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Thaddeus Murfee Legal Thrillers #1
The Defendants
Rookie attorney Thaddeus Murfee is hired to defend Ermeline Ransom, accused of murdering the man who carved his name in her chest. Ermeline's persecutors are not only the District Attorney but also the Chicago Mob and Illinois governor in this legal thriller. Set in small-town Illinois, the Governor is in the business of accepting payoffs from state contractors on construction jobs. In the end he is at the bottom of the plot to send Ermeline to the execution chamber for the murder she didn't commit. You never win against the Mob, Thaddeus is warned. Now the FBI has the lowdown on the players and Thaddeus needs their help but is afraid they will come after his client too. For Ermeline to walk away from the murder charges Thaddeus Murfee must not only prove her innocence but must also outwit the Mob and the Governor and stay alive himself. A murder trial ensues, which is followed by a show-down between the Mob's hitman and Thaddeus while the surprise ending leaves the reader breathless in this courtroom thriller.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 14, 2014
6766 people are currently reading
1781 people want to read
About the author
John Ellsworth
141 books514 followersFormerly a trial lawyer for 30 years, John Ellsworth is now a full-time writer of thrillers and historical fiction, with over millions of copies sold. He holds titles such as USA Today bestseller, an Amazon Bestseller and Featured Author, as well as a Kindle All-Star.
Official Website: www.ellsworthbooks.com
Official Twitter: @jellsworthbooks
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Official Facebook: facebook.com/johnellsworthauthor
Official Website: www.ellsworthbooks.com
Official Twitter: @jellsworthbooks
Official Instagram: @johnellsworth_author
Official Facebook: facebook.com/johnellsworthauthor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 309 reviews
August 20, 2014
As my rating shows, this book was an ok read. I took it with me everywhere I went for five days.
More editing would be helpful since when I'm reading and see a typo, it just throws me off kilter. I hope that writers make sure their novels are clean and there are no typos whatsoever. It's make all the difference in the world and shows that the writer cares about his/her product from beginning to end.
Also, some pages just droned on and on unnecessarily in my opinion. I think authors have a number of words to reach for whatever reason, the publisher's requirements? Nevertheless, it's silly and unnecessary to write a description or something on page 20 and then say the same thing on page 32. (Of course with Kindle this would be location.)
It was pretty good reading but glad I'm finished.
More editing would be helpful since when I'm reading and see a typo, it just throws me off kilter. I hope that writers make sure their novels are clean and there are no typos whatsoever. It's make all the difference in the world and shows that the writer cares about his/her product from beginning to end.
Also, some pages just droned on and on unnecessarily in my opinion. I think authors have a number of words to reach for whatever reason, the publisher's requirements? Nevertheless, it's silly and unnecessary to write a description or something on page 20 and then say the same thing on page 32. (Of course with Kindle this would be location.)
It was pretty good reading but glad I'm finished.
August 17, 2015
Good story, horrendous editing!
I was definitely caught up in the storyline so I pushed my way through the myriad of errors that had me screaming,"where's the EDITOR?!" Mistakes in grammar, spelling and punctuation should not exist in books; however it seems that with the advent of ebooks, editing has nearly disappeared. I would recommend this story, but realize that if you get hung up on writing errors, you will be frustrated. The author even made errors in his storyline. For example, in one chapter he has the sheriff telling Ernie that he is at her house with a search warrant because of a murder and she is a suspect. A couple chapters later he again writes about that incident but Ermeline seems clueless and thinks it's all about her ex-husband. The sheriff tells her they will talk in private in the car on the way to the police station. I mean at least remember what you name a store and use that name (changes the name of the office supply store) I want to list all the mistakes I highlighted, but I'm tired of tapping out this review on my Kindle! I would give the story three stars but due to all the writing mistakes I dropped to a two.
I was definitely caught up in the storyline so I pushed my way through the myriad of errors that had me screaming,"where's the EDITOR?!" Mistakes in grammar, spelling and punctuation should not exist in books; however it seems that with the advent of ebooks, editing has nearly disappeared. I would recommend this story, but realize that if you get hung up on writing errors, you will be frustrated. The author even made errors in his storyline. For example, in one chapter he has the sheriff telling Ernie that he is at her house with a search warrant because of a murder and she is a suspect. A couple chapters later he again writes about that incident but Ermeline seems clueless and thinks it's all about her ex-husband. The sheriff tells her they will talk in private in the car on the way to the police station. I mean at least remember what you name a store and use that name (changes the name of the office supply store) I want to list all the mistakes I highlighted, but I'm tired of tapping out this review on my Kindle! I would give the story three stars but due to all the writing mistakes I dropped to a two.
