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The Prosecutor

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Two attorneys with everything to lose fight for justice in THE PROSECUTOR by USA TODAY bestselling author Adrienne Giordano Chicago assistant state's attorney Zac Hennings just got handed a political hot keeping the convicted murderer in a high-profile case behind bars. He's up against his most formidable-and alluring-adversary. First-year law student Emma Sinclair is passionately fighting to free her brother. But she needs the take-no-prisoners prosecutor's help. Caught between attraction and letting a killer go free, Zac walks a tightrope. Until evidence surfaces that the real culprit's still out there. With his career and Emma's life on the line, Zac races to right a terrible wrong. Refusing to back down, he'll bring a cunning lawbreaker to justice-or die trying.

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

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897 people want to read

About the author

Adrienne Giordano

124 books862 followers
Author also writes as Anne Dano


Adrienne Giordano is a USA Today bestselling author of over thirty romantic suspense and mystery novels. She is a Jersey girl at heart, but now lives in the Midwest with her ultimate supporter of a husband, sports-obsessed son and Elliot, a snuggle-happy rescue. Having grown up near the ocean, Adrienne enjoys paddleboarding, a nice float in a kayak and lounging on the beach with a good book.

For more information on Adrienne’s books, please visit www.AdrienneGiordano.com. Adrienne can also be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AdrienneGiord..., Twitter at http://twitter.com/AdriennGiordano and Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/AdrienneGior....

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
Profile Image for Carmen.
1,948 reviews2,429 followers
July 2, 2019
Emma walked out of the restaurant's kitchen, untied her apron and shoved it into her tote bag. Her feet did the normal protest and she eyed one of the barstools. If she sat down, though, she wouldn't get up. She'd crash right there and let the stress of the day seep from her body. She'd known plenty of exhaustion in her life, but this heaviness, which slowed her steps and made her dream of sleeping for a month, had kicked her to another level of tired.

Days didn't get any longer than the one she'd just had. Part of her considered calling off work, but sitting around a strange apartment - no matter how stunning it was - thinking about her decimated home and her broken heart, courtesy of Zachary Hennings, wouldn't fix her problems. Plus, they'd need extra money for whatever deductibles the insurance company would hit them with.

The hostess locked the front door while they closed up. No Zac tonight. That's what happened when a relationship ended. All those comforting moments, like him showing up to see her home, went away and left that monstrous black sinkhole inside waiting for her to slide in and get smothered.

Not going to happen.

She'd long ago given up on happily ever after. The way her life went, if she found someone to share a happily-ever-after with, they'd wind up getting run over by a bus. At least they'd die together. For some reason, she found that thought vaguely amusing and quietly laughed.

So morbid, Emma. And so unlike her. As much as people teased her about her willingness to persevere, she'd take it over this nonsense any day. What good would sitting here boo-hooing do? She needed rest and a good dose of Warrior Emma. At least that Emma knew how to move ahead.
86%

Color me stunned. I was expecting this to be horrible. I rarely read Harlequin Intrigue or Harlequin Romantic Suspense. Why? You'd think adding a mystery/thriller plot to a romance would be a match made in heaven. Amp up the feelings! Amp up the danger! Amp up the thrills! But mostly it fails. Either a.) the characters are very stupid - both the heroes and the villains - and you are just incredulous at how dumb all these people are, or b.) the mystery/thriller overshadows the romance. And that's no fun. Or, the deadly combination - both.

I read romance to experience romance, so I feel very cheated when I pick up a romance and the romance seems to be secondary and placed on the back burner to the frankly not-very-good mystery/thriller the author has set up.

This was not like that. The mystery/thriller was engaging. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book. Of course, it's a romance - so you know both the hero and heroine will not only survive, but end up together, so it's perhaps not "as suspenseful" as a straight-up mystery/thriller. Everyone had only mild occasional stupidity, which was a relief. Usually the stupidity is much more rampant.

The romance was not shoved to the side, it was pretty integrated into the storyline. Even though these two falling in love was bonkers! He's the prosecutor, the defendant is her brother who has been falsely accused of murder! It's pretty hard for me to believe this romance was happening, no matter how much Giordano lampshaded it.

I liked Emma. Her dad died when she was 16. She is working as a waitress, going to law school, and spending all her free time trying to prove her brother's innocence. She's tenacious and hard-working, but I can't imagine she'd have the energy and time to focus on a romance. Kind of unbelievable.

I wasn't sure I was going to like Zac at first. He's got a 'yacht-club' vibe (as Emma puts it) - he's a rich-boy lawyer. In addition, he's determined to 'put bad guys in the slammer' and doesn't seem to care or want to acknowledge that he might be getting an innocent man convicted of murder.

