Another great book in the Hailey Dean Series. Totally enjoy the characters and the mysteries.
Must read Can't wait for another book in this series!

Good story, lots of intrigue and character development. I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone looking for a good mystery. I look forward to reading more of Nancy Grace's books in the future.

Really enjoyed this book, so many twists and turns that you did not see coming. It was a book that kept me reading well into the night. I don't want to say too much about the storyline as it would spoilt things, but enough to say that it had a lot of elements in it that came together in a dramatic ending

Hailey is a former prosecutor who now serves as an expert witness in trials. She's in Savannah to testify and becomes involved in the investigation of a murder she and her old investigator happen across. Sounds like an interesting story line? Well, it might be, except that the dialogue in this book is so contrived that it seems almost unreal, and the story line weaves around too much. The interaction between Hailey and Finch is silly, at times, with conversations about what they like to eat rather than focusing on the two murders. Sad to say that I lost interest in the story before the trial even began.

Thank you again to NetGalley for an advance reader copy. It will not be the last of Nancy Grace's books I'm going to read. Altogether one of those thrillers that kept me reading till the last page. The story and main charcters I thought to be just great with the perfect twist at the end. Highly recommend reading this book.

Plastic, stiff, stunted, fake are just a few words I would use to describe the dialogue in this book. Even the plot was a bit lame. I mean what killer confesses the entire crime in great detail like that?

Two stars is all I can muster up..

Currently on a cruise ship with very expesive internet. Will write long review when I get home in January.

This is an easy read mystery. Not a lot of suspense but a book I would recommend to mystery fans.

The one issue I had about this book was the constant reminder of her dead fiance. I understand that they were in love, but it has been over a decade and the woman has completely changed her life, TWICE. Once I got through that I enjoyed the book, it was different and unique

Hailey Dean, a highly intelligent prosecutor goes to Georgia to testify in one case and finds herself embroiled in a second. She is somewhere between Sherlock Holmes and Monk the way she zeroes in on certain elements and quickly finds what is out of place. The pacing was great and Nancy Grace adds in some interesting plot twists. Now I want to read the rest of the series!

I obtained this book through Net Galley and have left an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I loved this book. I have not read any other books written by Nancy Grace, but I definitely plan on reading them now! *Murder in the Courthouse* was entertaining and contained just the right amount of thrilling scenes, humor and sweetness. I really liked how Nancy weaved current events (i.e., Lacy Peterson) in her fictional plot and made it both realistic and suspenseful. Great job!

Sadly I couldn’t finish this one. Ms Grace is an impassioned speaker with a wry sense of humor but none of it is apparent in this novel

OK, I admit to watching Nancy Grace years ago before she was quite as…Nancy Grace as she is now. Recently I’ve just thought of her as the woman-in-danger-true-crime obsessed blonde who is quick to label males suspects as guilty (admittedly, she is often right).

Apparently, she has written other novels, including two others featuring the protagonist Hailey Dean, the prosecutor who has never lost a case. In this third in the series, Hailey goes to Savannah, GA to testify as an expert witness and, while there, she gets embroiled in other murders…so far, so good. But the details of a man murdering his pregnant wife and then hers and the baby’s (fetus’s?) bodies washing up after being dumped in a body of water…it made me wish Nancy had written a more original plot. It isn’t like she was writing a roman a clef — too many differences. In any case, that kept getting in the way of my being able to just go with the story and assess this book fairly.

I do think that this might be perfect for the people who want something light with a mystery and some twists to read while sitting on the beach. Nothing that makes you think too much, you know? But it just wasn’t my thing.

Thanks to BenBella Books and NetGalley for a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review. Two stars.

3.5 stars

This is the third book in Nancy Grace's 'Hailey Dean' mystery series. Most people probably know Nancy Grace from her former television show on HLN, where she discussed serious crimes.....and skewered the (alleged) perps. Nancy's main character, Hailey Dean, has a lot in common with the author.

*****

Character background: Hailey Dean went into law enforcement after her fiancé, Will, was murdered shortly before their wedding. Hailey was devastated, and was driven to get justice for crime victims. Hailey was a hard-hitting, successful prosecutor in Atlanta for a decade before she moved to New York and hung her counseling shingle on a brownstone in Greenwich Village.

