I just dipped into this book -- first few chapters and last few-- since I had so much to read. I will go back to it, especially after reading about the author, Grace Mead. Some of the material was not new to me since I've read a few books about the Lousiana penal system. I have not read books from a gay point of view which made it seem fresh. Will buy.

This certainly was an exciting ride from start to finish. The characters were fairly compelling and the process for Matt's case struck home. While I am not 100% sure of the accuracy of the Supreme Court's verdict at the end (I did not fact check before writing this as this is a fictional telling), I was moved by the genuine emotional roller coaster that Matt must have felt the entirety of this book up to the moment he read the verdict. While I did not find this book as exciting as other reviewers may have, I must commend the author for writing an excellent work with real implications on modern society.

A legal procedural and personal growth story rolled into one. Grace Mead gives both story lines great depth while keeping the focus on how easily life can change. The characters interactions are believable and when our main character gets arrested, you'll be just as surprised as he is. He's a lawyer, so should be able to prove his innosence....notice I said should be. This book will keep you reading to see how his story ends.

The short blurb bit: Life can change in a split second. Lawyer and amateur boxer Matt Durant is out at one of the many gay clubs in New Orleans. He’s curious about his attraction to men, curious, but taking it slow.

He meets Joey … they talk, dance and the night is going well. When the bathroom line up is too long, they both head out into the back alley to relieve themselves.

In the alley, Joe is the victim of hate-motivated crime. Matt steps in and defends Joey and one of the assailants is killed. Matt finds himself on the opposite end of the law for the first time in his life.

The descriptive bit: If you’re a fan of courtroom drama, the legal system or prison life-stories, then you’re probably going to enjoy this novel. Mead’s experience as a lawyer shines through in the writing.

It’s a slow-burn legal thriller. The story is much more about all stages of the legal process than it ever is about the characters.

Keep in mind, Matt is convicted of a crime in 2007 when there were far fewer protections under the law for LGBTQIA+ folks. Things have changed since 2007, but many of the issues discussed in the book are still relevant.

My thoughts bit: This novel is being promoted as LGBTQ fiction and that’s an interesting choice. When Matt is introduced into the story… and later when he’s arrested … he isn’t even completely convinced that he’s gay. He progresses to a relationship with a man during the course of the story unfolding but that’s secondary to the plot.

Most of Matt’s reactions to events in the novel were quite flat. As fascinating as the legal story was, I felt that I would have liked some more development of the characters.

I’ve written before that I don’t want gay to be the entire plot, but I felt like it really didn’t weigh heavily enough into the story.

An interesting story with some interesting aspects to it. The only true problem I have with it is the characters.

Defense of An Other is my first novel by Grace Mead. It is a legal thriller with a bit of a twist, to me anyway. The story follows Matt, who has broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is exploring his sexuality. He goes to a gay bar and meets a guy named Joey who he spends the evening with. When they go out in the alley to take a leak, they are attacked by men simply because they are gay. Someone ends up dead and Matt is arrested for the murder.
This felt like watching/reading an actual court proceeding. The descriptions and details were great and you really felt like you were there watching everything unfold.
I did struggle with the characters and the way they reacted within the situation. I don't know, but I struggled to find them relatable and sometimes believable. However, this was still an intriguing story and did keep me glued throughout the story.

Thank you for the ARC of this book. I love legal thrillers and crime dramas and this book has an interesting focal point, how sexual orientation is a factor in the justice system, illustrating the bias society has towards the LGBT community and how it complicates navigating the legal system. The fact that the author is a practicing attorney contributes to its authenticity.

A good legal thriller can keep you on the edge of your seat wondering how the case will turn out. Defense of An Other adds a layer to that feeling. As I read it I kept thinking how easy this same situation could happen to me.

The story is about a young lawyer, Matt Durant, on trial for Murder. His boss a high profile lawyer in New Orleans is defending him. The charges stem from a bar fight. A man picked a fight with Matt, who hit the aggressor back with a beer bottle.

Before the fight, Matt had been in a rough break up with a long-time girlfriend. On a night out drinking, he hits up a gay bar. Outside the bar, Matt and a new acquaintance Joey are approached by three stereotypical red necks.

It is the kind of scenario I think a number of people could relate to. Matt could have walked away, leaving Joey to get beaten or worse. But his moral center made him want to protect a guy in a three on one fight.

As the trail grows closer, it turns out Joey is a known drug dealer. Immediately questions to the jury are raised about Matt’s sexual orientation and his drug use. Before the trail starts, there is a bias with the jury. It is obvious this is going to be an uphill battle.

I liked how the courtroom process unfolded. There were some errors made by the police in the investigation. As a cop, it annoyed me this investigator would make these mistakes. But later in the story, he was called out on it by the defense attorneys.

