Murder in the Courthouse

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.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this book for an honest review)
Death in the Courthouse by Nancy Grace is the best Hailey Dean Mystery yet! This is the third book in the Hailey Dean Mysteries and they keep getting better. I enjoyed reading this very cleverly written mystery. The setting for this latest book is in Savannah, GA. I love Savannah and being able to read about some of my favorite places in Savannah and Tybee Island was like a visit. As you read the story you will have flashbacks to the Scott Peterson case, but hang on…this story has some unexpected twists! 
Hailey Dean is going to Savannah to possibly be a consultation witness for the prosecution in a case involving a young pregnant woman who was murdered, Julie Love-Adams. The body of the mother and baby girl washed upon the shores at Tybee Island.  Hailey’s friend and former PI, Garland Fincher, meets her at the airport to take her to The Hyatt. They hear a call for assistance and the code is for an officer being down. They race to the scene and Hailey is suspicious this is not an accidental death. As she looks closely at the body and the blood pattern, she discovers reasons to caution the first officers to call the ME.
I won’t post spoilers, but there are more victims who fall prey to a ruthless killer during the trial. The deaths are made to look like accidents or due to illness and then Hailey becomes a target and …well, I can’t tell you…You must read the book! Oh, and is romance in the air for Hailey? Get the book and grab some tea or coffee and read what happens with Hailey Dean. Enjoy!

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.

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.

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!

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

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.