Blind Justice: A legal thriller by Nathan Burrows
An innocent man sent to prison for life. A lawyer gives him a second chance. Can they overcome an unfair system to clear his name?
Gareth Dawson is innocent. He’s not a murderer. His main problem is that the British justice system doesn’t agree with him. He might be a reformed thief guilty of many things in his past, but not murder. In the space of a few short months, Gareth has gone from being married to the woman of his dreams to facing a life sentence.
Inside Her Majesty’s Prison Whitemoor, a Category A prison in Cambridgeshire, Gareth’s got all the time in the world to go over the events that led to the guilty verdict. The guilty verdict which cost him everything in the world that he loved. His dignity. His freedom. His wife.
Gareth is approached by a lawyer, Paul Dewar, who claims to have information that will vindicate him. But is it enough to set him free? As threats against Gareth increase on the inside, Paul Dewar’s challenge, and Gareth’s fight for freedom, begins.
RA Winter’s Review: 4.3-Stars
Blind Justice by Nathan Burrows.
This was an enjoyable crime thriller. I listened to it while driving. I had a long trip ahead of me and needed something to keep my mind occupied. This did the trick. It was very easy to listen to and follow the story without any backtracking or rereading. Clocked in at about 400 pages, this took about thirteen hours to listen to, but I didn’t get bored or lose interest.
The story follows Gareth Dawson as he comes to grips with his wife’s ‘accidental death’ by a drunk ex-boyfriend, then his conviction for killing the ex after he sees him driving again like nothing had ever happened. The writer does an excellent job of making a common thief lovable as we dive into his grief and that of his wife’s family.
The only thing that had me shaking my head was the British law that allowed the ex-boyfriend to go free after driving while intoxicated and killing Gareth’s wife. I wanted the driver charged with manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, or premeditated murder. He should have been locked up, not let go with probation! In my opinion, the ex-murdered Gareth’s wife and it was planned!
What lengths would you go to after your spouse dies at the hands of an ex who had threatened her before? What if he walked scot-free with just a slap on the wrist? The writer weaves a tale of believability and our hearts go out to the ex-thief, Gareth as he dives into the bottle.
The ending, the who killed the ex, was a complete surprise. I didn’t see the ending coming, I thought I had it all figured out about halfway through the book. The last chapter had me turning up the volume and asking myself… how did I miss this?
There is the involvement of international criminals and life behind bars which seemed true to life, something I hope never to find out in reality.
For crime readers, this hits all the main points. The plot is set up nicely for the twist.
This is the author’s debut novel, and he’s on the right track. He did hit a couple of my pet peeves, and these are just mine. I think a bit of editing for stronger word choices and cutting some of the redundant text would make this an excellent read, but this is just a personal opinion. I find the same issues in best sellers so what do I know?
I recommend this for all crime/thriller readers.
Terence Vicker’s Review: 5-Stars ★★★★★
Gareth Dawson is a small-time burglar, club bouncer and doorman, until he meets Jennifer, the love of his life and future bride. When Tommy, one of his partners in crime suggests an armed robbery, Gareth decides to go straight and hopes Jennifer never learns of his past. Just like in real life, of course, she does discover his not so pristine past and it seems their romance is over. However, they make up after Gareth grovels with flowers and when they become engaged, her father Andy sets Gareth up as a security consultant, advising people how to protect their homes from burglars. Business is good and Gareth seems to be set for life, happily married and with a booming security business.
His happiness is destroyed when Jennifer is killed by a drunk driver one night after dining with her girlfriends. When Gareth sees her ex-boyfriend, Robert, cruising about in the car he killed her with, Gareth devises a plot of revenge, enlisting his friends in supporting him with an ironclad alibi. It all goes wrong though when Robert is found dead in an alley with his head bashed in, and when threatened by the police his friends come clean and Gareth is sentenced to life in prison.
His future looks pretty bleak but he is given new hope when a high powered lawyer is hired by anonymous sources to file an appeal. The courtroom drama that follows ranks with the best I have ever read. New evidence is brought in and the legal twists are fascinating in their complexity. With surprises at every turn and characters that seem to jump off the page into the reader’s heart and exquisitely presented scenes, Nathan has created a story that will entrance his readers.
Although the editing errors are more numerous than I like they did little to detract from the enjoyment of this marvelously depicted drama. I give it a solid ten out of ten.
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