Review: 99. Justice by Karen Robards...

Justice was supposed to post last Thursday for a blog tour, but I was out of town and didn't get the book in time... Hopefully I'm not too late with this, as it's definitely one for the to-read pile!

About the author:
Karen Robards is the author of thirty-four novels and one novella. A regular on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists, among others, she is the mother of three boys, ages 12, 17, and 23, and lives in Louisville, Kentucky. Find her online at www.karenrobards.com.

About the book:

Feisty criminal attorney Jessica Ford has done her best to comply with the orders of the Secret Service’s unofficial witness protection program ever since she became the lone witness to the First Lady’s murder. She changed her name, dyed her dark hair blonde, and traded her sturdy black-rimmed glasses for contact lenses. Unfortunately, winning her first high-profile case for prestigious Washington, D.C., law firm Ellis Hayes, and subsequently landing her face all over the news, is not exactly “keeping a low profile.” Or so says hunky Secret Service agent Mark Ryan, whose newest assignment—despite Jess’s stubborn protests—is keeping her safe at all costs. It just so happens he’s also her ex-boyfriend.

The trial earns Jess a permanent spot on the firm’s elite legal defense team, replacing an associate who eloped suddenly and never came back. It’s the chance of a lifetime. But Jess’s mind has raced with questions from the moment the prosecution’s star witness shocked the courtroom with an electrifying revelation involving the handsome son of a powerful U.S. senator. Was the pretty, young mother intimidated into changing her story on the stand? Why will she not return Jess’s calls? Did Jess’s ambitious predecessor on the case really just abandon her successful career? Or did both women mysteriously disappear?

After Mark rescues Jess from an attacker outside her apartment, she begins to consider the possibility that she is a target. Maybe it’s not so bad to have her irresistibly charming and hard-bodied former lover around for protection. Maybe. The question is, which of the many inadvertent enemies Jess has made recently is he protecting her from? The investigation leads her to some startling coincidences—and to a teenage runaway who may just hold the missing link . . . if Jess can find her.

As Jess hurtles closer to the truth—and the sexual tension between her and Mark grows hotter than ever—she finds herself in a race against the clock to find the answers before what she doesn’t know gets them both killed.

Title: Justice
Author: Karen Robards
ISBN-13: 9781439183700
Hardcover: 342 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Pocket

drey's thoughts:
Karen Robards' Justice is a gripping read that you will not be able to put down. It starts off with a woman getting killed while two teenagers are hiding under her bed. And moves to a courtroom scene where Jess is surprised by the outcome because, well, she's absolutely certain her client is actually guilty.

Then danger shows up on her doorstep. Literally. And Jess has to figure out who's trying to kill her, and why. Luckily she has Mark to watch out for her, and luckily he has skillz. However, she hasn't quite figured out if she can (or wants to) put up with him, skillz notwithstanding.

The story moves quickly and flows nicely. When the action picks up, it doesn't quit until everything's over and the bad guys are done for. You'll definitely want to add this to your reading pile.

drey's rating: Excellent!

Have you read Justice? What did you think?