Unreasonable Doubts by Reyna Marder Gentin
Jaded New York City Public Defender Liana Cohen would give anything to have one client in whom she can believe. Dozens of hardened criminals and repeat offenders have chipped away at her faith in both herself and the system. Her boyfriend Jakob’s high-powered law firm colleagues see her do-gooder job as a joke, which only adds to the increasing strain in their relationship.
Enter imprisoned felon Danny Shea, whose unforgivable crime would raise a moral conflict in an attorney at the height of her idealism―and that hasn’t been Liana in quite a while. But Danny’s astonishing blend of good looks, intelligence, and vulnerability intrigues Liana. Could he be the client she’s been longing for―the wrongly accused in need of a second chance? Is he innocent? As their attorney-client relationship transforms into something less than arm’s length, Liana is forced to confront fundamental questions of truth, faith, and love―and to decide who she wants to be.
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About the Author
Reyna Marder Gentin grew up in Great Neck, New York. She attended college and law school at Yale. For many years, she practiced as an appellate attorney representing criminal defendants who could not afford private counsel. Gentin studies at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, and her work has been published in The Westchester Review and online. She lives with her family in Scarsdale, New York.
My Review
4 stars
Liana Cohen is a public defender that is getting more jaded with the people she defends. Her boyfriend, Jakob works in a big law firm and it doesn’t help that his co-workers look down their nose at Liana. She is then tasked with defending Danny Shea. It looks like this might be the client that Liana has been looking for. But things slowly go from professional to personal the more she works his case.
I admit that I have worked in law firms for the last twelve years and I tend to shy away from any legal story. But I was curious about this one. How does one deal with constantly defending those that are guilty. Liana was a great character. I really felt for her and completely understood why she was getting so burned out. I could also see how she was questioning her relationship with Jakob and how that was taking a toll on both of them.
But then there is Danny Shea. He is in prison for rape but something about his case makes Liana start having doubts. She starts diving into his case trying to find something to use and soon finds herself getting closer to Danny than she professionally should.
This was a great read. Tavia Gilbert does an amazing job of bringing this story to life. Liana goes through so much and I was hoping things worked out for the best and torn between yelling at her wanting to know what was going on in her head. This is a great read and one I recommend checking out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to listen to and post an honest review.
I would like to thank Michele Cobb for the opportunity to listen to and share this book.
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