Customer Reviews

Persuasive Evidence

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Assistant District Attorneys Jordan La Fontaine and Jerrod Wresler compete for the position of Chief, Homicide Division Bureau, but the former believes being a black female works against her while the latter believes that gives her an edge. Jordan currently works the case of a Portland homicide detective killing his former wife. If she gets a conviction she has the promotion. This is an open and shut case because the police officer was found in his ex-spouse's bedroom covered in blood and holding the murder weapon.

Jordan's son Trevor is charged with killing two acquaintances. The police have not found the murder weapon, but have an eyewitness who claims seeing the suspect leave the crime scene and a victim's blood is on Trevor's clothing. Others claim he had a fight with one of the dead victims and said the guy was going to die. Defending Trevor in what also appears to be an open and shut case is Simon, former partner of the suspect's dead father and his mother's lover. Unable to remain on the sidelines, Jordan conducts her own sleuthing independent of the official investigation.

R. Barri Flowers has written a superb legal thriller that offers the reader an excellent look at the jurisprudence system and how race is a key card. Jordan received the cop case because she and the detective are black; the victim being white apparently is irrelevant. What is interesting is how concealed the race element is yet how significant it effects all aspects of the legal system, but is kept silent for fear of reprisal. PERSUASIVE EVIDENCE will appeal to fans of John Grisham and Linda Fairstein.

Harriet Klausner

Recently I began reading R.Barri Flowers novels.
Persuasive Evidence has a very descriptive style. Reading it was like watching a movie. The story is very exciting and the vocabulary great. I could not guess who the killer was. It really shocked me when I found who he was at the end. I was at the edge of my seat. It was interesting seeing the attorney going through different emotions and suspicions. Her own son is charged with murder and she is trying the case of a homicide detective who is charged with murder. She is a single mom raising two kids and trying to enhance her career and take care of her love life. It is brilliant how the writer brings everything together at the end. I really enjoyed the story and bought 9 copies for friends. I will be ordering more.
I read this book on a plane to Australia. It really helped with the long boring flight. The book was sweet at times with romance and normal day stuff and the story is written about anybody's next door neighbor.

After the death of her husband, Assistant District Attorney Jordan La Fontaine has immersed herself in her work and is slowly losing touch with her teenage children Trevor and Kendre. She's set on getting promoted to the Chief of Homicide for the Bureau, but keeps running up against obstacles that may cost her the position. Just when things seem to be going well for her, both chaos and love hit her radar.

First, she finds love in an unexpected place -- in the arms of her late husband's partner and friend, Simon McNeil. Simon has taken over the company he shared with her husband and comes to her rescue when Trevor is arrested and charged with killing fellow students. She also takes on a major case in which a cop is accused of killing and mutilating his ex-wife - a case that will determine whether or not she will be passed over yet again for promotion. To make matters worse, her archenemy is the lawyer assigned to convict her son. Things start out looking one way with both of the cases, but the evidence persuades those involved to look another way.

R. Barri Flowers lets it all hang out in this fast paced mystery. It has all the aspects of a perfect mystery, and thankfully, it isn't so predictable you figure out what's going on. Instead, you're not quite sure what's what and who's who (and in a good way). One thing for sure, this novel had me completely caught up, making my own assumptions of what was going on and also anxiously reading from page to page. While I wasn't too thrilled with the relationship Jordan had with Simon, I did enjoy seeing that side of her life. I also enjoyed how Flowers adds in the race factor to the legal proceedings and the two trials and how it was played out for the reader. It was great seeing a female ADA handle things both personally and professionally. I liked Jordan La Fontaine's character and would love to see her on the big screen. (RAW Rating: 4.5)

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Jordan La Fontaine is a loving mother, recently widowed, hard-driving Assistant District Attorney in Portland's Homicide Division. She has worked relentlessly to gain the appointment of Bureau Chief, but so has her cutthroat officemate, Jerrod Wresler. Jordan is handling the case that could propel her to the top and win the coveted promotion - a gruesome murder of a young white woman by her ex-husband cop who is African American. The racial and political implications of the case have the entire department on pins and needles and Jordan is under
tremendous pressure for a conviction.

If her professional life isn't stressful enough, her personal life complicates matters more. Her adolescent daughter with raging hormones and daily attitudes spews disrespectful remarks in every conversation of late. Her deceased husband's business partner (Simon), an equally charming and dashing attorney, makes his moves on her and she finds herself falling hard for him. When it doesn't seem like things can get any worse, her 19-year-old son (Trevor)is arrested for murder in a double homicide and her archenemy, Jerrod Wresler, has been assigned to prosecute - which he does with a vengeance. He's looking to win the promotion to Bureau Chief by sending Trevor to death row and humiliating her in the process.

Jordan hires Simon for Trevor's defense - but when facts are revealed in her case involving the cop's ex-wife, Simon becomes a prime suspect! Jordan is torn between her professional duties and her personal feelings - she realizes her actions could jeopardize her career, her son's case as he fights for his life, and her chance for love.

What follows is a fairly interesting "whodunit" that kept me guessing until the end. Both cases took me to unexpected places - often accompanied with wounded, shady, or vulnerable characters. This was my first time reading Flowers's work and I found the story to be quite engaging with all around solid pacing, plot and delivery.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub
Nubian Circle Book Club

I thoroughly enjoyed the audio version of Persuasive Evidence by R. Barri Flowers. There's a level of emotion that the reader brings to it that really brings the story home. It's an exciting story with all of my favorite elements of good legal thriller in place and being able to listen while I drove sometimes kept me in the car even after I got to where I was heading to find out what would happen next! Highly recommend!

This was a quick read, and I enjoyed it. I liked the character development, and Mr. Flowers' storytelling pace is just right. I've also read his true crime book on the "Sex Slave Murders," and I highly recommend it as well. I think it's refreshing that Mr. Flowers can entertain me with both his fiction & true crime writing. (I did see similarities in the crimes in both the fiction & non-fiction work). Still, I'll definitely be downloading more of Mr. Flowers' works.