Slowly, as he and Emma start working together, he realizes the case might be dirty. This book takes place in Chicago, and it is rife with corrupt cops, brutal cops, witness tampering, police who terrorize, and politics-above-justice. Zac seems surprised at this. He says he's used to a tiny bit of corruption, but this takes the cake. Not sure I believe him - I think a prosecutor working in the city for as long as he has would have a better understanding of "how things work." He's not fresh out of college! But okay. He has to be a good guy, because this is romance novel. In real life, not only would be shrug and ignore all the corruption but he would shut Emma out and never care about getting to the truth - only about his conviction rate.

Giordano's writing is actually pretty good and not boring or stupid. I think she does a good job of conveying emotions to her readers and crafting both a reasonably good mystery and a reasonably good romance.

Lately it seemed as if she was always in a hurry to get somewhere while never really reaching the place she wanted to be. ... Emma sang along with the radio. She felt things were looking up. Even if the gray sky, in complete contrast to her mood, hung dull and lifeless, it wouldn't dampen her sunny mood. 16%

Another thing I enjoyed was the fact that both Emma and Zac have lust for each other. This may seem like, "Well, duh! This a romance!" but remember, I have been reading American Romance. American Romance seems to believe that the man is going to be the lustful one, the one who chases, the one who instigates. This book is more egalitarian. It's obvious that Emma is just as sexually interested in Zac as he is in her. This seemed refreshing to me because of coming off my American Romance streak.

The book isn't terribly sexual, but it's not sexless, either.

HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN

These two are moronic for having sex. How STUPID is a prosecutor who sleeps with the sister of the man he is prosecuting and vice versa? They lampshade it, but that doesn't stop it from being dumb.

ANYWAY. On to the sex.

GOOD:
They actually have sex.
They use a condom.
I don't feel like either one of them is a jerk.

BAD:
Eh. He's kind of eh. Not enough foreplay. Nothing sexually exciting happens IMO. I mean, he doesn't do anything objectionable sexually, but nothing exciting or fun either.



TL;DR - This book wasn't perfect. He thinks of her and refers to her as a 'girl' all the time, which annoyed me. The mere fact that he is a prosecutor on her brother's murder case renders pretty much the whole book unbelievable. Both of the characters are mildly, occasionally stupid. This isn't much of a complaint. Most Intrigue/Romantic Suspense are a lot stupider and less romantic. And the storyline is handled well, for what it is.

I think Giordano did a great job of making the story exciting and engaging. Both of the characters were good people. I wanted them to end up together. The writing was above average for this type of novel.

Overall, surprisingly enjoyable.


ROMANCE CATEGORIES:
Contemporary Romance
Romantic Suspense
Non-Virgin Heroine
Lawyer Romance
He's a Chicago Assistant State's Attorney; She's a Waitress and First-Year Law Student. She's 26, He's 31.

SERIES:
#1: The Prosecutor
#2: The Defender
#3: The Marshal
#4: The Detective
#5: The Rebel


NAMES IN THIS BOOK
31 reviews
July 22, 2014
I really wanted to like this. The author can obviously write, but she started out with likable characters, then made me start doubting their motivation, commitment, and sanity.

The heroine has given up her life to help a brother who's been imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. She manages to get the case looked at again, then meets the new prosecutor and is immediately attracted to him (and him to her). So it's got a nice push-pull, until the two decide that they can't resist sleeping together--it's been too long for the heroine since she's felt this way.

I'm sorry, but your brother's freedom is at stake--the prosecutor hero is actually listening to the heroine about the flaws in the case, and is trying to help her. If anyone finds out they're involved, he could easily get taken off the case, and that'd be a huge setback for her. So they can't wait a few weeks, maybe months, until the evidence is reviewed and they go to court? I admired the heroine for wanting to help her brother, but she lost me at this point. It wasn't the hero's brother, so it was less egregious for him, but it was still stupid, stupid, stupid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ruth.
594 reviews72 followers
January 27, 2014
One of my biggest complaints in the contemporary mystery-thriller-suspense romance involving police-law enforcement is that they are just not convincing enough. I know it's tough for authors, who may not be intimately involved in the profession of one of their main characters to be able to get to grips with the nitty-gritty of the day-to-day work, but as a reader, it's really noticeable if an author does know their stuff.