Overall it was hard to put this book down. Overall the plot was one I could see happening. A guy trying to do right ends up accused. Then the situation starts to spiral out of control. Damage control seems to be working but then new evidence or witness tosses the case into a tailspin again.

If you are looking for a good legal thriller, I highly recommend picking up your copy of Defense of An Other.

I received an advanced copy (ebook) from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Set in the beautiful city of New Orleans, this gripping procedural follows the story of Matt , forced to commit a crime in order to save a man he just met. This leads to a spiral of tough situations forcing Matt to examine closely his life and choices, but mostly whether or not he is gay.
This book had sprints and lulls for me, the action was fast, gritty, and compelling. I was really turned off by the lengthy descriptions of football but the trial made up for it. Real trials are sometimes so boring its hard to tell when you're actually hearing the exciting parts, but not so in this book, a light touch is given to the procedural portions and more time is spent tricking the terrible witnesses into telling the truth against their will. YES! The deck really seems stacked against the protagonist, Matt, and that could not have been more life-like. I felt the injustices of his situation soo keenly; the cringe-worthy way people give micro-expressions, micro-reactions and each one of them cuts. This book is great!

There are multiple characters introduced in the book but the author does a good job of putting each in its place so I had no problem remembering them later in the story when they were re introduced.

I am sorry - I don't know how this happened, but this review is for another book. I will read this one and amend the review.

Well, you may have heard about this book – a gay YA romance/thriller was supposed to be published either in late March or early April, got a lot of backlash because of supposed insensitivities to Muslims given its setting, and was withdrawn from publication by the author.

I, like many others, was granted an eARC by the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, shortly before the author withdrew the book from publication. I just finished the book last night, since my copy was still valid, and this is my honest review. It may not necessarily be unbiased, but it is honest.

First, I will simply assess the book itself. Then I will talk about the controversy surrounding the book. This book was a little over 300 pages. It is told from the perspective of James Mills, a black boy who is also gay and adopted. His parents are highly educated aid workers – his mother is a doctor, and his father is an engineer. They travel around the world offering their expertise, and they’ve brought their kids, Anna and James, along, so James has been around the world already. In the novel, however, Anna has already gone to college at Georgetown. He and his boyfriend wake up one day to find that James’s parents have gone missing, their home ransacked, and the town completely empty. A letter left behind reveals that his parents have been abducted, and that James and his boyfriend need to get to the embassy. This story is their attempted journey to safety.

The book alternates between James’s present-tense narrative and the letters he writes to Anna. It is in the letters we learn about James’s life before the Kosovo War and how his relationship with Tomas Sousa, his Brazilian boyfriend, started.

James’s voice is good and he is witty at times. The action in the present-day narrative is a stark contrast to the letters he sends to his sister, since life seemed very normal – going to school, exploring the town and surrounding area, hanging out with his classmates and slowly falling love with Tomas. His narrative is quite dark, as the story, at its core, is one of survival. James ends up killing at least two people on their journey to the embassy.

There is also violence, and it is graphically described. I thought it was kind of slow at the beginning, but picked up about halfway through the book.

The villain is suitably powerful and infuriating…and also brutal. Not much is said about the actual conflict that the boys get caught up in – the main antagonists are members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, an organization that existed in real life, and we see foreshadowing of the villain himself and their slow takeover of the town in James’s letters to Anna.

There isn’t a whole lot of what I would call SJW preaching, except for one incident with a stereotypically blond-haired, blue-eyed, sharp-jawed German boy named Georg, who basically calls Tomas a faggot in German, or something. James punches his lights out, and is disciplined by his parents for it. Also, James uses the phrase “toxic masculinity” in one of his letters, and I am pretty sure I didn’t hear that phrase until recently. Based on where James is at the time of the Kosovo War, which was in the late 90s, he and I would be roughly the same age, give or take a couple of years. I also read a lot of teen and women’s magazines…and no mention of “toxic masculinity.”

Since this was an eARC, there were some punctuation errors and other problems, most notably some incorrect word usage that I found a bit confusing. I had to guess at what the author actually meant.

As I said, it picks up about halfway through, and is quickly-paced, but that pacing seems to be interrupted by the letters to Anna. Near the end, you’ll just want to know what happens next, not the weird shit James wanted to share with his sister (such as the first time he and Tomas have sex…I don’t know about anyone else, but I have two sisters and we didn’t talk about our sex lives with each other…that would have been weird).

So the end…the climax is good and satisfying, but the actual resolution left me wanting. The Epilogue is told in the third-person, from Anna’s perspective, and then it ends.

