This book is so bad. Can’t even verbalize how awful it is. Got to a point where I decided it was supposed to be a horror book taking place in an alternate universe of evil. Used every possible ridiculous cliche about small towns, the South, women, egotistical jurists, etc. It’s an insult to any reader with a brain. ( )

novel 1) The Jailhouse Lawyer;
novel 2) Power of Attorney ( )

Power of Attorney, James Patterson, Nancy Allen, authors; Megan Tusing, narrator
The novel called “The Jailhouse Lawyer” consists of two complete books. The first book bears the same name as the title of the novel. The second is called “Power of Attorney”. This is a review of the second novel, which I found to be better than the first.
Leah Randall is a lawyer in a Chicago law firm that handles insurance cases. After winning an important case in the insurance company’s favor, she is hit with remorse and shame. The settlement awarded was not nearly enough for the victim. She feels she is working for the wrong side of the fence. After receiving a phone call from her mother asking that she return home to help care for her father, she decides to quit her job. She sets off for Bassville, Arkansas, and her childhood home. It is a small town, not at all like the fast-moving scene in Chicago. There is little privacy since everyone either knows of, or is interested in, everyone else’s business.
Leah is shocked to find her dad in a very deteriorated state. He is no longer the strong, organized and self-assured man she remembers. In fact, his law office, normally neat as a pin, is in a state of chaos. His files are strewn all over, and his receptionist is no longer working there. Although he is only in his mid-sixties, he is suffering from a rapidly-advancing type of Alzheimer’s. The disease is robbing him of his memory. She resolves to help him out and takes on some of his cases.
When she discovers that there was a double murder in town, she also discovers that the victims were her dad’s clients. They had been shot in their beds, and then their farmhouse was burned to the ground. They had a ward, 23-year-old Amber Travis. She had been sleeping in a shed when they were killed. When she woke, she was frightened. She was known to be uneducated and backward. She ran away to save herself. However, as the sole heir to the property, she is a suspect. Amber had been neglected most of her life, and at first, the townspeople took pity on her. They knew that she had lost everything in the fire, and so they organized to provide her with a place to live, clothing and some food., but as evidence began to point to her as the murderer, they turned against her. After she is arrested. Leah becomes her defense attorney.
What Leah discovers about Amber’s life and past, is horrifying. She sets out to prove her innocence, but evidence is hard to find. Her case is weak. Every time she thinks she has some kind of proof, it disappears. The farmhouse is keeping its secrets. A tale of terrible abuse and cover-ups ensues. Amber’s own naïve behavior indicts her more often than not. She is unsophisticated and unworldly, indigent and barely literate. Her temper is sometimes out of control. Her future looks glum. The book has a twist at the end, so no peeking. ( )

The Jaihouse Lawyer, James Patterson, Nancy Allen, authors; Megan Tusing, narrator
Martha Foster discovers that the law firm she works for, which self-insures, will no longer provide adequate health insurance for herself and her five-year-old son, Andy, who has a heart condition. She finds herself unemployed after she questions the senior partner about it. He is arrogant and refuses to discuss it, since the costs of his medical care are astronomical. He tells her to take it or leave it.
When she finds a job as a Public Defender in Erva, Alabama, she jumps at it. She soon discovers that Douglas County is not as idyllic as it seems. When she attempts to defend an old lawyer friend who has fallen from grace, Jay Bradford, she finds that the Judge, movie-star handsome, is furious with her for her court filings in his defense. He seems to have the town wrapped around his little finger, and there are roadblocks set up to prevent an adequate defense of those charged with a crime. When Judge Pickens becomes sufficiently enraged, he unfairly holds her in Contempt of Court, and she becomes acquainted with the Pickens Discipline Chair for disruptive prisoners. Everyone fears this punishment chair. When Martha is finally released, battered and exhausted, only because she has been blackmailed into signing papers withdrawing her complaints, she searches for her son. He had been taken from her office when she was taken off to jail. Although she begs for help, no one will tell her where he is or who has taken him. He needs medication daily, and she fears for his health. Her car is gone, her cell phone is gone, her dog Homer is recovering after being poisoned, and she feels as if she is living a nightmare. When she is reunited with her son, she vows to take action to remove Judge Pickens from the bench and to offer counsel to those in need.
Andy is very bright, but he is portrayed as far older than a child of five. Jay has an addiction problem and has lost his law license. Martha is very emotional and often, her quick reactions get her into trouble. Sometimes, the book seems juvenile, but it always leaves you wondering how Martha will resolve the problems to her satisfaction.
This is the first book, another follows, called Power of Attorney ( )

When my book arrived, I thought oh my gosh - 560 pages! But....it's two books in one. The Jailhouse Lawyer and Power of Attorney are both co-authored by James Patterson and Nancy Allen.
Lawyer Martha Foster takes a job as the new Public Defender in Erva, Alabama. She and her young son are welcomed with open arms by not just her work colleagues, but by the townsfolk as well. Oddly, Judge Pickens seems to the final word in not just the courtroom, but in the town as well. There are some sketchy things going down in Erva - and Martha wants no part of it all. Instead she wants to shut it down - if they don't shut her down first. You won't believe what happens to Martha - Pickens plays dirty. Personally I would have turned tail and run right outa Erva. I did question some of Martha's actions, given that she has a medically fragile child with her. But that's the best part of legal thrillers - the protagonist that won't back down, the courtroom battles - and a satisfying ending. See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Jailhouse Lawyer.

The second book, Power of Attorney, is also a legal thriller. Leah Randall is a lawyer who heads back home to her hometown when her father is diagnosed with dementia. She steps to take over his practice - and her first case is a doozy. Amber Lynn Travis is the only survivor of a house fire that killed her two cousins. When suspicion falls on Amber, Leah steps in to help her. But she's stymied by Amber's lack of cooperation. Could she be guilty? As readers, we're privy to some of Amber's thoughts. I did find some the plot to be more than a little off-putting as more of the deliberately salacious details of Amber's life are brought to light. Gentle readers, there are triggers in this book.

I didn't enjoy Leah as a lead as much I liked Martha from the first book. For me, Leah was abrasive and kind of full of herself. I wasn't totally sold on her interactions with Amber.

Patterson has picked a good co-author for these two books. Allen is a lawyer herself. ( )