I love Trafford’s books even though I haven't read too many of them yet. Books are written fast paced, and keeps the reader enthralled until the end. Recommended.

Merchants Bridge is the first book in the new Dark River series by J.D.Trafford. Trafford is known for his legal thrillers and this is another series of legal thrillers from him. I am not previously acquainted with this author's books and this is the first book of his I have read.

The story begins with a shooting which kills one man and another man, Graydon Wendt, is gravely injured. However. his life is saved and Graydon only has fragments of memories of the day of his attack. After his recovery, Graydon tries his best to get back to his normal life but is unable to cope with the trauma he has undergone. Hence follow a series of events which mess up his personal and professional life. Just when Gray thinks it can't get any worse, the worst actually happens; he is implicated as the co-conspirator of a crime in which his coworker, who was killed, had been involved.

The rest of the story portrays Gray's struggle in understanding what had actually happened, what is the crime, who had been the original perpetrator and proving himself innocent in front of the courts after he has been arrested. The story is adequately thrilling and the writing style of the author engaging. The story travels primarily along with Gray and the readers are kept as much in the dark as he is. However, the story is not completely engrossing. It was a challenge to stay interested in the story, particularly during the first half of the book. I felt it is a fairly enjoyable read which could have been much better. Nevertheless, a person could read this book if they are interested in legal thrillers.

Merchants Bridge, the latest novel by J.D. Trafford, combines a clever murder mystery with a hefty dose of psychological suspense to create an edge-of-your-seat legal thriller you will not soon forget.

Grayson Wendt and his colleague, Virgil Hawthorne, are walking back to their law office following a meeting when they are accosted by two men who leap from a car. Virgil is shot and killed, and Gray shot and left for dead. Or was he? When he wakes up in the hospital, Gray has no bullet wounds, and he begins to question his recollection. Was he really shot, or is he hallucinating? The absurdity intensifies when Gray is arrested and suspected of engaging in the multi-party money laundering scheme that resulted in Virgil’s death. To prove his innocence and save his life, Gray must peel back the layers of a law firm cover-up.

The story itself is masterful, weaving the murder investigation seamlessly into the FBI’s pursuit of the perpetrators of the money laundering enterprise, both of which are intertwined with Gray’s fragile mentality. Gray faces the ultimate danger, and the intensity builds up and explodes in the climactic scene.

In addition to the dramatic storyline, there are many things to like about this book, but for me, what stands out are the characters. Gray is empathetic, intelligent and, despite his memory issues, logical. The supporting cast is likewise superb. Gray’s neighbors, Midge and Haley, bring a sense of family to the book, and Gray’s affection for Kendra, his ex-wife, and his kids is readily apparent. The law firm, too, is populated with characters who stand out, especially Ethan Bloom. And agent Amy Wirth is determined and rational. Gray’s passion for breadmaking, sprinkled throughout the novel, is an added touch.

If you’re looking for a legal thriller with a psychological bent, I recommend Merchants Bridge. But be forewarned, once you start reading, you won’t want to put it down!

Note: I received an ARC of Merchants Bridge from NetGalley, and Temple Bar Press. The above is my honest review.

This is the first book I read from this author and it won't be the last.

I got pulled in right away, Graydon is walking home with a colleague when his colleague is killed and Graydon is shot. He wakes up in the hospital with headaches, and wondering what happened. The police wonder if he is responsible for the death.

Well written and pulls you into the story. Will recommend!

An interesting plot that was very well written.
A fast paced book that made me keep going on and on.

What a great read. The suspense woven throughout kept the story interesting. I thought the characters were interesting and perfectly suited for this story. All-in-all well done.

It starts at full pace and never stops. One of the best plot stories this year. Would highly recommend it. J D Trafford has set a high bar for the next installment.
Independent review thanks to NetGalley / Temple Bar Press

This is an author that I have enjoyed reading from the first book I picked up by them. I never hesitate to pick up on this author's books. I enjoyed reading this suspenseful story. I found this book to be well written and hard to put down. I enjoyed how the characters pulled me into the story from the start. I also enjoyed how the author used their writing skills and details to make the story come to life on each page. This is a fast paced story that has twists and turns that left me sitting on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what would happen next. There is great growth with the characters as well as the plot. I highly recommend this book and this author.

