3.5 stars.

Full Disclosure was written by recently retired Chief Justice of Canada’s Supreme Court, Beverley McLachlin. Not surprisingly, it is a courtroom drama with a resounding ring of authenticity — lots of references to recent landmark Supreme Court decisIons and pressing Canadian legal issues. Fortunately, it’s also well written and a pretty engaging story. The plot focuses on criminal defence attorney Jilly, who is retained to defend Victor, who is accused of murdering his wife. While trying to figure out how best to defend Victor, Jilly has to deal with a few personal issues of own. Solidly entertaining and impressive for someone who has been busy leading Canada’s highest Court for the past many years. I’ll be happy to read her next mystery. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

Canadian court room drama set in beautiful Vancouver. Written by Canada first female Chief Justice. I enjoyed reading this beautiful story with lots of intrigue. Well written, It depicted the life of a lawyer, the up and downs. The people they meet and how some have more impact than others in their personal life.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Beverley McLachlin.

This book felt like I was reading an episode of "The Good Wife" - I loved the show, so it shouldn't have been a bad thing, except that I kept waiting for it to draw me in a little more.

Told through the perspective of defense attorney, Jilly Truitt, this is the story of a man accused of killing his wife.

The case itself was fine. My issue with this book is that it felt like Beverley McLachlin was throwing in just about every sub-plot possible; Jilly is a foster kid - who were her parents? Jilly had a dark period where she was on the streets - a similar character is tossed in for her to save. Her boyfriend is related to the murder victim; there is tension between her and her mentor - the crown prosecutor, etc.

I think that perhaps this is being set-up as the first book in a series, and so with all this backgrounder, Jilly's character can continue to develop. If that's the case - this character as a series regular might work great, but as a stand-alone read, I found it pretty one-dimensional and very predictable. Should this become a series, the secondary characters need to take on a greater role/voice - a little like in the Louise Penny novels.

The court drama part of the book was definitely the highlight; as former Chief Justice of Canada, McLachlin has years of courtroom experience to draw from, I found the rest of the story a little slow to develop, which effected my interest level in the book as a whole.

I had high expectations when I requested this book because I have so much respect for the author, however I just didn't love it.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Beverley McLachlin for allowing me to read and review Full Disclosure. Unfortunately it just didn't hit the spot when I was reading it. 3/5

Thank You to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in evchange for an honest review.
Jilly Truitt is a defense lawyer with a budding law firm. After the death of her adoptive parents, she spent some time bouncing from foster home to foster home until landing in one with caring parents. She doesn't know anything about her birth parents, although she suspects that the social worker from her youth may but isn't sharing that information.
When Vincent Trussardi is accused of killing his wife, Jilly agrees to be his defence lawyer. Upon investigating Vincent's story, Jilly runs into a lot of conflicting stories that she needs to unravel to get to the truth. The more she digs the more twists and turns we are introduced to that end in some very surprising revelations.
Every bit of information that Jilly uncovers leads to more questions that start to show connections to her own past.
This is one book that will never leave you bored waiting for the next big hit because they just never stop!

From law professor to Chief Justice of Canada's Supreme Court and now the author of a highly entertaining legal thriller - quite the progression. A number of years ago, I played charades with Beverley McLachlin who at that time was teaching commercial transactions at UBC law school (that's University of British Columbia for readers outside Canada). She was one of my husband's professors and an accomplished charades player. Get to the point, Mary, you're probably saying.

Full Disclosure features a youngish female lawyer with a difficult upbringing involving several foster homes and, not surprisingly, she's tough and determined to win her cases. Beverley McLachlin adds an experienced but flawed public defender, a drug addict who is trying to rehabilitate himself, a successful businessman and his disabled sister, a jilted lover, and, of course, a murder. I stayed up late several nights reading Full Disclosure and truly enjoyed the twists and turns, the characters, the suspense, and the surprise ending. I'm adding this to my highly recommended list - and if Beverley McLachlin writes another novel, I'll be sure to read it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book. A good story, well told. A couple of "surprises" at the end, but I more or less saw them coming. Recommended.

Thank you NetGalley for a review copy! Congratulations Beverly McLachlin on a superb first novel! Many twists and turns, keeps you guessing until the end. A recommended read!

