The Trials of Lila Dalton

A Novel

by L.J. Shepherd

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Pub Date Aug 27 2024 | Archive Date Not set

Poisoned Pen Press

General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

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Description

“Unputdownable...As the mystery deepens, readers will be on the edge of their seats, desperate to know what happens next."
—Sophie Hannah

I look up to find twelve strangers staring back at me… and I realize I'm the one they're waiting for.

Lila Dalton has no memory of how she came to be in this courtroom; no memory of how she got to the courthouse at all, or why she's facing a jury who seems to be waiting for her. The man on trial is accused of mass murder, and she's his lawyer, but she can't remember any details of the case. She can't remember anything… Stranded on an island in the Atlantic Ocean where the most serious crimes are tried, Lila has to prove her client's innocence if she wants to go home. But how can she solve this case when she's not sure she can trust anything around her, including her own memory?

The Trials of Lila Dalton is a twisty, unexpected locked-room mystery that follows one woman's race against time to find a killer, clear her own name, and escape the island that threatens to keep her trapped forever.

“Unputdownable...As the mystery deepens, readers will be on the edge of their seats, desperate to know what happens next."
—Sophie Hannah

I look up to find twelve strangers staring back at me… and I...

Advance Praise

THE GUARDIAN BEST RECENT CRIME & THRILLERS

“The well-constructed account of Lila's nightmare comes across as a howl of frustration at the state of the British legal system.”
—Literary Review

“Remarkable... there are echoes of Kafka, Orwell and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.”
—The Times, Best Thrillers for February

“The author's day job as a barrister gives an edge to this spooky debut.” —The Sun

“A wonderfully ambitious book that never runs out of ideas or surprises.”—Stuart Turton, international bestselling author of The Last Murder at the End of the World and The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

“I found this book to be unputdownable from the first page. As the mystery deepens, readers will be on the edge of their seats, desperate to know what happens next.”
—Sophie Hannah, New York Times bestselling author

“A mind-blowing, audaciously inventive thriller.”
—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End

“Stuart Turton meets Agatha Christie—a locked-room puzzle with hints of the supernatural, brilliantly told through the lens of the judicial system. A truly intriguing and intelligent mystery, which had me gripped from the start. Totally recommend.”
—Sarah Moorhead, author of The Treatment

“L.J. Shepherd is one of the most exciting new voices in crime fiction. In The Trials of Lila Dalton, she crafts a psychological tour de force reminiscent of Dennis Lehane. Grand, ambitious, and achingly atmospheric, it may just be the cleverest novel I’ve read all year.”
—Kia Abdullah, author of Take It Back

THE GUARDIAN BEST RECENT CRIME & THRILLERS

“The well-constructed account of Lila's nightmare comes across as a howl of frustration at the state of the British legal system.”
—Literary Review

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