Merchants Bridge

This book grabbed me from the very beginning when Graydon is walking home with a work colleague and both are attacked in the street. The colleague sadly dies and Graydon subsequently comes round in a hospital bed convinced he's been shot in the chest and wondering how he's survived. His doctors can find no evidence of such wounds and are convinced that this is a symptom of Graydons head injury and severe beating.

As the story progresses, Graydon life begins to unravel as he discovers that he's under investigation by the police and the FBI for allegedly orchestrating a major money laundering operation. Graydon battles to prevent himself from losing everything he holds dear and tries to clear his name. Who can he trust and just what lengths will his former business partners go to in order to prevent him finding out the truth so they can save themselves.

This is is the first book I've read by this author and I can't wait to read more.

This book is a wonderful book to read if you enjoy reading about white-collar crimes. Gray is a very likable character who gets put in a tough almost impossible situation and must find his way out. I enjoyed the different perspectives that this book allowed the reader to see as well. I enjoy legal thrillers in this book is definitely at the top of the list for this type of book!

Merchants Bridge
A Legal Thriller
by J.D. Trafford
Description
An attorney searches for answers after he witnesses his colleague's murder and soon realizes that he's being framed for something much bigger.

Merchants Bridge is another engrossing legal thriller from J.D. Trafford, bestselling author of Little Boy Lost and Without Precedent.

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, focuses their attention on Gray, and he must figure out what really happened and who is setting him up to take the blame.

This was a very good book on legal and why and is framing "Gray". It was one that grabbed me from the first to the last page. J.D. Trafford knocked it out of the park.

Excellent story from the author once again. The protagonist must fight two battles: one as a victim and one as a defendant. The tension in constant as he fights his way.

This book was great, the characters were well developed. The plot was interesting. Highly recommend it.

This legal thriller starts off with a bang - literally. Attorney Gray (Grayson) Wendt convinced his colleague to walk back to the office rather than taking a cab that ends in his colleague’s death and him in hospital. Waking up with a massive concussion but without the gunshot wounds to the chest he vividly remembers begins his shakey recovery. Is he hallucinating? Was it all his imagination? When he returns to work will he be seen as a conquering hero or a victim? Follow Gray as he tries to rebuild his life and figure out if he’s fighting his failing mind or a deeper conspiracy. A cerebral rather than a pulse pounding legal thriller. Highly recommend.

This is an author I've wanted to read as he writes about my favorite topic - the law. This book is a psychological murder mystery set in St. Louis, Missouri, a city I know nothing about, except watching the St. Louis Blues play my hockey team. About seventy-five percent of the story is the crimes committed and characters involved. The actual legal case, indictments and the court trial is the latter part of the story.
Middle-aged, divorced real estate Attorney Graydon Wendt, (Gray) watches as his law firm partner and friend Victor Morales is shot, murdered right beside him. Then he feels two bullets strike his own chest, or so he professes. The medical professionals insist he was not shot. He is badly injured, beaten and concussed. His long recovery includes pain, panic, paranoia,  anxiety attacks, flashbacks, hallucinations, some drug and alcohol abuse. There are also the quirky characters who saved him at the crime scene, or is that more of his imagination?
His ex-wife, Kendra, tries to be understanding and supportive. She's at his side in the hospital and allows him extra time with the kids.
His lawfirm, founded by Herbert Bloom, initially supports his extended recovery issues. As Gray's mistakes keep adding up he's put on leave, billable hours are the priority.
His reliable neighbors are the only ones who don't give up on him and are supportive. His passion and stress relief hobby is baking bread. As everyone thinks he's making it all up, it spirals down even more and he becomes the police departments primary target. He will have to find the proof of his innocence or end up in jail.
The crimes will mount up with missing files, disappearing witnesses, bribery, money laundering, cover-ups, developers and politicians all involved. It's a race against time as he's charged, the trial begins and his days are numbered.
The events were fast paced and full of surprises, twists and turns. There are lots of good, well constructed characters and some unexpected mystical people that left me pondering. I would read this author again, very suspense filled book, look forward to next in series.
Thanks to NetGalley, J.D. Trafford and to Temple Bar Press for the advance digital copy of "Merchants Bridge, Dark River Series, 1". These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley, J.D Trafford and Temple Bar Press for giving me this arc in exchange for a honest review.
When a real estate attorney witness his friend and partner being shot beside him and feeling two bullets striking his chest afterwards lines between reality are blurred when the medical examiner insists Gray wasn't shot.
While dealing with trauma his law firm Herbert and Bloom fires him due to multiple mistakes he's making. He's then charged with his friend's murder and goes on trial ,he has to prove his innocence before time runs out.
I really loved this book due to it written in third person and being fast paced. It also has mystical elements and was overall a really great read. I cannot wait for the next book in the 'Dark River Series' .