I also read through the Author’s Note, and I pretty much agreed with what the author was trying to say – that, often times in conflicts such as the Kosovo War, nobody is totally innocent or totally evil. Not all Serbians were evil, and not all KLA members were good. I was, however, surprised that the author’s research was done with only three or four resources, all of which were listed at the end of the author’s note.

Not only that, I still don’t know why the author thought this particular incident warranted a YA thriller, beyond wanting more people to know about it. Did he have any sort of connection to the Kosovo War?

I would normally give this book three stars on the GoodReads scale…maybe three and a half, but I gave it four stars for having a nuanced message on the nature of war and such.

So now that’s the review of the book. Now I want to discuss the issues surrounding the book.

It is said that this book is insensitive to the Albanian Muslims that were supposedly genocided by the Serbians. The book doesn’t go heavily into the conflict, which makes sense, since James and Tomas are there as its happening. Furthermore, they’re both foreigners to the land. They probably wouldn’t have the deeper understanding of a native who’s been living there for a long time or their whole lives. I wondered why the author chose to make an American kid his main character, other than the whole “staying in one’s lane” nonsense. I thought it was even more baffling that he chose another foreigner as the love interest. It might have been more interesting if James’s love interest had been a local boy. That would have also required a lot more research, and might have made it far too political for a YA novel, so I dunno.

None of that warrants cancelling the publication of this book, however. The conflict itself is handled well and not in an offensive way. The only time we really get a whole lot of romance is in James’s letters to Anna. Whenever they are romantic to each other in the present-tense narrative, it’s in the context of, “we might die here, so we should die together” or “I am not leaving you behind.” Since they’re both trying to get to the embassy (and later on, to rescue James’s mother), there isn’t much time for making out or having sex. They’re trying not to get their shoes stolen, or shot by KLA goons, etc. They’re trying to survive in a foreign country during a violent conflict in the dead of winter. That’s how gritty it is. Oh, and both boys wisely stay as far away from potential spots of conflict, and for good reason, so we don’t really see much of the conflict – just their attempts to survive.

I don’t think it is insensitive to the people that suffered through it, unless you count a couple of foreigners being present during the conflict insensitive. I think the people that complained about this book were making a big deal out of nothing.

Now, about the villain. We first meet the villain in James’s letters. He describes his new teacher, Professor Beqiri, as an Oxford-educated snob who, nonetheless, is a good teacher and expects a lot of his students. His teacher is also very anti-Serbian and expects his political beliefs to be reflected in the work he assigns to his students. Yeah, we Conservatives won’t be surprised at that. After all, a great deal of our public school teachers basically parrot their political beliefs to their students and expect those students to regurgitate those beliefs in their schoolwork.

So, it turns out that his well-dressed, well-groomed teacher abducted his parents and some of the other foreigners, including Clara, a German girl with an ambassador for a father, to help in the KLA’s efforts. He became a professor to these foreigners so that he could get closer to them.

Beqiri is an extremist and a zealot, but for the KLA’s cause, which is independence. At no point in the novel is it ever indicated that Beqiri is religious, much less Muslim. His one and only goal is that of the KLA’s goal – independence for Kosovo. He’s not a Muslim terrorist, and in fact, I don’t think Beqiri is religious at all, especially given that he’s Oxford-educated. Now, I am sure that a great deal of the KLA might have been Muslim, but that does not mean all of them were religious.

Then again, the left seems to think that Islam is an ethnicity or race. It is not. A white, red-haired dude can be Muslim, you know. Anybody can be Muslim. It is a religion, not a race or ethnicity.

So, in conclusion, the critics are utterly full of shit. This wasn’t insulting to Muslims. It took a nuanced view of the Kosovo War, and since, in the eyes of these people, Muslims can do no wrong, because they’re rather high on the Progressive Stack of Victimhood. This is also one reason why they find 9/11 memorials so offensive. Who gives a shit about the people murdered by Muslim fanatics – Muslims everywhere might feel discriminated against, and that’s clearly more important than the memory of our countrymen!

Make no mistake – the attack on the book was politically motivated. The author did not show the proper deference to one of the left’s pet victim groups. The author, though he can claim Black and Gay Victimhood Points, did not check his Privilege. Therefore, he had to be punished.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book.

There were so many elements about this book I was excited for. The synopsis sounded right up my alley! Having just moved from Louisiana, I knew I would be able to appreciate that the book was set in New Orleans. I was also more than happy to support the author who is a transgender lawyer and could provide a unique perspective to this book.

The book started off with a bang and I was so intrigued by where the story was going. However, I found there was a missing element throughout the story. I’m not sure if it’s because there was so much legal jargon in the narrative, or if it was because the dialogue felt so...clinical, but I didn’t connect to the main character at all. He seemed devoid of emotion which made it very hard to become invested in him and the story.