June 6, 2025
Alright, each month, my hoopla credits restart. I had gone down a legal thriller black hole last month but didn't have enough credits. So I borrowed a bunch of legal thrillers through hoopla June 1st, only to be disappointed. All had good ratings, but they were just subpar to me. If you're not familiar with Steve Cavanagh's, Eddie Flynn series, I think that sets the bar for legal thrillers for me, at least.
With that being said, this was the third book I had in my legal thriller black hole. The cover on hoopla was a lot more.... enticing than this cover on goodreads. With that being said, I had high hopes, but seeing this cover on goodreads, eh... I see why the book is that way. It just didn't meet my expectations for a legal thriller.
I would have 100% judged the book by the cover.. because it was an accurate judgement. 🫣
With that being said, this was the third book I had in my legal thriller black hole. The cover on hoopla was a lot more.... enticing than this cover on goodreads. With that being said, I had high hopes, but seeing this cover on goodreads, eh... I see why the book is that way. It just didn't meet my expectations for a legal thriller.
I would have 100% judged the book by the cover.. because it was an accurate judgement. 🫣
January 4, 2019
A new series worth following
The story line is good, a little over the top on characterization, decent intrigue and intensity. There appeared to be little editing.
The story line is good, a little over the top on characterization, decent intrigue and intensity. There appeared to be little editing.
June 26, 2015
Take these elements: A small town where everybody knows everybody and everything going on; a young enterprising lawyer; a poor waitress; a back from Afghanistan paralegal. Mix in: the Chicago mob; an ugly personal assault; a murder; a corrupt governor; Illinois politics as usual; the FBI and a charming widow. What have you got?
A lame mess in this case. "The girl - woman? - sat a horse very nicely. And she seemed to have a damn finge figure too, he imagined, although he'd only had a glance at the pretty, trim legs and the loose denim work shirt, which was amply filled out."
"...this was Illinois, where corrupt governors and corrupt government officials were a way of life. They're expected to be out there, plotting and stealing and covering up and even murdering. The job of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois --- the first duty at the top...---was to investigate the sitting governor and his party ties and mob ties."
We are promised "a legal thriller with courtroom drama" and some of that is delivered, but with undisciplined writing that includes the above and too many casual leaps of credulity. These include: our hero being up against not one, but two experienced trial attorneys who have never lost a case; his own sense of having to quit the profession if he loses the case; his ability to go from someone who hasn't handled a gun to expert marksman in a couple of hours; the graphic novel version of conversation between criminals; the intimidation that persuades the thug to give up the truth.
Aw man, you can do much better. But I am not going to chance reading any more of your series.
A lame mess in this case. "The girl - woman? - sat a horse very nicely. And she seemed to have a damn finge figure too, he imagined, although he'd only had a glance at the pretty, trim legs and the loose denim work shirt, which was amply filled out."
"...this was Illinois, where corrupt governors and corrupt government officials were a way of life. They're expected to be out there, plotting and stealing and covering up and even murdering. The job of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois --- the first duty at the top...---was to investigate the sitting governor and his party ties and mob ties."
We are promised "a legal thriller with courtroom drama" and some of that is delivered, but with undisciplined writing that includes the above and too many casual leaps of credulity. These include: our hero being up against not one, but two experienced trial attorneys who have never lost a case; his own sense of having to quit the profession if he loses the case; his ability to go from someone who hasn't handled a gun to expert marksman in a couple of hours; the graphic novel version of conversation between criminals; the intimidation that persuades the thug to give up the truth.
Aw man, you can do much better. But I am not going to chance reading any more of your series.
October 23, 2017
Done with this series
Tried this book( the second in the Thad Murphee series) and didn't like it. Seemed disjointed and not believable to me.
Tried this book( the second in the Thad Murphee series) and didn't like it. Seemed disjointed and not believable to me.
December 7, 2020
This was a freebie and I'm glad that is all I paid for it. The writing, plotting, characterization, is uneven and thus plodding..... I ended up skipping 5 chapters at a time and got the gist of the story; thus the two stars. If I had just quit completely, it would have been one star.
April 25, 2022
I didn't enjoy this as much I have of other Ellsworth books, but it was a quick read and hit all the tropes we expect. Also, it's relatively light bedtime reading.