I received an ARC fron NetGalley with many thanks. I work in the legal field and am familiar with Beverly McLachlin's name and some of her Supreme Court decisions. I was interested to see that she had written a book and was hoping for her memoir ;)
Full Disclosure is a novel about a woman who is defending a man accused of murdering his wife. I am writing this preliminary review and will update it when I finish reading the book (I'm halfway through and can scarcely put it down). It is quite nicely written, full of polish and sophisticated language. There are some interesting twists and turns. I can't say if they are realistic or slightly far-fetched just yet. The various references to fine works of art and artists are lost on me. I also find there is excessive use of first names to punctuate sentences. It is becoming slightly annoying. I am not keen on the name Jilly as it seems juvenile (most adults would go by Jill, I would think) but I'm going to remind myself that it might be a nickname. All in all, a very good debut from a skilled writer and well-informed legal authority.

A legal thriller about a seemingly straightforward case of a woman killed by her jealous husband. Jilly Truitt is a defence council who accepts this hopeless case.
As I read the narrative, I wondered how I could possibly review a book by the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. She wrote decisions for a living.

Happily, she's a good writer and writes what she knows. The investigation, case preparation, and courtroom procedure were all very interesting in their detail.
The characters are well written, many of whom are presented as conflicted, including Jilly herself.
Even though I guessed early on 'who done it', there were so many twists and turns and red herrings, that I was left guessing until the end.
My only beef: what was with all the art and artists references? Maybe reverse snobbery on my part because I recognized only a few of the names.
Highly recommended for lovers of crime and legal drama.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy of the book. The views expressed are my own.

This is a story about an up and coming female criminal defence lawyer in Vancouver, Canada. She had a difficult childhood as an orphan, not knowing who were her parents. She was finally taken in by a set of good foster parents after bouncing from foster home to foster home. She had some dangerous teen years, getting involved in risky situations including drug use. With the support of her foster parents, she settled down and went to law school. After graduation, she was mentored by a leading prosecutor.

After several years working with him, she set up her own private defence practice which has flourished. She is attracting high profile cases and clients. More and more, she takes on cases where she is defending people her former mentor is prosecuting and she often wins the case.

The story begins with her taking on a high profile murder case against her mentor. Their relationship is tested and there is growing professional jealousy, which will play out in the murder case. A highlight of the story is the trial on the high profile murder case. The narrative is from the defence point of view and there's some dirty tricks played by the prosecution. The arbitrariness of the trial process is on display, when not everything comes off as planned. It's an exciting story that continues on to the jury's verdict. Towards the end of the story, there's plenty of development of the trial lawyer's personal life, which turns her world upside down in a mostly good way.

This is a debut novel from a leading Canadian jurist, now retired. As you would expect, the technical details of the legal system are accurate. It's a good legal thriller which accurately portrays court proceedings without being stuffy. There's good character development of the protagonist trial lawyer and the others while interesting people, are left in her shadow.

A good read.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher (and author) for the opportunity to read and review Beverly McLachlin's first foray into legal fiction.
Jilly Truitt is a rising, young defense attorney who's defending a wealthy man accused of murdering his wife, but she has to contend with her own history, the fact that her client is related to her ex-boyfriend, and the fact that she is being warned-off this case. Not to mention that the defendant's own family seems to want him to be convicted.
The former Chief Justice of Canada, Ms. McLachlin shows a deft hand at the drama both inside and outside the courtroom.
Recommended for fans of legal thrillers.

If you love the city of Vancouver, BC like I do, you will enjoy this quick-read book. Coffee spots and dinners in Yale Town, a run through Stanley Park, bridges that will make you feel like home. Enough law to make it interesting but not crazy intimidating or diabolically intense. A story of finding oneself and understanding others in the day-to-day living of wins and losses.
Authored by the former Chief Justice of Canada, Beverley McLachlin, this book leaves room open for the solving of more mysteries. I'd definitely indulge in another one.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Beverley McLachlin, and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

In her first piece of published fiction, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Beverley McLachlin storms onto the scene with this courtroom thriller that will keep the reader guessing until the final chapters. Jilly Truitt is trying to establish herself as a competent defence attorney in Vancouver. Having been brought up in the foster care system, Jilly has seen just how dark things can get and found a way to move towards the light. Having been mentored by the best when she was fresh from law school, Jilly now finds herself face to face with the same man who taught her how to shape the law to her favour. When millionaire Vincent Trussardi hires her to defend him on a murder charge, things do not look good, but Jilly is up for a challenge. Having been accused of killing his wife, Laura, Trussardi proclaims his innocence and will not accept anything less than being fully exonerated. As soon as she begins preparing for trial, Jilly is warned by many to drop this legal hot potato as fast as she can, as there are secrets and mysteries that could easily trip up her defence. Still, Jilly sees potential and will use this to springboard her to greater success within the Vancouver legal community. However, with the case progressing, Jilly hits a few snags but cannot be deterred; she is in for the long-run. At trial, Crown Prosecutor Cy Kenge will do whatever it takes to bury his former protégé, forcing her to see that some people do not deserve their day in court. With the city watching and everything on the line, Jilly must decide if Trussardi’s defence is worth all she has to offer. McLachlin does well with this, her debut novel, and will have those who love the genre raving about this for years to come!

