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danubooks 's review for:
The Trials of Lila Dalton
by L.J. Shepherd
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
She’s defending a man accused of a heinous crime….
….yet she has no idea who or where she is, or what the crime was. In what can only be described as the worst possible take on that dream we’ve all had where we arrive to take a final exam for a class we never attended, Lila Dalton comes to consciousness in a British courtroom with a judge and jury awaiting her opening statement. She is understandably panicked and overwhelmed, but does not admit to her state. With glimmers of courtroom knowledge kicking in, she asks for a brief recess and so begins her arduous journey to reclaim her memories and perform her role in the trial. The more she learns about the circumstances surrounding the case and her current level of involvement in it, the more dire the situation becomes. The person who should have been leading the defense just died in a suspicious automobile crash, hence Lila’s elevation to that role. Lila begins receiving mysterious messages reminding her that she has to secure an acquittal for her client or else suffer an unthinkable consequence. The trial is taking place on Assumption Island, a British Overseas Territory, and the island and people on it are to put it mildly strange. She senses that her every action is being monitored, that her ability to communicate freely is hampered, and is even arrested briefly for her predecessor’s death. With no real memories and able only to occasionally access bits of legal knowledge, Lila joins forces with a fringe journalist and a police officer who seems to share some of Lila’s suspicions about what is happening on Assumption Island, all while combatting a condescending prosecutor, a handsy judge and a Special Branch DC whose motivations are highly suspect. Will justice prevail amidst such an inauspicious environment?
In this novel, the reader as well as the protagonist enter into the story with little information. Who is Lila, and why is she in the state she is in? What is this trial about? Who is threatening her? As the plot unfolds, answers to these questions slowly begin to appear, although character development is given how the story is set up is limited. I would have preferred for the plot to have moved along more quickly and for the construct of the story to have been made clear sooner, but it is an interesting lens through which to view a legal case. Readers of authors like Paula Hawkins, William Landay and Harry Dolan might be interested in picking up a copy of The Trials of Lila Dalton. My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me early access to a copy of this intriguing thriller.
….yet she has no idea who or where she is, or what the crime was. In what can only be described as the worst possible take on that dream we’ve all had where we arrive to take a final exam for a class we never attended, Lila Dalton comes to consciousness in a British courtroom with a judge and jury awaiting her opening statement. She is understandably panicked and overwhelmed, but does not admit to her state. With glimmers of courtroom knowledge kicking in, she asks for a brief recess and so begins her arduous journey to reclaim her memories and perform her role in the trial. The more she learns about the circumstances surrounding the case and her current level of involvement in it, the more dire the situation becomes. The person who should have been leading the defense just died in a suspicious automobile crash, hence Lila’s elevation to that role. Lila begins receiving mysterious messages reminding her that she has to secure an acquittal for her client or else suffer an unthinkable consequence. The trial is taking place on Assumption Island, a British Overseas Territory, and the island and people on it are to put it mildly strange. She senses that her every action is being monitored, that her ability to communicate freely is hampered, and is even arrested briefly for her predecessor’s death. With no real memories and able only to occasionally access bits of legal knowledge, Lila joins forces with a fringe journalist and a police officer who seems to share some of Lila’s suspicions about what is happening on Assumption Island, all while combatting a condescending prosecutor, a handsy judge and a Special Branch DC whose motivations are highly suspect. Will justice prevail amidst such an inauspicious environment?
In this novel, the reader as well as the protagonist enter into the story with little information. Who is Lila, and why is she in the state she is in? What is this trial about? Who is threatening her? As the plot unfolds, answers to these questions slowly begin to appear, although character development is given how the story is set up is limited. I would have preferred for the plot to have moved along more quickly and for the construct of the story to have been made clear sooner, but it is an interesting lens through which to view a legal case. Readers of authors like Paula Hawkins, William Landay and Harry Dolan might be interested in picking up a copy of The Trials of Lila Dalton. My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me early access to a copy of this intriguing thriller.