Beverley McLachlin was the longest-serving Chief Justice of Canada.

Now, after mandatory retirement, she’s a novelist.

Her first book is a legal procedural/mystery/thriller all rolled into one.

One of the strongest elements of this novel is the procedural authenticity, which is to be expected.

It’s not bad. Not great.

There’s nothing Jilly Truitt likes more than winning a case, especially against her former mentor, prosecutor Cy Kenge. Jilly has baggage, the residue of a dark time in a series of foster homes, but that’s in the past. Now she’s building her own criminal defense firm and making a name for herself as a tough-as-nails lawyer willing to take risks in the courtroom.

When the affluent and enigmatic Vincent Trussardi is accused of his wife Laura’s murder, Jilly agrees to defend him, despite predictions that the case is a sure loser and warnings from those close to her to stay away from the Trussardi family. …

CBC review