In this one, provided by the publisher through netgalley, this author clearly knows their stuff. It shines through the plot, the details and the action, and I actually enjoyed reading the lawyer-bits for once, instead of rolling my eyes in exasperation and at effort involved in trying to suspend disbelief at how completely stupid the hero/heroine had to be.

It really helps that this story in set in my home town, Chicago, which, although a great place, has seen its fair share of suspect police behavior, and that the hero and heroine are such completely credible people. Particularly in the heroine, the author has created a completely normal person and made her interesting in a way that I often miss in contemporaries. Her brother's imprisoned and she's doing the best she can do. She's not an idiot, but she really is just getting on with things in a way that people have to do when confronted by the apparently impossible.

The only issue I did have was with the romance. They both knew that having any sort of intimate relationship (whether they did the dirty deed or not) would seriously jeopardize the whole legal process, and yet they did it anyway. I just don't buy that. I expected two such smart and balanced people to have more self-control, quite frankly, and to watch them struggle with their attraction a bit more, and to delay gratification, wouldn't have hurt this story one little bit in my opinion, but hey, I realize that probably doesn't sell a romance these days..

4 stars. I really liked it. Will definitely read more by this author.
Profile Image for Saly.
3,437 reviews578 followers
March 14, 2014
Rating 3.25 stars
There were good things in this book but it had it's draw-backs as well. I loved the hero and his sister's thing, they were a hoot. My problem was that the heroine was depicted as this strong lone fighter and even when the hero is in the opposition she continues to be attracted to him. Meanwhile, there is someone willing to do anything to stop the true killer from being revealed. So, the romance was iffy for me, and who doesn't keep multiple copies of evidence?? Overall, I saw potential.
Profile Image for Susan.
4,806 reviews127 followers
April 29, 2014
Very good book with good blend of suspense and romance. Zac is a state's attorney who has been given the job of reviewing a case to make sure that a convicted murderer stays in prison. Emma is the sister of the convicted man, convinced he is innocent and determined to prove it. When new evidence surfaces she finds an attorney willing to take on the case, who just happens to be Zac's sister.

Emma has been fighting this battle for a long time and she finally feels like she's getting somewhere. She's thrilled with the new lawyer and her determination to prove Brian innocent. I loved her attention to detail. Meeting Zac, the man who's determined to keep Brian in prison, gives her an unexpected jolt of attraction. But she's also impressed by the way he insists he will go after the truth.

Zac is handed this case and told to make it go away. The state's attorney's office doesn't want any scandal cropping up in regards to the case. Having his sister working the opposite side of the problem makes him realize that this isn't going to be an easy fix. The more he finds out about the investigation that was done, the more problems he sees. He gets pressure from his boss to prove Brian guilty, but he refuses to be intimidated. He has to work with Emma as the two sides share information to get to the truth of what happened.

There is an instant and strong attraction between Emma and Zac. Both of them know that they shouldn't do anything about it while the investigation is going on as it could severely jeopardize the case. But they don't seem to be able to stay away from each other. I loved the chemistry between them both on the physical and mental sides. Zac also gets very protective of Emma as she receives several threats telling her to back off. I loved seeing the way he took care of her while still respecting her abilities.

I loved the suspense of watching as the evidence piles up that shows Brian is innocent. Zac doesn't want to believe that the investigation was so badly handled, but he can't deny the truth. There are some very interesting twists and turns on the way to finding out who is responsible. I have to say that it was so well done that I didn't figure it out until the end and even then there were a couple surprises. The ending was immensely satisfying.

There are some really fun parts in among the intense search for the truth behind the murder. Zac the prosecutor and his sister Penny the defense lawyer have a truly fun relationship. Both are extremely competitive and have no trouble showing it. Penny has a talent for pushing Zac's buttons, but she also knows that he is honorable enough to do the right thing. Zac is completely aware of his sister's actions, and also knows that she is honest about what she finds. I loved seeing the way she really jerks his chain about being with Emma.
Profile Image for Delene Yochum.
131 reviews9 followers
February 5, 2015
This Book was provided by the Author for an honest review