January 18, 2016
This author is really good. I really enjoy reading a novel about lawyers and the intricacies of defending a client. I had saw his post on Facebook and I decided to give him a try. Anyone who has put thirty years in his profession should be able to tell a story about their work. Lawyers minds are quick witted to argue either side of a case. Thaddeus Murder had only been practicing law for eighteen months. He had never had a case where he was defending someone for murder. Still very wet behind the ears.
Ermeline Ransom walks into his office to hire him. She had been brutally disfigured by someone carving the name Victor in her breasts and inking it where it can't be erased. Thaddeus was shocked he had never seen anything as ugly. He really thought it was a shame to ruin such beautiful breasts where they couldn't be displayed any longer. It ruined her career as a cocktail waitress. Ermeline only wanted to raise her son as best as she could. Ermeline was arrested Christmas morning for killing Victor Barrow supposedly the man who disfigured her. All the circumstantial evidence pointed at her.
Thaddeus had no idea that filing a suit against Ermeline's employers would lead to fighting the top crime in Illinois...the mob syndicate that involved the governor, the Attorney General, the FBI, and a very evil Johnny the Blade. He knew he was in over his head but he promised Ermeline that he would get her free.
Ermeline Ransom walks into his office to hire him. She had been brutally disfigured by someone carving the name Victor in her breasts and inking it where it can't be erased. Thaddeus was shocked he had never seen anything as ugly. He really thought it was a shame to ruin such beautiful breasts where they couldn't be displayed any longer. It ruined her career as a cocktail waitress. Ermeline only wanted to raise her son as best as she could. Ermeline was arrested Christmas morning for killing Victor Barrow supposedly the man who disfigured her. All the circumstantial evidence pointed at her.
Thaddeus had no idea that filing a suit against Ermeline's employers would lead to fighting the top crime in Illinois...the mob syndicate that involved the governor, the Attorney General, the FBI, and a very evil Johnny the Blade. He knew he was in over his head but he promised Ermeline that he would get her free.
August 18, 2015
If you’re a fan of the courtroom drama of legal thrillers, you’ll love The Defendants by lawyer turned thriller writer John Ellsworth.
Thaddeus Murfee, a rookie lawyer with 18 months of trial experience, runs a one-man firm in the little Illinois town of Orbit. When a local woman, Ermeline Ransom, claims that she has been molested by a local businessman, Victor Harrow, she asks Thad to represent her in a civil suit. But, when Harrow turns up dead, and Ermeline’s fingerprints are on the weapon, Thad finds himself having to defend her against a possible death penalty.
Despite a few typos here and there, this is legal drama at its best. Ellsworth pens the courtroom scenes with a degree of authenticity and veracity that just feels real. Moreover, he totally nails the small town scene, and the often quirky characters that inhabit small-town middle America. In addition, he shows the seamy side of big city politics and corruption.
The surprise ending will leave you gasping – no joke.
Thaddeus Murfee, a rookie lawyer with 18 months of trial experience, runs a one-man firm in the little Illinois town of Orbit. When a local woman, Ermeline Ransom, claims that she has been molested by a local businessman, Victor Harrow, she asks Thad to represent her in a civil suit. But, when Harrow turns up dead, and Ermeline’s fingerprints are on the weapon, Thad finds himself having to defend her against a possible death penalty.
Despite a few typos here and there, this is legal drama at its best. Ellsworth pens the courtroom scenes with a degree of authenticity and veracity that just feels real. Moreover, he totally nails the small town scene, and the often quirky characters that inhabit small-town middle America. In addition, he shows the seamy side of big city politics and corruption.
The surprise ending will leave you gasping – no joke.
August 3, 2018
Great
Easy read and at a good pace. Loved the main character and the story kept me interested. Finished it in one week and my schedule keeps me busy and have little time to read. Third book I read from Mr. Ellsworth. Like his writing style.
Easy read and at a good pace. Loved the main character and the story kept me interested. Finished it in one week and my schedule keeps me busy and have little time to read. Third book I read from Mr. Ellsworth. Like his writing style.
August 18, 2020
I returned without finishing. Too many unnecessary details I felt like they’re just filling the pages, was there a certain number of page requirement? Also noticed typos. Too bad since it’s probably a good story but I just ran out of patience as I have other books waiting to be read. Sorry.
January 19, 2017
very entertaining read, fast paced & action packed...