A legal thriller packed with mystery and suspense!
The main character, Graydon Wendt is an attorney who finds himself trying to defend his actions! Gray watches his colleague's murder and needs to prove his innocence, he realises he’s being framed for something more sinister than he imagined.
Waking up in hospital, Gray struggles to convince anyone that his recollections are not due to concussion!
We follow Gray’s attempt to find clarity, heal and work to clear his name.
Not used to being a suspect, Gray is working against time to reveal what really happened, why he’s the fall guy and who wants him to be to blame. Sometimes frustrating but a good read!

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Merchants Bridge by J.D. Trafford.
A Legal Thriller.
Everything changes for Graydon "Gray" Wendt while walking back to the office after a late dinner with a potential client. An SUV swerves and jumps the curb in front of them. His law partner is killed immediately, and Gray is knocked to the ground and shot twice in the chest. A few days later, Gray wakes up in the hospital. His face is swollen. His body is sore, and his mind is scattered. Some of his clearest memories from that night are dismissed as by-products of a concussion. Although healing, Gray’s attempt to return to work is complicated by headaches and hallucinations. He struggles with paranoia and how to differentiate what is real and what is not. Law enforcement, in the meantime, focus their attention on Gray, and he must figure out what really happened and who is setting him up to take the blame.
A good read with good characters. 4*.

Being Shot In The Chest Is The Start Of His Downward Spiral

Two real estate lawyers, Graydon (Gray) Wendt and Virgil Hawthorne, are walking late at night in an empty downtown. Gray sees a car round a corner and stop just in front of them. The driver exited the car and approached Virgil. With three shots, he kills Virgil. He did not see the passenger approach him who hit him in the head with a gun. Virgil finds himself on the ground when the passenger asks the driver what he should do. The driver tells him to just clap him. Two shots ring out, and Virgil feels two bullets hit his chest. From this violent start, the novel proceeds.

The main storyline has several threads: the investigation into Virgil’s death; Gray trying to put his life back together; and a man whose activities do not seem to be helpful for Gray. As these threads proceed, Gray’s mental, personal, and professional future becomes in more peril that raised the tension as well the suspense in the novel. There are twists and turns with some quite large, a growing complexity, and an anomaly that combined with the suspense captured my interest and held it tight all the way to the end of the novel.

The B-storyline is extensive and largely provided through Gray’s thoughts and self-reflections as his life spirals that were guided by the actions in the main storyline. These threads are particularly rich as Gray was engaged in much sole-searching. Another insight into Gray’s character is his relationship with his law firm’s managing partner’s son. This relationship runs from hot to cold and back. As he is his closest coworker, the Gray opens himself to him. All this enhanced my reading enjoyment.

For the aspects of novels that are objectionable to some readers, this book does not offer much to offend. There are not any intimate scenes. I found less than five rude words and no vulgar words. There was not any impious language. Violence is described as it occurs, but they are short. I do not believable that this novel will be objectionable to most readers.

This novel has the aspects of a good read. While it seems complex in the beginning, all the threads started to merge while keeping my interest tied to the story. The major problem for me was what I called an anomaly. I will let you discover as it is a spoiler. I was looking for an answer by the end of the novel. There was not a definitive answer but only an implied one. This aspect decreased my reading enjoyment. I have read one other novel by this author, and I have placed him in my Will-Read category albeit in the lower portion. I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it with caveat that there is an unexplained issue for me. I rate this novel at 3.5 stars and upgraded to 4 stars.

I received a free prepublication e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Temple Bar Press. My review is based only on my own reading experience of this book. I wish to thank Temple Bar Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

The first of an intended new series, Merchants Bridge by J D Trafford is a legal thriller set in St Louis. Lawyer Gray Wendt is attacked returning to his office and his colleague is killed, when he awakens seriously injured in hospital. As Gray recovers and struggles with headaches and hallucinations, his work performance suffers and he becomes entangled in a fraud investigation. With a high stake court case trial, struggling with paranoia and overwhelming evidence, how will Gray prove his innocence? A promising start to a series, with a three and a half star rating – an enjoyable read with an interesting ending. My thanks to Temple Bar Press and the author, for an uncorrected advanced reader copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this ARC. I happily give my honest opinion. I must admit it took me three attempts to get in to this story and I almost gave up. Gray is hurt when his colleague is murdered and leads to hallucinations and blackouts which I found very confusing. It took a long time for the reason for the attack to be revealed and felt the story picked up after that. Police Officer Wirth is part of the team investigating the murder but she is having her own issues with her colleagues and goes to the FBI to try to help with the investigation. Gray does a lot of investigating by himself when he realises that the FBI believe he is involved in the criminal activity. I felt for Gray and the horrible position he was in. I enjoyed the ending when everything fell in to place, but overall there was a bit too much going on for me to really enjoy this book.

