Title: The Guilty
Author: Gabriel Boutros
Published Date: December 31st 2012
Rating: 5 Stars
It is the story of Robert Bratt, once a high-flying defense attorney, but now haunted by doubts over his chosen profession and the violent people he represents. He is hired to defend Marlon Small, a young tough who is accused of a brutal double-slaying. The accused's mother is a devoutly religious woman who is certain that her son has been falsely accused, and looks to Bratt to save him. Despite the mother's protestations, Bratt's instincts tell him that Small's airtight alibi is too good to be true, and he is very probably guilty. But Bratt's drive to succeed, combined with his sympathy for the heartbroken mother, push him to defend the young man.
-Can he continue to turn a blind eye to what his client has done, and manipulate the truth as he so often has in the past, while no longer being able to look himself in the mirror?
-Loosely based on a multiple-murder that shocked Montreal in the 1990s, this riveting story pulls the reader into the inner workings of a murder trial, and reveals what one lawyer must do when he has to defend "The Guilty."
When I picked up The Guilty, I didn't expect an enthralling tale of how far you can go to twist the truth, how to determine what your moral compass is as a law-practicing individual, how much you can sacrifice to set things straight, and really exploring the dark side of practicing lawyers. But that's exactly what Gabriel Boutros manages to paint with his words in this courtroom drama. It is definitely one of those that make you rethink something about yourself, that type of book that can have major impact on your life and what you thought "guilty" means.
At first, Robert Bratt was not a likeable character at all, making me hesitate to continue, but then as the plot progresses, intriguing interesting things happen, and you end up rooting for his happy ending, once you realize what the plot twist means to him and the reader. You can also relate with his failing self-confidence, drive to be victorious, and nonstop soul searching and doubting everything that's he's building for himself.
The thing that can be appreciated about the way that this is written, especially since it's the author's brilliant first novel, is that he doesn't overbearingly use formal legal terms that get you lost or confused. In fact, he tries to state things simply enough so that even someone like me, who is reading a courtroom drama for the second time ever can understand everything that's going around Bratt. I would highly recommend checking out this book, it's a five-star read and you'll never forget nor regret reading it.
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review on this novel.
Seems interesting! I never pick up highly "law" books. But I did read one that I really liked! If you like awesome romance (adult, I shall say - it's very sexy) I recommend you to check Reasonable doubt by Whitney Gracia Williams. I re-read it so many times and it's really really good ;)
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