I read this about 10 years ago, I think, but only the first part seemed familiar, so I think I never finished it. It looked like an interesting series, so I read it again, and it was pretty good.

Jason Kolarich is a lawyer that has had a roller-coaster of a ride so far. He played football well in high school, played some in college until for some reason, he punched out the team captain, stormed off and never played again. But somehow, he still got into college and got a law degree, and worked for the prosecution side for a while, did well, got a job at a high-end firm and excelled there. Unfortunately, he was a bit too dedicated, and he kept working on a big case when everyone told him he should go with his wife and kid to drive to her mother's house. But he ended up delaying until his wife decided to drive without him. But she had waited too long, and it was dark and rainy, and you can probably guess where this is going. Jason's life almost ended with his family, but with help from his brother, he finally recovered enough to almost cause more death in the family.

His problem, and probably what makes the book interesting, is his stubbornness and persistence. He'd be a good poker player. He juggles a couple of important cases, including an old unsolved murder case, with surprise endings.

The only thing I didn't like that much, and maybe this was made worse by being an audiobook, is a lot of changes in point of view. Mostly the story is from his POV, but every once in a while, he switched to third person and is talking to himself (eg, saying "you go there, and then you think this...". I suppose it's valid, and probably not so bad when reading a printed book or ebook, but I find it distracting in the audiobook.

I've started the 2nd book in the series, and I'm not sure what I think about the fact that it takes place before the first one. I guess it elaborates on parts of the first book, but I suspect it might be better reading the 2nd book 1st. But that's not important, unless you have the 2nd book and not the 1st, in which case I'd say go ahead and read it first. ( )

The story starts when young toddler Audrey Cutler is taken from her bedroom in the middle of the night. Cops later find convicted sex offender Griffin Perlini in the neighborhood, and find pictures of the girl in his house. Without further evidence though, they are unable to convict. Audrey's brother Sammy watches his family fall apart. His sister is presumed murdered, his father disappears, and a few years later his mother dies.

Jason Kolarich was Sammy's best friend when they were young. But Jason discovered a talent for football and got a scholarship to college. Now he's the defense attorney being paid by a mysterious stranger to defend Sammy from the murder of Griffin Perlini.

I was completely engaged with this story, watching Jason struggle to recover from the accidental death of his wife and young daughter, and being forced out of his despair by a debt to an old friend. And who is Smith, the mysterious man who insists Jason defend Sammy and clear him of all charges without any delays? And how far will Smith go to ensure Sammy's release, and why? All questions are brought to a satisfying conclusion. A very nice start to a new series. The main character of Jason is completely and sympathetically drawn, with enough of the secondary characters to make me look forward to reading the next in the series. ( )

I really liked this. I figured out at one point one of the twists. I didn't like the jumping back in the past random chapters. They just didn't seem to work for me. Yea it gave information about Jason's past, but I didn't like it. I may listen to another. ( )

The first of the Jason Kolarich books. Seriously damaged by the loss of his wife and daughter, yet brilliant in a court room, we are introduced to a very flawed yet engaging character. His best friend from childhood has been arrested for murder and Jason has been hired by an unknown character to provide his defense. The unknown man wants Jason to do exactly as he's told, yet that's not Kolarich's way. At all. ( )

Nice, intriguing tale. Really enjoyed the courtroom scenes and not knowing how things would turn out. The ending was a bit of a disappointment - only a bit - and I felt it tied up too quickly. Other than that, the main story was reminiscent of Michael Connelly's books. ( )