“Almost a Murder” by Jody Seay and Jim Lloyd is an engaging story about an inexperienced lawyer, Jim Lloyd, who is hired to defend Noi Kanchana Mitchell, charged with the brutal murder of her husband. Several obstacles occur for Jim – he has only tried one case before and lost, he is not rich and is scrambling for money to maintain his meager office, in addition to hiring investigators and expert witnesses. His client is Thai, has limited English skills, and is conned into making a statement of her guilt.

Like Jim, most of us believe in the justice system and hope that all will be treated fair and presumed innocent until proven guilty. Written in the first person, the author describes in realistic detail, his fears, sacrifice of his family, as well as his personal and professional growth.

I have to admit if Jim were my lawyer at the beginning of taking this case, I would have run as fast as I could. I’m not used to dealing with inept individuals especially ones in which my life depends upon. However, I will say he is very dedicated and determined.

The characters were well developed and captivating and the author’s experience with the judicial system served him well. He takes readers inside the mind of jurors, judges and law enforcement in great detail. Readers will find they love or hate the prosecutor and will sometimes find themselves questioning the actions of the judge.

“Almost a Murder” is one you can’t put down for fear you will miss the action. I was stunned at the lack of complete investigation of the evidence by the police. Did it surprise me? No. When you are desperate to convict a person regardless of who it is, one will do whatever is necessary to reach that goal. Such examples from the book include an interpreter who is not competent to accurately translate what is asked or answered of the targeted perpetrator, and police who did not follow investigative protocol.

“Almost a Murder” by Jody Seay and Jim Lloyd is one read that will leave you questioning our legal system in all areas. Readers will experience several emotions and hopefully like me, get you fired up at injustice. I highly recommend “Almost a Murder” for all who have an interest in criminal justice cases and enjoy a great legal thriller.