The Judge’s Lawyer by Dylan H Jones

3.5 Stars from me

Mitchum Sweeney is not your average hero. He’s a fifty something staff attorney, juggling a series of bad choices, mounting gambling debts, and is fast losing his grip – both on the family he adores and on his sanity. When his courtroom testimony sets cartel boss Paco Castillo free, Mitch suddenly finds himself in over his head.

Foolishly accepting a deal to keep his debts at bay (although to be fair, it was a touch of Hobson’s choice) he rapidly finds himself in a world of organized crime, prolific violence, and a deep corruption that steps too close to the justice system he’s meant to serve. Mitch is a great character, he’s a little chaotic, deeply flawed, and very human – all of which made me root for him throughout the book. The thread of a moral dilemma; do the right thing and endanger his beloved family, or stay silent and be complicit, is beautifully drawn out..

I felt for him, sometimes the twists came so thick and fast it was hard to keep up, but I was never bored. And with Mitch stumbling his way through ever more impossible choices – half reluctant hero, half accidental survivor – he kept me turning the pages.

Apparently, approximately 2% of adults struggle with gambling addiction. This book highlights an eye opening glimpse into the ripple effects, where the weight of those debts and desperation could have disastrous effects. It’s a sad thought, and one this book plays with well.

Perfect for fans of action packed legal thrillers with a generous shot, punch, and kick to the ribs, of noir grit.

My thanks to Zooloos Book Tours, Joffe Books and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb: He freed a monster. Now the city wants his head. Mitchum Sweeney is fifty, divorced, and one bad hand away from financial ruin.By day, he’s a judicial staff attorney at Oakland’s Superior Court. By night,he’s dodging creditors and chasing lost causes. But when his expert testimony sets cartel kingpin Paco Castillo free, Mitch becomes a target — for the union, the FBI, and Paco himself. Castillo has one final demand: find his missing wife, and Mitch’s mountain of gambling debt disappears. But when Mitch’s search uncovers evidence of a child trafficking ring buried in the justice system itself, the stakes turn lethal. As bullets fly and bodies drop, Mitch is forced to reckon with his past and confront impossible choices — because the truth won’t set him free, and saving the people he loves might mean damning himself for good