Power of Attorney, James Patterson, Nancy Allen, authors; Megan Tusing, narrator
The novel called “The Jailhouse Lawyer” consists of two complete books. The first book bears the same name as the title of the novel. The second is called “Power of Attorney”. This is a review of the second novel, which I found to be better than the first.
Leah Randall is a lawyer in a Chicago law firm that handles insurance cases. After winning an important case in the insurance company’s favor, she is hit with remorse and shame. The settlement awarded was not nearly enough for the victim. She feels she is working for the wrong side of the fence. After receiving a phone call from her mother asking that she return home to help care for her father, she decides to quit her job. She sets off for Bassville, Arkansas, and her childhood home. It is a small town, not at all like the fast-moving scene in Chicago. There is little privacy since everyone either knows of, or is interested in, everyone else’s business.
Leah is shocked to find her dad in a very deteriorated state. He is no longer the strong, organized and self-assured man she remembers. In fact, his law office, normally neat as a pin, is in a state of chaos. His files are strewn all over, and his receptionist is no longer working there. Although he is only in his mid-sixties, he is suffering from a rapidly-advancing type of Alzheimer’s. The disease is robbing him of his memory. She resolves to help him out and takes on some of his cases.
When she discovers that there was a double murder in town, she also discovers that the victims were her dad’s clients. They had been shot in their beds, and then their farmhouse was burned to the ground. They had a ward, 23-year-old Amber Travis. She had been sleeping in a shed when they were killed. When she woke, she was frightened. She was known to be uneducated and backward. She ran away to save herself. However, as the sole heir to the property, she is a suspect. Amber had been neglected most of her life, and at first, the townspeople took pity on her. They knew that she had lost everything in the fire, and so they organized to provide her with a place to live, clothing and some food., but as evidence began to point to her as the murderer, they turned against her. After she is arrested. Leah becomes her defense attorney.
What Leah discovers about Amber’s life and past, is horrifying. She sets out to prove her innocence, but evidence is hard to find. Her case is weak. Every time she thinks she has some kind of proof, it disappears. The farmhouse is keeping its secrets. A tale of terrible abuse and cover-ups ensues. Amber’s own naïve behavior indicts her more often than not. She is unsophisticated and unworldly, indigent and barely literate. Her temper is sometimes out of control. Her future looks glum. The book has a twist at the end, so no peeking.