It also felt like too much “extra” stuff was happening. The actual trial was not a huge part of the story (judging by the synopsis I assumed it was going to be a large part of the book).

I really like the concept behind the story and wish I would have liked the book more, but of course not every book is for every reader!

I really enjoyed the passing and setting of this book. The plot, to me, was a bit confusing at times. But once I got the rhythm of the book it was easy to follow. Its the first time I read anything by this author but it wont be the last! Highly recommend this book!

I tried really getting into Defense of An Other, but I got a little overwhelmed with how much was going on. I think it outlined real topics but I had a hard time getting into it. That being said, I think it's still a book that is worth reading!

Matt Duran is a successful criminal attorney in New Orleans. One night, he decides to throw caution to the wind and go to a gay bar, though he's not entirely sure he's gay. Once there, he drinks, starts to relax, meets a guy. They chat, then go outside to do what everyone does in New Orleans. Pee in the alley.

There, they are set upon by three large, burly rednecks who have decided they want to hurt someone. Preferably someone different. Matt's friend gets his nose broken, Matt fights back, and ends up killing one of them.

That is the premise of this book. I loved this idea, I love that it's set in New Orleans, and best of all, I loved the title. I can always be gotten with a play on words, and the title was too good to pass up. Title Buys are the sister of Cover Buys.

And most unfortunately, I really, really didn't like this book.

For one thing, events move far too quickly. And by that, I don't mean it's fast paced. This is like if the author sent the rough draft outline to her publisher, and they decided, "Yep, this is it" and published it. The most in depth part of the book is the copious amounts of legal jargon, which do not flow. This is like if I (a non bar member) were to write a book about the law. I know this, and I know this, and I know this. I also know this, but it has nothing to do with the plot, so I'll find another place to work that in.

I mean, if you're sending this out, resume style, to law firms to tell them what your legal experience is, props to you.

But more than that, the trial takes up 30% of the book. We get a bit of the legal prejudice you would expect from this subject matter, but it goes QUICKLY, and then the ramifications are not revisited, as I think they should have been.

The remaining 70% of the book is so disjointed and stuttery. It's so disappointing, on levels I can't even put into words.

Also, the Louisiana stuff made my jaw clench. I realize she set this book 2 years after Katrina. The time frame doesn't really make sense, unless you want to set it before the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage. Even then, that was WELL after 2007. Unless she did it so she could reference Katrina constantly. Which.

Pet. peeve.

Katrina has NOTHING to do with this book. NOTHING that happens in this book is because of Katrina. We get references to scaffolding and rebuilding and people moving. It has nothing to do with the murder, the trial, the prison time. There's not even a mention of what Katrina did to Angola (if I remember right, it didn't do anything, actually...).

Just because something references New Orleans does not mean Katrina needs to be brought up ad nauseum.

Seriously, every. fucking. time. I hate it, and it makes me angry.

Also, there's a scene where someone eats a beignet with a knife and fork, and why would you do that that is not a thing it is NOT A THING.

Yeah, I can't really recommend this to anyone. Disappointing. What a waste of an awesome title.

I loved this book and the characters. Once I started reading could not put down. Will try to read more books from this author.

I just finished the book and read it quickly. Although I’m not a lawyer ( I’m a teacher) and at times got lost in the weeds of legal jargon, I enjoyed the story. From the beginning, it takes you into the crux of the story, and the development is well- written and fast paced. I enjoyed ( don’t want to give too much away) the perspective of prison life. It was harrowing and thought provoking. Thanks Netgalley! It was different and I enjoyed it.

When Matt, a young, confused about his sexuality lawyer, attempts to save a man from a hateful gay bashing by three men, he kills one of them. This happens the very first time he enters a gay bar by himself! The work is very much of a legal drama. The action of the first part of the novel is the strongest with much of it taking place in the courtroom. The author's account is very detailed that brings you into the hows and why of the defense. The second part details life in the horrific Louisiana prison system. The novel suffers from taking place in the early 21st Century. However, the author does provide an afterword addressing the issues faced in the novel today. She also gives reasons for her setting the work in Louisiana.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this ebook.

I would not recommend this book. It claims to be a legal thriller. I found it to be too heavy on the legal and sorely lacking in the thriller.

I think this book had great promise, the main guy being gay was a wonderful change to what I normally see, and I enjoyed seeing how that played out in a court setting, but I’d have loved a lot less legal mumbo jumbo.

I thought this book was very good but it had a lot of things going on!!! Legal fiction, injustice, LGBT in daily life and in priso, bias...it had a lot but well done. Their interactions/dialogue between characters seemed stiff and everybody felt like an example of a type of person: the friendly and supportive coworker, the religious mother who loves her son no matter what....this felt cliche.

But it was a good realistic legal thriller.