I started this book around lunchtime today and could not put it down. The story involves a Cook County IL (Chicago) Asst DA Zac Hennings and Emma Sinclair, a law student fighting to prove her brothers innocence after being convicted of murder. Emma is a strong, smart,loyal to the end woman and convinces Zac's sister, also an attorney to represent Emma's brother. You will enjoy the family interaction between brother and sister. The sexual attraction between Zac and Emma sizzles right from the start but both try at first to ignore it I enjoyed the story being told in both characters point of view,excited to get to that next part to get their "take" on the case and their attraction and what they needed to do in both matters! You will laugh a little, cry a little and cheer on this couple. A great read and hope Ms. Giordano has a book about the sister/attorney coming next!
Profile Image for Erin.
109 reviews
July 26, 2016
This is the second book by Adrienne Giordano that I have read in a week and it is another home run! I really enjoy the style of writing Giordano uses. The main characters are Emma, Penny, and Penny's brother Zachary. Penny is the defense attorney for Emma's brother, Brian. Zachary is the prosecutor on the case and doesn't have the typical mindset of a prosecutor. It was great to see the brother/sister rivalry when they are working a case. This book is full of twists and turns that constantly keeps you guessing. The suspense was killing me so I actually read the book in a few hours because I couldn't go to bed without knowing what happened with the case. Thanks Adrienne for another great book!
Profile Image for Michelle Mccormick.
23 reviews4 followers
April 8, 2014
Thanks to Adrienne Giordano I have found a new love in romantic suspense novels!! First with "Stealing Justice" and now she did it again with "The Prosecutor".
Emma Sinclair is a distraught sister that is certain that her brother, Brian, has been wrongfully convicted of the murder of a detectives daughter. As a new law student she works endlessly to gather enough evidence to help overturn the conviction. Finally she catches a break and one of the detectives on her brothers case says that they may have encouraged a witness to positive ID her brother at the scene of the crime.
She begins searching for a lawyer to take on his case and after hearing a ton of rejections, Penny Hennings comes knocking on her door. Not only is Penny's firm willing to take the case Pro Bono, she also has the advantage of knowing the prosecution quite well because he happens to be her brother, Zac.
You can tell from the moment Zac and Emma meet that their is chemistry. What terrible circumstances!! Although they try to keep it professional and not cross the line because they are on opposing sides of her brother's case, they finally just give in to it and hope for the best causing some friction along the way.
Although his job is to prove that Brian Sinclair is guilty, Zac finds cause for concern as soon as he sees the lack of evidence. He does not want to believe that the police could have rushed to convict him just because the victim was a detectives daughter. Time after time he comes up to the "Blue Wall" and realizes that there is a lot about the case that does not add up.
I loved this book and I love that I really did not know who did it until the very end. She did a great job with keeping me interested and intrigued throughout the book. I just couldn't put it down and I would recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a great read!!
Profile Image for BBMoreB ~.
784 reviews
September 9, 2016
For the last 18 months, Emma Sinclair’s life has revolved around proving that her brother was wrongly convicted of murder. The case against her brother was circumstantial but, no defense attorney is willing to help her fight for a reversal. It is not until she receives video evidence, a deathbed confession that the case gains media attention. This is when the pace of the story gains momentum.

The author introduces the Hennings siblings – defense attorney, Penny and state prosecutor, Zac. It was very amusing to watch the interplay between these two – it lighten the overall story and provided humor. The cast of characters were very realistically generated, with in-depth character development.

The plot was intriguing. It is a rare treat to discover a story where both the suspense and romantic elements are so well balanced. The author used vivid descriptions to highlight the chemistry between Emma and Zac. She cemented the relationships with great dialogue. I am hoping that the author plans to revisit these astounding characters – I demand stories be written for both Penny and Brian.

I had a total crush on Zachary- Emma is a lucky girl.
“Oh, that smile – charming and slick and devilish. The man knew his way around a woman’s heart. And most likely other body parts as well.”
I recommend this to all romance readers. You will understand while these two opposing sides find it impossible to maintain objectivity.

This review also appears on Harlequin Junkie.

Disclosure: This book was provided to me free of charge for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.
Profile Image for Nicole Leiren.
Author 16 books85 followers
February 22, 2014
In Adrienne Giordano’s The Prosecutor, she delivers it all! From death bed confessions to big city corruption, strong family ties to families struggling to hold on, sibling rivalry, and a complicated relationship between the hero and heroine that will have you simultaneously begging them to stay away from each other (for their own good) and cheering them to find a way to make their relationship work.

An intriguing story line and non-stop suspense provided the basis for this page turning story. The characters, though, are what truly made the story come alive. Zac Hennings, the prosecutor assigned to handle the potential re-opening of a murder case of a cop’s daughter, is in for the fight of his life as he battles against a poorly tried case, shoddy police work, corruption and politics. All of those he can handle—the sister of the man who is claiming he was falsely convicted—Emma Sinclair, in her he’s met his match. His internal struggle to fight for justice, protect his job and still get the girl proves to be his biggest challenge yet.

