Book ~ "Exploited" (2016) Pamela Callow

From Goodreads ~ What if the face of justice belongs to ... the accused?

When Kate Lange is hired to defend an unconscious woman shot while committing a puzzling crime, she is stunned to discover that the gunman is none other than Parliament's own golden boy, Harry Owen.

What if the face of the victim belongs to ... us all? 

As Kate pieces together the case, the lines between guilty and innocent become blurred - while a devious cyber mastermind puts the finishing touches on an explosive plan. 

Kate is a lawyer with a large corporate firm in Halifax, NS.  She is ready for a change so joins Eddie Bent in his one-man firm.  Her first client is Leah, a young woman who broke into the home of the parents of Harry Owen, a member of Parliament.  Owen's mother is dying and his father, as a result of getting shot years ago during a robbery, is in a wheelchair.  Leah is shot and is critically injured. 

It turns out that she and her boyfriend, Aiden, were attempting to gain information to doxx Harry and discredit him.  Aiden bails on her in the house and leaves Leah to face the consequences.  We learn that they are members of the "Forum" which is make up of hacktivists.  Harry, in the meantime, hires Randall, who was recently one of the partners of the firm from which Kate had just resigned.

This is the fourth book I've read by this author and I found the story line interesting.  I had to Google "doxx", though, as I didn't know what it meant (it's mentioned many times) ... it's not explained until about the middle of the book.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Harry has a secret that he doesn't want to get out, which I figured out pretty quickly and didn't think it was that big of a deal.  When I was reading this book, I had Seamus O'Regan (a member of Parliament from Newfoundland) in my head as Harry.  There has been an attraction between Kate and Randall since the first book and I don't know why they have fought it.  It's to the point where Randall says they "lo-" each.

The author was raised and lives in Halifax (I was born and lived in Nova Scotia until I was in my twenties ... my sister lives in Halifax).  I liked that the author set the story in Halifax and didn't make it look like it was Any Town, USA.

This is the fourth in the Kate Lange series (so far there are four and I've read them all).  Though it works as a stand alone, I would suggest you read the others in order to get the back stories that are referenced in this book.  I look forward to reading the others in the series.

Book ~ "Tattooed" (2012) Pamela Callow

From Goodreads ~ She is obsessed with tattoos.

He is obsessed with her.

When a body is found on the outskirts of Halifax, rumors run wild about the victim’s identity. But tattoo artist Kenzie Sloane knows exactly who she is. They share a tattoo ... and a decade-old secret.

Lawyer Kate Lange remembers Kenzie Sloane. The former wild child was part of the same crowd that attracted her little sister, Imogen, before her death. Now Kenzie needs her help. And Kate needs answers.

But there are others who know about the tattoo and its history. And one of them is watching Kenzie’s every move, waiting for the perfect moment to fulfill a dark promise that had been inked in her skin.

Kate is a lawyer with a firm in Halifax, NS.  Frances Sloane is suffering from ALS and wants to be able to have an assisted suicide and hires Kate to take her case to allow her to do this.  Frances, though, is the mother of Kenzie, a former friend of Kate's sister, Imogen.  Many years ago, when Imogen was 15, she got involved with a party crowd, drinking and doing drugs.  Kenzie, who was two years older, was the "queen bee" of that group.  Kate blames Kenzie for influencing Imogen.  One night during a party at Kenzie's, Kate, who was also two years older than Imogen, dragged her sister from the party.  Driving home, Kate crashed the car and Imogen was killed.  Kate has felt guilty about it ever since.

Frances asks Kenzie to come home since she knows she doesn't have long to live.  Kenzie is now a successful tattoo artist in Manhattan and hasn't been home in years.  John McNally, Kenzie's boyfriend from before she left home, has just been released from prison and is determined to find Kenzie.  Lucky for him she has returned home to visit her mother.

Meanwhile, a body has been found in a bog and it's suspected it's a young girl who disappeared during a Mardi Gras party 17 years earlier.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I liked it.  The assisted suicide was an interesting story line.  Plus I liked the tattoo angle.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

The author was raised and lives in Halifax (I was born and lived in Nova Scotia until I was in my twenties ... my sister lives in Halifax).  I liked that the author set the story in Halifax and didn't make it look like it was Any Town, USA.

This is the third in the Kate Lange series (so far there are four and I read the two recently).  Though it works as a stand alone, I would suggest you read the others in order to get the back stories that are referenced in this book.  I look forward to reading the others in the series.