I have just read Merchants Bridge by J.D. Trafford.

I must say that I do enjoy a good Lawyer story, and this one did not disappoint.

It is the first book that I have read by this Author.

A first book in the “Dark River Series”.

It starts off with lawyer Graydon "Gray" Wendt walking home with another lawyer after a business meeting.

A car speeds out, and attacks and kills one of the men, and seriously injuring the other.

Some good characters, a money laundering operation, and an overall great start to a new series in my opinion.

Thank you to Goodreads, Author J.D. Trafford, and Temple Bar Press for my advanced copy to read and review.
#MerchantsBridge #NetGalley

This is the first book I've read by J.D. Trafford and believe me, it won't be the last!

The book gripped me from the very start when Graydon and a colleague is walking home and get attacked. The part that stayed in my mind from start to finish was the mysterious shots that were in Graydons chest but the doctors couldn't locate any wounds. My mind kept going to the little Irish white beard man and who he was! I don't want to mention anything else that might spoil the books twists and turns but trust me, it's one of those 'sit on the edge of your seat, just one more chapter then I'm done' type of books. You can't get enough until you reach the end page but then you're still wanting more!

The plot was very realistic and kept you on the edge of your seat, wondering what was going to happen with Graydon, Ethan, Cassie, the whole lot of characters. It wasn't just a guessing game for the main character. EVERYONE had a guessing part..

If I remember correctly, there's going to be a book 2. SIGN ME UP!

Merchants Bridge was an absolute treat to read, the main character was relatable, the story keeps you wanting more, & the last page gave me goosebumps. It starts with a murder and
explodes into so much more.

The opening has a strong hook, the characters have unique voices, & the main character is relatable pushing the story forward. The start leans on first person narration as you jump into Grays mind while the book balances out as the story unfolds and twists open up. First J.D. Trafford book and I enjoyed the writing style a lot, a good hook & hang that you won’t want to put down.

Graydon Wendt and his colleague are walking back to the office after a dinner appointment with a client during a huge winter storm. A car pulls up and shoots Grays colleague and beats up Gray. Gray remembers being shot too and an old man with an Irish accent saving him.

When Gray wakes up in the hospital there are no gunshot wounds. His memories are not clear and he is hallucinating. Was Gray shot and saved or is this part of a hallucination from the concussion?

He has headaches and isn’t up to par when he returns to work at his law firm where he is a real estate lawyer. Gray soon learns that the shooting was likely committed because the FBI had been investigating his law firm and some of their clients. Gray and his colleague are caught up in the investigation and it looks like Gray may take the fall for the criminal actions.

Who is behind all of this. Will Gray go to prison for a crime he didn’t commit?

This is my first book by this author and I was really impressed. I look forward to reading his next book.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing read, a mix of suspence, intrigue, horror and of all things: magic! Loved every word and each character, I just was hooked from the beginning to the end! J D is a wonderful story teller and I will definitely be reading more of his books.

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.

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.