The story: In Savannah, Georgia, Todd Adams is being tried for the murder of his nine-months-pregnant wife, Lucie Love-Adams. Todd claimed to be fishing off Tybee Island when Julie went missing on Christmas Eve and - coincidentally?? - the bodies of Julie and the baby washed up on that very island. Moreover, photos prove that cheating Todd went to a Christmas Eve party with a pretty blonde in a red strapless dress. (Remind you of the real life case of Scott and Laci Peterson?)

At the request of the Savannah district attorney Hailey is flying down to profile Todd's behavior and to testify at his trial. Hailey is met at the airport by her good friend, and former professional partner/investigator, Garland Fincher (Finch). Finch is a tall, black, buff ex-marine, who arrested Todd for the murders of his wife and child.

As Finch is driving Hailey to her hotel they hear an urgent dispatch about a dead body, and detour to offer their help. At the death scene Hailey and Finch observe several uniformed police and a corpse that's been nearly cut in half by a garage door. When Detective Chase Billings arrives he and the other cops seem to agree that it's an accidental death. However, Hailey convinces them it's a homicide and proceeds to enmesh herself in the investigation. The victim is identified as Alton Turner, a desk cop at the courthouse/Sheriff's Department - who's in charge of prisoner transport.

The Alton Turner death was called in to 911 by Miss Kacynthia Sikes, a 67-year-old woman who gets gussied up in a trendy workout suit every morning, brushes out her long red hair, and power walks around nice neighborhoods. The purpose of Kacynthia's exercise is twofold: to maintain her slim figure and to meet eligible gentlemen. As it happens, Kacynthia was a 'Penthouse Pet' in 1969 and 1975, and she mentions this in every conservation, including the 911 call she makes after spotting Alton's body. This is all pretty hilarious.....a bit of comic relief.

At the Adams trial the next day, Hailey starts to worry about the state convicting Todd Adams. The prosecuting attorney is kind of a quiet wimp.....while the defense attorney is a loud showman who knows every trick in the book. And you never know what a jury will do!

Pretty soon Hailey gets tangled up with another courthouse death. A strikingly pretty courthouse calendar clerk, Elle Odom, drops dead during lunch with a bunch of jurors. Courthouse whispers suggest Elle had a stroke or heart attack but Hailey suspects murder - and plans to prove it.

Luckily for Hailey, there are plenty of breaks in the Adams trial, which gives her a chance to investigate the Turner and Odom deaths. Hailey visits relevant sites, talks to people, Googes for information, and so on. Hailey consults with Detective Billings during her inquiries.....and sparks ignite between the pair.

On the downside, someone doesn't like Hailey nosing around, and pushes her in front of a bus.

As if there's not enough drama at the courthouse, wildlife-loving clerk Cecil Snodgrass - who helped Hailey with some business at the lost and found - 'wins' a golden ticket to Gator Land. Cecil happily takes a day off to go.....which isn't a great idea. (Doesn't Cecil know it's sketchy when you win a contest you didn't enter? LOL)

All this leads to a dramatic climax where all the book's crimes are solved. I really liked this part, which has a nice twist.

The book is very atmospheric, and I got a good sense of Savannah as the characters drive around, look at historic structures, smell the breeze, gaze at the scenery, eat in nice restaurants, and so on. In fact there's a little too much of this. For example, Snodgrass's day at Gator Land is so detailed that I felt like I was reading the theme park guide (though I'm now all up on feeding gators and shopping in the Gator Land gift store. Ha ha ha).

Nevertheless, I liked the book's 'ambiance' - and appreciated the bits of humor in the story. I laughed out loud when Finch was muttering non-stop about a 'mistake' he made....though no one was paying attention to him.

All in all, this is an engaging mystery that I'd recommend to fans of the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Nancy Grace), and the publisher (BenBella Books) for a copy of the book.

This masterfully crafted thriller grabs you in the prologue never lets go.

This novel is one of those "ripped from the headlines" kind of stories. In fact, the main storyline very closely parallels the Scott/Laci Peterson case. Hailey Dean is called to testify at the Julie Love-Adams trial. However, while she is there she becomes deeply entrenched in two other murder cases. At first glance these two other cases are seemingly accidents and unrelated, but Hailey and her old partner Finch can see through the smokescreen. She soon joins the investigation and helps the local authorities uncover evidence to tie the cases together.