September 16, 2017
Remember, one man's flippant summary may be another man's dastardly spoiler.
Operation Spandex - what a great name for the FBI corruption investigation into an Illinois governor who supposedly wears gym wear below his clothes to smooth away his midruff bulge.
Operation Spandex becomes visible after lawyer Thaddeus Murfee takes on the defense of a small-town Miss Congeniality waitress who's charged with murdering a married man in the same small town.
Specifically, Chicago mob players who go by nicknames "Bang Bang" and "Blade" try to deflect the corruption link of said dead man by framing Miss Congeniality for his murder.
At first, Thadd has not much of a legal defense, because the waitress' fingerprints are found on the murder weapons. But the truth starts to unspool as the greenhorn lawyer benefits from the savvy of the paralegal he's hired, who knows the law quite well from her having served in the Army's arm of military justice.
Story starts out with a grotesque incident - a man's name amateurishly tattooed across a woman's breasts - that is the talk of the small town, because police and the city attorney's office have seen the tattoo and the high-magnitude breasts (or evidence photos of them). Ellsworth plays this section off as male humor. I couldn't have stood the book if it had remained in this male chatty tone throughout.
The tone does evolve beyond that.
I was surprised that Ellsworth chose not to give any back story on how Murfee ended up in the small town of Orbit, Ill. (as detailed at the end of A Young Lawyer's Story). But it did mean the story didn't have to unload old baggage.
I had to get used to Ellsworth's practice (several times) of going backward in time, in sections that start off with phrasing like "the night before ..." or "earlier that morning ..." It seemed clunky to me, but I guess he did so to be able to bluntly shock or surprise, and then give the reasons or lead-up to the shock/surprise.
This is a "coming of age" story of a young solo-practice lawyer who starts with an open-shut civil case of person injury (really, a large tattoo done with a ballpoint pen in such a fraught location?) that morphs into a capital offense.
He encounters a topnotch seasoned state prosecutor, a vicious deadbeat dad and several deadly serious mafioso entwined with sleazy top Illinois state officials -- on his way from filing the civil suit to criminal charging, through a trial with witnesses who emerge late, to his client's exoneration.
And yes, he does find a way to obtain civil damages for Miss Congeniality's defacement (or should that be de-torso-ment?)
Also, there's a bit of romance - understated, the way I like it in a crime mystery. (I also feared the book would degenerate into a simple lawyer romance, but it did not.)
Operation Spandex - what a great name for the FBI corruption investigation into an Illinois governor who supposedly wears gym wear below his clothes to smooth away his midruff bulge.
Operation Spandex becomes visible after lawyer Thaddeus Murfee takes on the defense of a small-town Miss Congeniality waitress who's charged with murdering a married man in the same small town.
Specifically, Chicago mob players who go by nicknames "Bang Bang" and "Blade" try to deflect the corruption link of said dead man by framing Miss Congeniality for his murder.
At first, Thadd has not much of a legal defense, because the waitress' fingerprints are found on the murder weapons. But the truth starts to unspool as the greenhorn lawyer benefits from the savvy of the paralegal he's hired, who knows the law quite well from her having served in the Army's arm of military justice.
Story starts out with a grotesque incident - a man's name amateurishly tattooed across a woman's breasts - that is the talk of the small town, because police and the city attorney's office have seen the tattoo and the high-magnitude breasts (or evidence photos of them). Ellsworth plays this section off as male humor. I couldn't have stood the book if it had remained in this male chatty tone throughout.
The tone does evolve beyond that.
I was surprised that Ellsworth chose not to give any back story on how Murfee ended up in the small town of Orbit, Ill. (as detailed at the end of A Young Lawyer's Story). But it did mean the story didn't have to unload old baggage.
I had to get used to Ellsworth's practice (several times) of going backward in time, in sections that start off with phrasing like "the night before ..." or "earlier that morning ..." It seemed clunky to me, but I guess he did so to be able to bluntly shock or surprise, and then give the reasons or lead-up to the shock/surprise.
This is a "coming of age" story of a young solo-practice lawyer who starts with an open-shut civil case of person injury (really, a large tattoo done with a ballpoint pen in such a fraught location?) that morphs into a capital offense.
He encounters a topnotch seasoned state prosecutor, a vicious deadbeat dad and several deadly serious mafioso entwined with sleazy top Illinois state officials -- on his way from filing the civil suit to criminal charging, through a trial with witnesses who emerge late, to his client's exoneration.