Wow, talk about a start that grabs your attention IMMEDIATELY! I believe this would be considered my first legal thriller, and it definitely did not disappoint. It had everything you’d want in a legal thriller…money laundering, mystery and revenge to name a few.

Overall, this book was very well written, had pretty likable characters and had some twists you would MAYBE expect. I do feel at one point, about midway through the book, I was patiently waiting for something to happen because it felt like it just went on a little.

I love that the author has a lot of legal experience under his belt…prosecutor, lawyer, and attorney…so I feel like he was maybe able to pull in some real life situations into the book? This is the first book in the Dark River Series, and I’d have to say…I now have to continue seeing what this series is all about. Book #2 comes out in Fall 2023!

4 ⭐️’s

Grabbed me
Drew me in
Intrigued me

Then

Bogged down in the mundane
and got a bit lost

Got to 25% then read the end and opted not to read the middle...

Writing: good
Idea: good
MC: okay though...needed something

Might return to finish the book later though...might not.

Thanks to JD and NetGalley for allowing me to read Merchant’s Bridge before the publication date.

Graydon Wendt is an attorney with Daniels and Bloom. His strengths lie in legal research and administration while his colleague, Virgil Hawthorne is the people person who handles meetings with clients.

Leaving a meeting with a potential client, they are attacked resulting in Gray’s hospitalisation and Hawthorne’s death. Gray is diagnosed with PTSD and on returning to work, he struggles with his workload resulting in errors which seem to be happening more frequently.
It doesn’t take long for D&B to put him on medical leave with the threat of termination hanging over his head.

The police are soon focusing on Gray’s involvement in the attack.
Can he unravel the truth before he loses everything?

This is an intriguing story which escalates in surprising ways.

This was an interesting legal thriller. Gray, once a man of principles has "sold out" to work for real estate development law. He is divorced, not very involved with his kids and mostly isolated except for his neighbors, a lesbian couple, that were presented as regular people. His life changed when his partner gets killed and he is beaten up and then set up for financial crimes he didn't commit. Can he prove his innocence despite a lot of evidence against him? Lots of well developed supporting characters and overall a feel good realistic storyline.

This is the first J D Trafford book I have read but it won't be the last.
The plot is cleverly thought out and I think it flowed really well. I do enjoy legal thrillers and I liked that this was not too heavy on the legal stuff that can be hard to follow.
I enjoyed the characters and the way they were developed.
I found that I would put the book down at night but wake up through the night and keep reading.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, I am voluntarily writing this honest review.

Really sucked into this book from the start Graydon is walking home with a colleague, when a SUV swerves in front of them his law partner is killed, and he is shot twice. When he wakes up, he suffers from headaches and hallucinations. There is no evidence that he was shot. Everything starts to unravel, as he investigated by the police and FBI. What is the truth, how will it end? Brilliant from start to finish.

Merchants Bridge is a well written and engrossing legal thriller. Graydon Wendt is a partner at a real estate law firm. Gray has dedicated his life to his work to the extent that he loses his wife and kids to divorce. Despite this, Kendra continues to be supportive to Gray when the unthinkable happens. Gray and Virgil, one the other partners, are attacked on the way to their cars after a dinner meeting. Virgil is killed and Gray left for dead.
Somehow, Gray survives but the fight for his life and livelihood takes a new turn as it becomes clear that someone is out get him. The combination of recovering from a near fatal injury and dealing with the stress of work almost tips Gray over the edge, but his love for baking bread and some good friends help him through as things get tougher - a former classmates, his neighbours, a cop investigating the accident, a defence lawyer. He also encounters some friends who are a bit less concrete – are they just figments of his damaged brain?
This is a clever book, with credible legal processes but a few dips into the supernatural which seemed somewhat quixotic and unnecessary, but all the same, I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.