Connors writes good legal & court room stuff, very believable, although she often seems to be talking down to the reader. I'm pretty much ignorant of how the actual nuts & bolts of the court system works, so I found some interesting material there. The reader was pretty good, too.

I was very disappointed in the ending. This was a 3 star book until the end & then it lost at least a star. It's a shame, but this author can NOT write action sequences at all. Also, in mysteries like this, I like the author to give some clues as to who the real killer is so that the end is believable. I suppose she did, but not in a very convincing manner & then she dragged everything out at the end wrapping stuff up. I might get another book by this author if I can't find anything better to listen to, but I'd never buy one of her books. ( )

In the close-knit community of Chatham, MA, young men are being murdered without apparent reason.

Martha "Marty' Nickerson is an assistant DA in Cape Cod. She feels a strong sense of accomplishment when the jury finds Manuel Rodriguez guilty of killing college student Michael Scott.

There is a sigh of relief after the verdict comes in but before Marty can relax another young man is found and at the autopsy the Roman numeral II is on his chest. Marty is astonished since the killer was just put in jail.

In close communities sometimes the connection between the victim's family and the attorneys is too close and in the second case, Marty has such a close connection to the victim's family that another attorney is given the case.

Still wanting to do something, Marty is contacted by the defense attorney of the man accused of killing the second victim. When Marty accompanies the attorney and meets the man who is unstable, they find that the evidence is suspicious. When Marty tells her superior, Geraldine Schilling, Schilling is furious. The next day Schilling accuses Marty of working with the defense to undermine the prosecution's case.

There is a good description of the inner workings of the DAs office. It is also admirable that Marty has a strong sense of justice while Schilling puts her job before justice.

I enjoyed the story but found it more cute than suspenseful. Marty was somewhat unique for a prosecuting attorney but much of the material here has been done before. ( )

Solid entertainment with a likable heroine and a knight in shining ar... eh, rumpled suits. Am hoping for a bit more courtroom time in the next volume but enjoyed this start of the series. Works well as an audiobook.

As an assistant D.A., for Massachusetts' Barnstabel County, Marty Nickerson sees her job as a means for doing right. When a jury finds Manuel Rodriguez guilty of a brutal murder committed on a Cape Cod beach at the beginning of last year's tourist season. Marty feels vindicated. But when another body turns up as this year's vacationers begin to arrive and Marty has to wonder. Did they target the wrong man? The D.A. refuses to reopen the high-profile case, but Marty fears that the real killer will strike again. With er career on the line and lives at stake she must rely on her own moral compass, legal savvy, and gut instinct as she matches wits with a twisted killer. ( )

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