The author did a fantastic job of sharing the struggles for both Zac and Emma as well as those around them. From the first page to the very last word, I was invested in the lives of the characters and cheering for each of them to find happiness, even succumbing to some happy tears as the story ended.

I would highly recommend this story to readers who love a compelling story, suspense and a love story between two complex and very loveable characters!
182 reviews1 follower
March 25, 2016
Fun Fantasy
Adrienne Giordano’s, The Prosecutor, has great chemistry and characters you have to love; if you don’t you might be a bad person. The overall story seems a little unbelievable, but in this genre that doesn’t bother me too much and a family of good hearted lawyers is a fun setup that I haven’t read before.

Character wise, the good guys were a bit too clean and perfect and the bad guys too bad, which is also true to the genre, but I’d like to see a bit more complex bad guys, it is okay that they are really bad, but I’d like to see the badness come from a more personal place for them. I’d also love the good guys even more if they really screwed up, not just made a mistake that allowed someone else to deepen the trouble of the situation, but actually personally made things worse, and had to earn their way back into their loved ones’ favor.

In terms of plot, the tension could have been brought up another notch if I had believed for even one page that Brian was guilty, or that Zac would have to put him away in order to keep his own conscience and occupational credit clean and clear. But the story is really about Zac and Emma’s relationship so those end up being more minor details.

Also Emma and her pet names for Zac and self-scolding ‘Bad Emma,’ got very annoying.

Overall, I read this book on vacation and I found it delightful.
Profile Image for Livia.
331 reviews7 followers
March 9, 2014
This author is new to me and her novel THE PROSECUTOR is outstanding!

A brother and sister, opposing counsels for a bungled prosecution that resulted in the heroine's brother jailed for murder: Emma Sinclair is adamant in freeing her innocent brother. She has reached the conscience of Penny Hennings, a member of a top Chicago law firm who is willing to pursue getting her brother 's case back on the court dockets. The problem is Penny's brother, Zac Hennings, one of Chicago's top prosecutors, he'll be trying to keep Emma's brother in prison.

As soon as the case hits Zac's desk it's clear there are irregularities. It doesn't help when he meets his sister's client Emma. Emma is all he's been searching for, she feels the same way but she is trying to free her brother and he is trying to keep him incarcerated.

There is tons of intrigue in this one. The mishandled case and its improprieties pop up immediately and keeps the reader on the edge of the seat. The Harlequin Intrigue line is getting better and better and I hope there will be more stories connected to this one. There are some very interesting characters that need to be explored.
Profile Image for Michelle Steffen.
68 reviews4 followers
February 28, 2014
This is my first book by this particular author and after reading The Prosecutor I definitely will be looking forward to reading more of her works. The storyline revolves around a Prosecuting Attorney Zac who meets and falls for Emma who is trying to prove her imprisoned brother innocent of a murder, Zac is the attorney that put him behind bars. A who done it that really did keep me guessing, I liked the characters and enjoyed the rapport between Zac and his attorney sister Penney. Romance and intrigue, if you like them this is a good book for you.
Profile Image for Lee.
160 reviews66 followers
September 7, 2016
I love stories based in Chicago. I've never read this author before and glad I had the chance to now. The Prosecutor is a fast, intense read and it's clear the author knows her craft. The plot kept me hanging on to the end. Engaging story.
Profile Image for ElaineY.
2,449 reviews68 followers
July 14, 2019
REVIEW OF AUDIO & KINDLE: NOVEMBER 28, 2014
STORY: 4.5 STARS
NARRATOR: 3 STARS


This was my first Harlequin Intrigue, and what a lovely introduction to these category books! I was hooked right from the start and despite one minor TSTL moment, and the bit at the end where the author got in the way and disrupted the flow of the climax, this turned out to be one of the best romantic suspense books I've read/listened to this year.

The plot is simple - Emma is trying to get her brother, found guilty of murder and sentenced to 25 years jail. He's served 18 months and during this time, Emma has worked tirelessly, and sacrificially to have his conviction overturned, believing him not guilty.

Throughout her quest, no law firm has responded to her calls to take on the case. Until Penny Hennings, a young defense attorney, who just happens to be the sister of the assistant state's attorney Zac Hennings, who has been handed this case by his boss. As Zac realizes the way the case was handled stinks to high heaven, he and Emma work to uncover what really happened, and who the killer is.

