A review by readbydusk
Almost Mortal by Christopher Leibig

3.0

A complex legal thriller with a dash of historical fiction and a hint of the supernatural. I was intrigued by the premise of a serial killer on the loose and a priest who might have heard the killer's confession. All this is dropped into the hands of defense lawyer Sam Young - a wily, smart man who juggles a bunch of cases and connections with ease. I really liked Sam and I thought he was an appealing main character.

Unfortunately, the story itself is too convoluted for my taste. A large part of the book consists of letters from a mysterious writer describing their life experiences and they come across as more factual than entertaining. Sam has a roster of clients that appear in the book and it was hard to keep track of who they are and what their relationships are with one another. The serial killer plot comes down to the nitty-gritty of science and DNA which frankly lost my attention. I think the book tries to do a lot but isn't successful in handling all its story threads. The ending leaves plenty of questions to continue to the next book and I'm hoping it will be more exciting!

CW: child abuse, rape

Thank you to the author and Sabrina Dax for a review copy.

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