Review of Trial Junkies by Robert Gregory Browne

Short description of Trial Junkies from the Amazon website: 
Ethan "Hutch" Hutchinson hasn't seen his old college pals for nearly a decade. Now fate has brought them together again as one of the gang is put on trial for a brutal, senseless murder. The Chicago police and prosecutor think they have their perp, but Hutch isn't about to sit silently in a courtroom as someone he cares about is wrongfully convicted.


I can't say I have ever been the biggest fan of legal thrillers. I've read some (by Scott Turow, by John Grisham etc.) but I'm not a rabid fan. Robert Gregory Browne has flipped that on it's head for me! He is so flippin' talented! Trial Junkies is an awesome book, and I was impressed with how fast this book was for me. I read the last half in two hours, I was that engaged.But I want to give this book it's due and tell you what I liked about it specifically.

Characters: I believed in the main character. Ethan "Hutch" Hutchinson is a washed up actor, and I totally believed it. He comes back home for the funeral of his ex-girlfriend, who's been murdered. You can literally feel the pain this guy is in as he tries to come to grips with the loss and his own demons. Every character in this book was believable. The group of friends felt like I had known them for years. This is one of Browne's strengths. His characters are so solid that you think you know them.

Legal Maneuvering: Being a writer myself, I always wonder how writers put together a legal thriller, with all the legal maneuverings and lawyers pulling sneaky things on other lawyers. This book has that in spades! From the inside of his book, it seems that Browne did a lot of research for this book, and it shows. I felt that I was in an actual legal proceeding, but with more drama. Cool stuff!

Twists and turns: I love getting slammed in the head with the unexpected (but only in books, so don't jump out of a bush to scare me, people!). This books has so any twists that you will never see any of them coming! The last 50 pages or so are classic!

All together, Robert Gregory Browne has put together a thriller with heart and one that will keep you up at night, turning pages, desperate to get to the end. This one gets five stars

Definitely five stars ***** !

Thanks Mr. Browne for keeping me up at night!