If you don’t know what Ex Parte is, neither do I and it’s not explained but I assume from the context that it’s a meeting held without all the participants in a lawsuit. In this case, the judge just wanted to meet with Attorney Sabre Brown, not inviting any of the other lawyers on the case she was arguing before his court. She refused on ethical grounds and the next day the judge is dead.

Sabre is an attorney for children. She takes cases where children have been removed from the home or situations like that and represents the rights of the child. It’s an interesting side of the law. She is a very ethical attorney and wants the best for her clients. A likeable character.

With a fellow attorney and her investigator they begin sifting through Sabre’s cases to find out who would have wanted the judge dead. In this process, we get to know several of her cases very closely. I actually like the format a lot. It provided lots of red herrings and dead ends.

This is the fifth book in a series but the first on I had read. While this was a self-contained story, there were many references to previous events. There was no problem understanding any of this plotline but I think I would have understood the characters better if I had read the others first.

The writing seemed a bit awkward in style, almost verging on amateurish in parts and almost verging on preachy at times. As I kept reading, I really forgot all about that. I really did get caught up in the story and the characters. I don’t know how else to say it but by the end, I was really comfortable with this book. It felt like a friend.

I think with a little spit and polish this could be a wonderful legal series. It’s already quite enjoyable with its few flaws.

I was provided this book by the author.