Abiding Conviction Book Review

Abiding Conviction

By: Stephen M. Murphy

Oceanview Publishing

Publish Date 5 July 2022

Mystery & Thriller

#AbidingConviction#NetGalley

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

Lawyer Dutch Francis faces an impossible situation—search for your missing wife or defend your high-profile client

Dutch Francis is a defense attorney in the case of a judge accused of killing his wife. Just as the trial is about to begin, Ginnie Turner, Dutch’s wife and TV news broadcaster, goes missing.

Under extreme duress, Dutch tries to extricate himself as the judge’s attorney—or at least postpone the trial. The judge insists that the trial proceed without delay and that Dutch remain his attorney.

Exhausted by the murder trial, Dutch confronts an ineffectual police department, suspicious that he is involved in his wife’s disappearance. He takes matters into his own hands as he struggles to balance both responsibilities—the trial and finding his wife—pushing him to the brink of losing everything he holds dear.

At first Dutch suspects that Ginnie was kidnapped in retaliation for her recent stories about sex scandals. But after receiving bits of her in the mail—fingernails, hair—he realizes the kidnapper’s intent may be to punish him.

Could his defense of the judge be the reason?

Book Review:

I loved this book. I gave it 5 stars. I couldn’t put it down. I just love reading about court trials and this book did a great job with the trial and all that goes with it.

This is the third book in a series, but you don’t have to read the first two to know what is going on. The author did a great job in giving enough information to help you understand the people in the story without having to read the first two books.

This book is about Dutch and what he is going through. He has been married only 6 months when his wife tells him she is pregnant and is thinking of ending the pregnancy because she isn’t ready to be mom and wants more time for her Career. They get into a small argument before he has to go court.

A local judge has hired him to represent him in court since he is charged with the murder of his wife. Dutch did not want to take this case and ask for a huge amount of money hoping the Judge wouldn’t hire, but that didn’t happen.

As the day goes on Dutch and wife agree to talk about the baby and both apologize. Dutch gets home and waits for his wife to come home which never happens. He knows something is wrong because she mentioned to him some threatening phone calls and emails, she has recently received but never thought anything of it. He goes to her work and discovers her car still in the parking lot and she isn’t inside and soon seeing her cell phone on the ground. The police are called, and things go from there.

His wife has been kidnapped and he has a big trial and wants to be able to focus on getting his wife, but his client won’t let him loose and the judge who is trying the case agrees with the client.

Dutch has to divide his time between both and feels conflicted and angry with client. He warns his client he won’t being doing as well as he should because his mind is elsewhere.

The book continues on with the trial and the steps he takes to find his wife. You would have to read the book to found out if the Judge killed his wife and if Dutch finds his wife.

It is a page turner and there are a lot of suspects, and you are trying to figure out who kidnapped his wife. I was surprised and I figured it out just before he did.

I highly recommend you read this book. I will be picking up his other two books.