Book ~ "Indefensible" (2010) Pamela Callow

From Goodreads ~ When Elise Vanderzell plummets from her bedroom balcony one gorgeous summer night, her children awaken to a nightmare.

Their mother is dead.

Their father is charged with her murder.

Lawyer Kate Lange knows all about nightmares. She’s survived the darkest period of her troubled life and the wounds are still raw. Now she’s been handed a case that seems utterly unwinnable: defending her boss, high-profile lawyer Randall Barrett. A prosecutor’s dream suspect, Randall is a man who was cuckolded by his ex-wife. A man who could not control his temper. A man who had argued bitterly with the victim the previous day in full view of his children.

With limited criminal law experience, Kate finds herself enmeshed in a family fractured by doubt. Randall’s teenage son is intent on killing him. His daughter wants only to feel safe again. And the entire legal community would like nothing better than to see Randall receive a public comeuppance. As Kate races to stay a step ahead of the prosecution, a silent predator is waiting for the perfect time to deal the final blow. 

Elise and Randall had been married and have two children, Lucy who is twelve and Nick who is fifteen.  When they split up, Elise stayed in Toronto and Randall moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and started his own law firm.  Elise brings the children to Halifax one summer to spend some time with their father.  Randall arrives unannounced where Elise is staying the day they arrive.  Randall and Elise have a big argument and that night Elise is found dead.  Nick swears he saw his father toss his mother over the balcony to her death and Randall is eventually arrested.  This takes up a big part of the book.  With few options, Randall asks Kate, a lawyer in his firm, to represent him.  With no criminal experience, an unlicensed partner and an attraction to Randall, Kate begrudgingly takes on his case.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is.  The editing could have been a bit tighter, though, because Randall's dog is Charlie yet later in the book it is referred to as "Scrubby" a couple times.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

The author was raised and lives in Halifax (I was born and lived in Nova Scotia until I was in my twenties ... my sister lives in Halifax).  I liked that the author set the story in Halifax and didn't make it look like it was Any Town, USA ... there are local references such as Kate's colleagues going to a pub called the Lower Deck and a bar called the Economy Shoe Shop (I've been to both) and she goes jogging in Point Pleasant Park (I've been there too).

This is the second in the Kate Lange series (so far there are four and I read the first one last month) and I look forward to reading the others in the series.

Book ~ "Damaged" (2010) Pamela Callow

From Goodreads ~ Haunted by the death of her sister and wounded by her ex-fiancé's accusations, Kate Lange throws herself into her new career at a high-powered law firm.

When the grandmother of a lonely private school student seeks her counsel, Kate thinks it's just another custody case. But then the teen is brutally murdered. And it isn't only Kate who wonders if her legal advice led to the girl's death.

How far are you willing to go to redeem yourself?

Put on notice by Randall Barrett, the firm's charismatic managing partner, Kate must fight for her career, for her reputation - and for redemption.

Unwilling to live with the damage she may have caused, Kate pursues the case on her own and unearths some chilling facts.

Facts that lead straight to the heart of a legal conspiracy.

Facts that lead Kate directly into the surgically skilled hands of the Body Butcher.

Kate is a lawyer and has just started working for a powerful law firm.  She's feeling frustrated because instead of giving exciting juicy cases, she's being handed boring ones.  Then one of the partners directs a client to her.  She's an older woman who is concerned about her teenage granddaughter ... her parents have split up and the grandmother feels she is being neglected.  Kate advises her to contact the authorities if she felt there was a abuse and sends her on her way.  The granddaughter turns up murdered the next day.  Kate feels like she has let the girl down and is determined to find out what happened.

In the meantime, Kate is still dealing her recent break-up with Ethan, a police officer.  She's moved on ... bought a house, got a dog, got a new job, etc. ... but keeps running into Ethan which keeps stirring up old feelings.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.  The author was raised and lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and that's where the story is set (I was born and lived in Nova Scotia until I was in my twenties ... my sister lives in Halifax).  I liked that the author set the story in Halifax and didn't make it look like it was Any Town, USA ... there are local references such as Kate's office is down by the water on Upper Water Street, she goes jogging in Point Pleasant Park and she visited the area of Dartmouth where I lived until I was ten.

This is the first in the Kate Lange series (so far there are four) and I look forward to reading the others in the series.