I loved that the story unfolded at a steady pace that made it a 'page-turner' and there were no annoying detours or lengthy sex scenes. The characters were nicely-developed with no exceptionally annoying traits. Zac, despite his confident, assertive air (as is befitting the hero) is, nonetheless, fallible and while I could roll my eyes over his error of judgment in sleeping with Emma, it felt like an acceptable, understandable progression of the story. His father and sister, Penny, do call him up on it yet I was inclined to close one eye. Perhaps because there were no long drawn-out sex scenes to disrupt the suspense, I could be magnanimous.

I liked that the story stayed focused on Zac's and Emma's investigation of this case and it wasn't just backdrop scenery for the romance but, being a category RS, I was not inundated by Karen Rose-like data (whew!). That said, the suspense thread was still so solid that at the end of the book I felt as if I'd just listened to a Sandra Brown thriller:)

The two minor negatives:

#1) when Emma went into the dark alley knowing, and telling herself, only stupid women did that. I could see why the author chose to let her heroine do this but I still wished she could have found another way for Emma to encounter the killer. (This is not a spoiler).

#2) Right at the end, when Emma and her mother have rushed to courthouse No. 400 where Zac is before the judge, having filed a joint emergency motion to vacate Brian’s conviction and sentence. The tension was so high and I was holding my breath even though I know the outcome. What does the author do? She throws in so much internal monologue from Emma and I was yelling silently for her to fucking get on with the scene! Zac is right there before the judge, the judge is asking the asst prosecutor for an explanation of his petition AND I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THIS, I DON'T want to listen to Emma's ramblings!

To be fair, those ramblings are only three paragraphs in-between the Zac-Judge conversation, but they felt interminably long!

The Narrator: Anthony Bowden is a new narrator to me. I liked his speed, inflections and he was able to inject the right emotion in the dialogue. I just hated his female voices because they sounded like aging drag queens. I don't get that with Tom Stetschulte or Victor Slezak, perhaps because they don't try to change their voices to sound female.

I hope The Defender comes out soon in audio.
1,256 reviews6 followers
April 27, 2018
Three and half stars. The writing is exceptional and the book is extremely well crafted. It is amazing how much story the author managed to pack into a little over 200 pages. It was maybe too much story though as certain aspects of the plot had to be brushed aside. I liked both of the main characters, but it was hard to look past their lack of self-control when it came to each other. I never really felt any heat from them, possible be the author's style is almost clinical. In fact some of the scenes verged on creeper territory. Early in their relationship we get this scene between the pair: "He leaned down, got right next to her ear and she stiffened when his lips rushed her skin. 'You're convinced he's innocent. Convince me and I'm the guy who puts your family back together.'" This is supposed to be seductive but it is hard to escape that this sounds like he is asking for sexual favors in exchange for helping her. Of course since he is the hero of the romance, Emma is turned on by this instead of revolted.

The legal aspects are somewhat plausible but not terrible true to life. I didn't understand why the Defense would be sharing all of their research with the Prosecution. They only have to share information that they plan on using in the appeal. It certainly isn't their responsibility to recreate the Prosecutions files and if they have gone missing, so much better for the Defense. And why was Zac so obsessed with going through the evidence files when he hadn't even bother to read the transcript of the trial? It is also hard to believe that a new Prosecutor won't have been assigned as soon as his sister signed on as Defense, especially since he had just been handed the case.

It is really weird that both the actual murder and the convicted murderer are both given short shift. We never learn anything about the actual murder, beyond strangulation in the ally and the murderer was identified as wearing a white shirt. Why was the victim in the alley and more importantly what was the motive? We also never got to know Emma's brother. Despite the fact that the entire story centers on his mistaken conviction the author ignores his character. Emma's mom, her co-worker at the waitress job, Zac's dad and his boss all manage to get some air time, but Emma's brother - old what's his name - get's like two lines. The wrap up of the murder case itself was also seriously vague.
Profile Image for Jo-Anne.
1,756 reviews39 followers
October 8, 2015
Emma Sinclair's brother, Brian, was sent to prison for murder. She is positive he is innocent so she has spent 18 months trying to prove it by interviewing witnesses and tracking down any lead she can find. She also tried to get a defense attorney to help her fight for a reversal but none would agree to take the case. That is until a video comes out of a deathbed confession by one of the detectives on the case changes everything. A young lawyer in one of Chicago's top law firms, Penny Hennings, approaches Emma about taking the case Pro Bono. Emma can't believe that someone is finally willing to pursue the case! Being a first year law student, Emma is working with Penny.

The prosecution is Zac Hennings. Once he starts looking into the case, he sees a lots of irregularities that he knows he has to check out. This is an intriguing battle between brother and sister. As the state's attorney, Zac is assigned to keep Brian in prison and Penny is trying to free him.