As the investigation progresses, Hailey soon finds herself in very dangerous territory. Hailey slowly fits the pieces together, leasing up to a shocking and satisfying conclusion that you will not see coming.

I would recommend this book to fans of mysteries and thrillers, legal dramas, and police procedurals. I received this as a free ARC from BenBella Books on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An exciting courtroom drama. The case does remind one of Scott Peterson, but I did not follow the trial and don't even recall the results. The friendship and romance added to the fun. The murders and sleuthing added to the intrigue. I could not go to bed until I finished the story. The ending was somewhat surprising.

Thank you to NetGalley and BenBella Books for the e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest opinion. I'd probably have gone closer to a 3.5 than a true 4 for this one, for reasons I'll explain. On a good note, I enjoyed this, and I'm definitely going to read the first 2 in the series. I don't know how I missed them before.
This is the third Nancy Grace book featuring Hailey Dean, once a very successful Special Prosecutor, now a psychologist who is frequently called on to testify in murder cases. Which is exactly what has happened.
I adore books set in the south, with my favorite being Savannah. So, there are points for that, with a nice actual feel to Savannah. I also liked the mystery to this one, and I'll have to say I didn't see the twist coming at the end. At all. The plot centers on "Todd," who is accused of killing his wife when she was 9 months pregnant. Take away the location, and this is very, very close to the Scott Peterson trial. That's why I take away 1/2 point, because as an avid mystery/true crime follower, I kept putting Scott Peterson as the character and it bothered me when things were just slightly off kilter. I know Nancy Grace's background, and I love seeing her put that into the backstory of this character. I liked the other characters brought into the story, and she did a good job with the courtroom action (naturally.) There are a series of other murders that to me would've screamed serial killer, but in this case, somehow, no one was putting them together. That also suspended a bit of disbelief. BUT, the cons were few, the pros were many and I'd recommend this.

I love reading mystery books and this is fantastic! I cannot wait to go back and read books one and two. I enjoyed Ms. Grace on television and I enjoyed this book even more.

The characters are fabulous. The team of Hailey and Finch along with Billings is great. I love the analytical mind that is Hailey Dean. The story has so many twists and turns that I just wasn't sure who the bad guy was until the very end. Just the way I love it!

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third Nancy Grace book featuring Hailey Dean, once a very successful Special Prosecutor, now a psychologist who is frequently called on to testify in murder cases. Which is exactly what has happened.

Todd Adams is accused of killing his 9-month-pregnant wife and their unborn child. Their bodies are found in a body of water where coincidentally, he had been fishing. Think Scott and Lacey Peterson of a few years back.

She meets her old partner, now crime investigator, Garland Finch at the Savannah airport. Hearing an All Points Bulletin on a murder that has just been reported, they decide to swing by to see if they can help. What they find is a courthouse sheriff, severed in half by a garage door.

Hailey does what she normally does ... starts investigating a case that isn't even hers. Thankfully the local police are tolerant. What they suspect is that this murder has something to do with the Adams case that begins the next day.

That's only the start of a killing spree ... courthouse regulars seem to be dropping like flies ..and Hailey may be next on the list. But who wants these particular people dead? And why?

Although third in this series, it does well as a stand alone. There is some basic info that has been in both her previous books (a lot of it resembles Nancy Grace's real life) but there are no spoilers, so read them in order .. or not.

I like the characters .. they have significant substance. Even though Hailey resembles the author in many different ways, the writing is done so well so as to forget the author and get lost in the story. There's a very little romance this time around as Hailey has caught the eye of Detective Chase Billings. But he's in Savannah and she's going back to New York City.

The author, being an attorney herself, brings realism to the courtroom scenes. There are a few surprising twists and turns that keep the reader engaged.

Many thanks to the author / BenBella Books / Netgalley for the advance copy of this crime thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Hailey Dean is supposed to testify in a court case. The details of the case are taken almost exactly from the Scott Peterson case. Hailey ends up involved in 2 other murders while she is visiting town. I found myself skimming this book. It just didn't hold my interest, maybe because it felt like I'd read it already, it followed the Peterson case so closely. I have liked her other books so better luck next time I guess. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.