a Saudi Arabian foreign exchange student. Attorney Monica Spade's physician clients plan to testify at trial that ...
By: Alexi Venice
-
The Legal Limit
- By: Martin Clark
- Narrated by: Ed Sala
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Martin Clark has been praised as "part John Grisham, part Hunter S.Thompson, and part sheer grit". Mason Hunt returns to his small Virginia hometown as the county's commonwealth attorney. Mason's brother Gates, who's currently serving a 20 year prison term, thinks Mason should have enough pull to set him free. And when Mason refuses, Gates hatches a plan to destroy his brother's life with a secret they both swore they'd take to the grave.
-
-
I wish there were more books by this author
- By Mary on 05-11-09
By: Martin Clark
-
Steel City Confidential
- By: Anne Hagan
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clients hide things from their lawyers all the time. Pam Wilson makes it an art form. Pam’s been on the run from the law for years and she was getting away with it. The statute of limitations ran out on most of her crimes. For her spouse Charlotte? Not so much. Though they were aging, they looked forward to enjoying their golden years and, hopefully, forgetting about the past. Life got complicated when Charlotte became gravely ill, their daughter got pregnant with the child of a married man…a married man someone took shots at from a rare motorcycle Pam happens to own. When the man was ...
-
-
Great Reinterpretation of story
- By Carolyn G. Manuel on 03-03-24
By: Anne Hagan
-
Wedding Balloon
- A Sapphic Novella, SFMS Book 8
- By: Alexi Venice
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 4 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
√ Sapphic Novella √ Romance √ Part of a series but can be read as a standalone √ A perfect way to sample The San Francisco Mystery Series √ A wedding with action, adventure, and a touch of fantasy The eagerly anticipated day has arrived for Dr. Jen Dawson and Agent Amanda Hathorne to exchange wedding vows at a breathtaking destination on the California coast. Best friends and soulmates, Jen and Amanda have triumphed over a myriad of obstacles, ranging from an unexpected pregnancy to the perils of Amanda’s dangerous, all-consuming career. Despite the lingering drama and trauma ...
By: Alexi Venice
Love Books? You'll Love Audible.
Transform your day
Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.
Listen everywhere
Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.
Carry your entire Library
Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.
Listen and learn
Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.
Reach your reading goals
You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.
Find your niche
WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.
What listeners say about Standby Counsel
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eohlone
- 02-17-24
Great story, a good voice, 5 for the story
I found this story to be interesting and unique. It's a courtroom drama, so it's not the kind of thriller that has you on the edge of your seat but challenges you intellectually (but mostly figuring out how everyone will get there). It's a puzzle. There is some action that makes it a thriller. The MC's character is clear and realistic, though she seems a little younger than your average owner of her own law firm. This doesn't all come from the virtual voice, but from how the character was written. She's also naive for this trial and she knows it. She's heroic in a lawyer out of water way.
This virtual voice is realistic without having to up the speed too much to put more life into it. More than other voices, it reflects emotion such as disgust, affection, conflict, argumentativeness,, rebellion, and can distinguish a 180 change in a character's response to testimony to some extent. I'm sure this is in the writing, but at least the voice responded to it. Like I said, the voice responds to emotional content. There are some mispronounced words, but fewer than usual. There are dialogue heavy sections where "said" is repeated many times--that's in the written, so prepare yourself. It's worth it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!