Wow! What a great story! It was so well written that I didn't want to put it down and had to keep reading to find out who the real killer was. There were so many twists and turns in this well researched novel that it kept me on my toes to keep track of all the bad/good guys. I loved it!

The characters - they were terrific too. Emma is a strong motivated woman who worked endlessly to prove her brother's innocence. You have to love Zac. It was more important to him to find the truth than to win a case. But then we have Penny. What a hoot. She is a very smart lawyer but loved to annoy to her brother whenever she could. Which was often.

The only things that didn't sit well with me was that Emma and Zac weren't able to control their attraction for each other. For such intelligent people, I expected more from them. Also, it was irritating to repeatedly hear how Emma hadn't been touched by a man in so long. This seemed to be her justification for interest in Zac.

I was surprised that I didn't know who the bad guy actually was and didn't find out until right near the end.

I'm so glad to have won this fantastic romantic suspense in a giveaway and highly recommend it.
Profile Image for Cricket.
210 reviews3 followers
March 3, 2014
I gave The Prosecutor a five star rating because it had me turning the pages to try to discover who the bad guy really was. The characters are really well written. Zac the prosecuting attorney, he is strong and determined but honest and a truly good guy he wants justice nothing more nothing less. His sister Penny is a tiny woman with a spine of iron and a brain that jumps 3 steps ahead of others. Emma the sister of a Brian who is in prison for a murder that Emma says he did not commit. Zac is determined to keep a guilty man behind bars, Penny is determined to help Emma prove her brother is innocent. Someone does not want them to dig too deep into the facts. Zac is warned at work to "make the case go away." Emma is paid a visit by a detective who warns her that she needs to back off or else. Zac has another problem he is attracted to Emma. Her strength, courage and determination are hard things for him to resist. Emma of course finds herself attracted to Zac. He is honest, strong and a truly good guy, but he is also the enemy. Sparks will fly and lives will be never be the same. To free Brian Emma must find the true killer without becoming the next victim. If you love a good mystery full of twists and turns and a bit of romance this one is a must read.
Profile Image for Amy Alessio.
Author 21 books407 followers
March 1, 2014
This smart, snappy suspense will hold readers' attention from beginning to end.
Assistant state's attorney Zac knows he is expected to make the conviction of a young man for the murder of a Chicago policeman's daughter stick when a witness recants on video. Emma Sinclair has been passionately trying to clear her brother and has eighteen boxes of evidence and enrollment in law school to back her claims. Zac's sister Penny offers to take Emma's case pro bono after reading about it in the news and engages in very funny verbal skirmishes with her brother even while she staunchly supports her client. Zac wants to do his job, but he can't deny the holes and lies he is finding in the evidence. Emma is attacked, and he can't deny his feelings for her either.
Giordano continues her streak of well written, action filled, romantic suspense with dimensional, appealing characters. I'll be ordering future installments of this series along with her other books.
934 reviews4 followers
April 13, 2014
The Prosecutor by Adrienne Giordano was an excellent book. It had lots of funny parts in it between brother, Zac and sister Penny. It had me laughing. Emma's brother was accused of murdering a girl two years ago. Emma has been working on freeing him. She is a first year law student, because of this case. She has boxes and boxes of statements in her basement about the trial. Emma discovers a video showing her brother was someplace else at the time. When this video came to lite it upset a lot of people involved in the trial two years ago. Chicago assistant state's attorney Zac Hennings was appointed this case. After the video surfaced Zac's sister Penny contacted Emma and said her fathers office would take the case. Lots of mystery and suspense in this book. Threats to Emma. Emma sleeping with Zac. Zac believes a wrong was done at the trial. Emma's brother was set free. Zac and Emma got together. A very good read. Couldn't put the book down. Held my interest.
Profile Image for Belinda.
1,136 reviews1 follower
January 24, 2016
This is my first book read by this author. After reading the book I highly recommend her. I am glad to have the rest of the series to read as well.

Emma has been trying for almost 2 years to get her brother out of jail. No one will help her so she is doing her own work to uncover all the wrongs made by the attorney's that did the trail. She is working hard and almost losing faith that she will ever get any help when Penny comes along to take the case. Penny's brother Zac works for the prosecution and he believes the case ended the way it should have the first time. Thanks to his sister Penny and her client Emma they help him to see that it was all wrong.

The book keeps hopping, keeping you on the edge of your seat. I like that in the book! I also like that I did not have figured who the bad person would be in the book! I am always trying to figure those things out and this time I had no clue..so kudos for a great book Adrienne!!!
2,416 reviews42 followers
March 12, 2014
The Prosecutor is another winner from an awesome author. While the Private Protectors will always be my first love, Adrienne Giordano presents her usual wonderful style in The Prosecutor!

