I’ve not read this author before, but she will now be one I look out for. In my opinion, the ending was very satisfactory and it also left the narrative open enough that this could potentially be the beginning of an interesting series – though I have no idea if the author intends to bring Rachel Krall back in further books.
The characters were well drawn and the plot tight and believable. The setting, coastal North Carolina was fabulous and I could almost smell the briny air. It chronicled how very important reputation is to the psyche, and how social media has ascertained that everyone wants to voice their opinion, whether they are based on facts…. It also touched on the subject of ‘victim blaming’, a common occurrence in rape trials. It shows the disparity between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’.
That if you want a decent defense you have to pay through the nose. It spoke to how ‘justice’ can sometimes be bought. Both story lines were compelling, but my favorite of the two was the story of Jenny and Hannah Stills. This novel had me absolutely riveted throughout. “Sometimes a man has to speak up or be responsible for the repercussions of his silence”. Meanwhile, Rachel continues to receive letters from Hannah Stills, who tells the story of her sister’s fate in excruciating detail. The trial goes on for two weeks, with the victim being traumatized by her cross-examination on the stand. They both used wily theatrics to further their arguments. Both lawyers are charismatic and very skilled. The town is very divided – with many of the townsfolk championing the victim, and all that she has suffered – and many of them championing the accused, and his aspiration to be an Olympic swimmer. On her way there she is contacted by a woman named Hannah Stills who wants Rachel to investigate the death of her elder sister which took place in the town twenty-five years earlier. Intelligent, curious, and a champion of justice, Rachel’s podcast signoff is “I’m Rachel Krall and this is Guilty or Not Guilty, the podcast that puts you in the jury box.” Rachel Krall, a successful podcast journalist travels to a small, conservative coastal town in North Carolina to cover a rape trial.
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