The Guilty Die Twice by Don Hartshorn Book Review

 

Two attorney brothers. Two bullet-riddled corpses. Two sides to the story.

Ten years ago, a capital murder case in the heart of Texas split the Lynch family in two. Now, estranged lawyer brothers Travis and Jake Lynch find themselves on opposing sides of the courtroom in a high-profile, grisly double murder case—with another accused criminal’s life on the line. Conscience-stricken Travis left his high-powered law firm to become a public defender, while bullish Jake rose to become District Attorney. The case pits brother against brother in a contest of wits, wills, and legal savvy that will shake the justice system to its core: both Lynches are convinced they’re in the right, but the truth turns out to be more complicated—and deadly—than either could have possibly imagined. A drug deal double-cross turns lethal, leaving two corpses and one victim paralyzed for life. The victim never saw the gunman, but he knows one name: Sam Park. Travis defended Sam’s brother years before, and his heart won’t let him turn down the case, even knowing it’ll bring him face-to-face with Jake after ten years of cold silence. Jake, meanwhile, runs afoul of the Austin political machine and needs a high-profile conviction to win a tough upcoming election. And Sam, the star witness and prime suspect, won’t talk—not to Travis, and certainly not to the high-and-mighty DA—and time is running out. Can these feuding brothers put aside a decade of enmity in the name of true justice? Or will the truth of what really happened that bloody night go to the grave with Sam Park? Fans of Due Process by Scott Pratt, The Family Lawyer by James Patterson, Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, and The Fifth Justice by John Ellsworth will love this book, as well as people who love to read about:

·         True crime

·         Legal thrillers

·         Courtroom drama

·         Texas legal dynasties

·         Political drama

·         Broken families

Information about the book
The Guilty Die Twice - Don Hartshorn

TCK Publishing:
https://www.tckpublishing.com/

Author’s website:
https://donhartshorn.com/

My thoughts:

I love getting into a good legal thriller that has a lot of depth to the story. Don Hartshorn is a new author to me and one I plan on reading more books from him in the future. If I read it correctly this is his first novel and I expect he has a good future as an author.

I have to say it has been one of the more intriguing books that I didn’t expect to be so good. The plot is good and not washed down by boring courtroom or politics. The death penalty is touched on here throughout the story. You hear both sides regardless of your thoughts on the topic it does a good job on both sides of the political card. Even when the verdict is in you will have a hard time putting this story down.

The family dynamics make this extremely interesting. I like that the characters are amazing and both being on opposite sides in the court room not to mention their feelings of the death penalty. I don’t know if that would legally be a conflict of interest in reality but, it was such a good twist in the story. The two brothers Jake and Travis Lynch have been estranged for 10 years. Even the wives of the brothers are pretty good characters in the story. If you like legal thrillers this will be a good book for you. It kept me reading late into the night.

Disclosure:  I received this complimentary product through TCK Publishing in exchange for my honest thoughts.