Emma Sinclair has been battling for a year and a half to prove that her imprisoned brother not only is innocent of the murder but that he did not receive a fair investigation and trial. When new evidence turns up that the key witness may have been "led" a bright, young, and slightly crazy attorney takes up the battle. The Assistant State's Attorney assigned to look over the case and make it go away is at first excited to get his hands on the case but before long he is finding it difficult to do to make the case go a way or to get the defendant's sister out of his mind.

Loved Emma and am looking forward to Penny's book. I like her kind of crazy!
Profile Image for Sandy Bartles.
1,395 reviews37 followers
February 25, 2014
This book caught my attention from the first page and I couldn't put it down until I had read the last page!

Emma Sinclair, a first-year law student, has been fighting for 18 months to have her brother's murder conviction overturned. One of the officer's involved in the case makes a deathbed confession that leads to a break in the case. Zac Hennings is the Prosecutor assigned to the case to make sure there is no basis for an appeal. Things get even better when Zac's sister decides to become Emma's pro bono attorney. The interaction between the siblings leads to lots of fun and laughter.

I was given an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
16 reviews7 followers
February 26, 2014
I found this book to be extremely intriguing blend of suspense and romance.   My attention was caught from the very beginning, in which Emma is struggling to free her wrongly convicted brother from prison, and Zac, the hero of this story, is putting together evidence to keep him there.  Add in Zac's very different sister, Penny, and the surprising murderer, revealed at the very end, and this novel has everything you could want in a suspense novel.  You can practically feel the sparks flying from Zac and Emma as well.   I rate this as a 5 star read, and can honestly say, I can't wait to read the next book.
Profile Image for audrey.
127 reviews6 followers
December 30, 2014
A suspenseful romance novel about a woman gathering evidence to prove her brother’s innocence in a high profile murder case and ignore her growing attraction toward the prosecutor assigned to keep him in jail.

The Prosecutor is an engaging dramatic story with vivid characters. I particularly enjoyed the details and care the author took to create a believable law setting and mindset. I also enjoyed the fact that the romance complicated the story and situation. The Prosecutor is a fun, dramatic law story with great characters.

[Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads]
Profile Image for Debbie Heaton.
Author 4 books20 followers
August 30, 2014
In Giordano’s romantic suspense novel, Chicago state’s attorney, Zac Hennings has just been assigned to keep a high-profile case behind bars. He’s up against an attractive adversary in first-year law student Emma Sinclair who is passionately fighting to keep her brother out of prison. Caught between duty and desire, Zac walks carefully when new evidence surfaces indicating the real culprit is still free. With his career and Emma’s safety on the line, Zac works overtime to right a wrong before it’s too late.

A fast-paced story of two attorneys with everything to lose as they fight for justice.
Profile Image for Aubrey.
169 reviews2 followers
May 24, 2019
*Note: I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway*

This book definitely had its ups and downs but, overall I enjoyed it!!
901 reviews3 followers
July 1, 2019
Adrienne Giordano is ook weer een veel schrijver. Dit boek is voor mij goed. Een zuster tracht haar broer vrij te krijgen daar hij volgens zij niet de schuldige is. Eindelijk is er een advocaat die haar wil helpen. De broer van de advocaat vertegenwoordigd OM. Dit kan spannend worden en dat is. Meer en meer stelt men vast dat er met het onderzoek is geknoeid. De politie begint de zuster en de moeder lastig te vallen en haar broer krijgt slaag in de gevangenis. Dit is natuurlijk niet leuk voor OM. Op het einde komt haar broer vrij.
Profile Image for Annie.
372 reviews
April 1, 2020
I loved the banter between Penny and Zac. The relationship between Penny, Zac and their father was lovely. I could read a whole series about this family. They were fantastic.

Everything about Mrs Sinclair annoyed me. The story would have been better without her in it.

I was puzzled about the fact that Emma hadn't saved her work, which took her 2 years, on a Cloud Drive or Flash Drive or External Hard Drive? If they had cell phones then there was the technology to save her work. Having one copy on paper doesn't sound the least bit realistic.
465 reviews1 follower
February 14, 2023
A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Packed with everything you need for a jolly good time absorbing read. Characters have depth, great banter, and there is enough about their jobs to keep this story line kicking right from page one to the last page. This author gives the readers all the 'feels'. What more can we hope for?

Well worth the 5 stars.
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