Having followed former Chief Justice McLachlin throughout her time on the High Court, I was ecstatic at the opportunity to read her first novel, a wonderful career change since her recent retirement. McLachlin uses all her legal skills and injects the perfect amount of realistic plot and dialogue to help the reader relate to the story, be they from Canada or not. Jilly Truitt is a wonderfully crafted character, whose backstory is somewhat murky, but is revealed throughout the narrative. Jilly seeks not only to better understand herself, but the world around her, as well as how her clients could get into the messes in which they find themselves. The reader will notice some character development throughout the piece, both inside the courtroom and with her personal life. McLachlin surely knows how to breathe life into her characters, which is equally exemplified in the others who populate the intense narrative. Working together, there are enough crumbs left that the attentive reader could see a series emerging, giving just enough to pique curiosity. The plot is strong and the crimes believable to the point that they are realistic. The story moves through case preparation and into the courtroom, where McLachlin utilises her legal expertise to deliver banter where needed and testimony summary at other times. While the chapters are not extremely lengthy, there are some who bulk up the narrative, though they pass with ease as the reader forges ahead and makes the most of the experience. The reader is ready for all McLachlin has to offer and finds themselves treated to a wonderful legal thriller. There is enough Canadian content to give it a wonderful flavour, though the Canadiana does not inculcate the reader at every page flip. Highly recommended and one can hope that there is more Jilly Truitt to come in the near future.

Kudos, Madam Former Chief Justice McLachlin (is this the correct title, anyone?), for such a stellar debut. I will be encouraging anyone who enjoys the genre to read this and judge for themselves.

Our former Chief Justice has written an excellent first novel. She has truly followed the maxim, “Write about what you know.” I enjoyed everything about this novel: the setting – Canadian, the plot – Canadian, the characters – Canadian, the back references – Canadian! Yay for CanLit!

Congratulations Beverley McLachlin on an outstanding first novel! I am looking forward to the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for allowing me to read an early release of this book.

Jilly is a lawyer defending two characters charged with murder. While she works on the cases she also grapples with her own history as a foster child and the relationship with her mentor and adversary. There are no 'easy solutions' to the conflicts and drama that arise within the story which I appreciated. Love, relationships with family, friends, co-workers etc. are hard and I like that the author wrote them as such. Fun part was that the story takes place in Vancouver BC so it was exciting to read about places and names around the area that I knew.

I found the book moving from 3.5 - 4 stars as it progressed. The strength in writing clearly comes out around the courtroom proceedings and case progression. I would have loved this part of the book to have been longer. Overall I found this a compelling read the further into the book I got.

Jilly is human and the court system is based on humans so I found the inner-workings believable and realistic. I would read more books with this character and/or by this author.

Full Disclosure is a court room drama that follows the case of murder suspect Vincent Trussardi. He is being defended by Jilly Truitt. I loved that it took place in Vancouver and being from Canada it was our court system that it followed. There are twists and turns as not everybody is who they seem to be.

I had only minor complaint and that is throughout the book (when outside of the court system) everybody called each other with their title of Mr, Miss, Mrs. and Jilly is only 28. Not sure why it bothered me other than you don't find that today.

It was a great read and I am sure we have not heard the last of Beverely McLachlin or Jilly Truitt.

I really enjoyed this novel. First off, it took place locally to me. I recognized many of the locations used and could picture the characters navigating through the streets. I also enjoyed a peek into the Canadian courthouse. The story moved along well and I didn't find myself bogged down in the details of the trial.
I liked the characters and how they interacted with each other. The reveal at the end felt a little obvious and forced though. I guessed early on what the relationship between Jilly and her client was and how it all played out in the story was done somewhat rushed.
Overall, an enjoyable drama and I'd read something by this author again

A gripping story that kept me reading until the wee hours of the morning. Enough legal and courtroom details to make it interesting, but not so many as to bog down the story. I hope Ms McLachlin writes more books.

Full Disclosure is real in a way that most legal and court thrillers aren't - McLachlin's legal experience is evident in the portrayal of the legal system and the relationship between those within the industry.
The details that she brings to life keep you intrigued, wanting to see how the pieces all fit together. Just like in Conan Doyal's Sherlock Holmes, the evidence is all there, you simply need to observe and connect.

One thing I loved was the nuance of the characters, and how this was not a love story. Jilly Truitt is a strong, nuanced woman, and that is enough.

Looking forward to more from McLachlin.