And yes, he does find a way to obtain civil damages for Miss Congeniality's defacement (or should that be de-torso-ment?)
Also, there's a bit of romance - understated, the way I like it in a crime mystery. (I also feared the book would degenerate into a simple lawyer romance, but it did not.)
April 11, 2021
I had to look up a little about the author before I started the review, because there were parts of it that, as a trial attorney, didn’t make sense to me. I didn’t know if it was because Illinois has a very different procedural system, or if the author was not an attorney and was taking some guesses. But, in reading some blurbs, I discovered that the author was a trial attorney for 30 years, which means that his courtroom scenes and his procedural choices should be accurate for Illinois....which means nothing to me in Texas, but I’m going to accept that what he wrote was correct and just go from there.
I had a little bit of trouble getting into this; the first part is told in a looping sequence, telling the initial pieces of the story from several different points of view, all starting before the event actually happened and all ending more or less at the same point. I usually prefer more linear storytelling, but that’s a preference and not a real problem with the writing.
I didn’t like the first chapters enough that I told myself that I would read until the 10% mark on my Kindle version, and if I hadn’t gotten into it by then, I would let myself stop.
Luckily, I decided to keep going through the parts that weren’t to my personal taste and keep going, into the meet of the plot. The beginning was a little disjointed and I think the ending went on too long, but the meat of the plot—the true court case—was very interesting, and definitely worth the read.
I will also throw in another point that was important to me, although I don’t know if that will matter to others. I am struggling lately in my profession, with the corruption and failures of the legal system, and trying to decide whether it’s better to try to change the system from the one side, one case at a time, or if I should leave and try to change it from the outside. In this case, Thaddeaus chose to face the corruption in the system and work both against and within it to get the outcome he was looking for. So I appreciated that very much. Thanks, Thaddeus!
I had a little bit of trouble getting into this; the first part is told in a looping sequence, telling the initial pieces of the story from several different points of view, all starting before the event actually happened and all ending more or less at the same point. I usually prefer more linear storytelling, but that’s a preference and not a real problem with the writing.
I didn’t like the first chapters enough that I told myself that I would read until the 10% mark on my Kindle version, and if I hadn’t gotten into it by then, I would let myself stop.
Luckily, I decided to keep going through the parts that weren’t to my personal taste and keep going, into the meet of the plot. The beginning was a little disjointed and I think the ending went on too long, but the meat of the plot—the true court case—was very interesting, and definitely worth the read.
I will also throw in another point that was important to me, although I don’t know if that will matter to others. I am struggling lately in my profession, with the corruption and failures of the legal system, and trying to decide whether it’s better to try to change the system from the one side, one case at a time, or if I should leave and try to change it from the outside. In this case, Thaddeaus chose to face the corruption in the system and work both against and within it to get the outcome he was looking for. So I appreciated that very much. Thanks, Thaddeus!
December 4, 2017
The Defendants Thad Murfee bk 2 by John Ellsworth Review
Courtroom drama, Rookie lawyer’s big break, can he do it?
Young Thaddeus Murfee is a trial lawyer with less than 18 months of courtroom experience. He is completely unprepared for the complicated murder case that he is asked to defend. While Ermeline was passed out, her date carved his name on her breasts. Later, he is found murdered. Ermeline is arrested based on circumstantial evidence because she had motive and opportunity. She hires Thaddeus, who makes his criminal lawyer debut defending his first murder case in this intense courtroom drama.
What did I like? This was an extremely fast paced, action packed, romantic, front row seat to all the messy and gory details. I was hooked on the first page and before I knew it I was done.
What are you going to like? Criminal law, courtroom thriller, political and mob ruling corruption from the top to the bottom and how they handle someone that ignores their warnings. Then out of the weirdest place, a little romance is thrown in just for a break in all the gore and corruption. This is fast paced, heart pounding, breathtaking and only split-second decisions to save Thaddeus from certain death.
Courtroom drama, Rookie lawyer’s big break, can he do it?
Young Thaddeus Murfee is a trial lawyer with less than 18 months of courtroom experience. He is completely unprepared for the complicated murder case that he is asked to defend. While Ermeline was passed out, her date carved his name on her breasts. Later, he is found murdered. Ermeline is arrested based on circumstantial evidence because she had motive and opportunity. She hires Thaddeus, who makes his criminal lawyer debut defending his first murder case in this intense courtroom drama.
What did I like? This was an extremely fast paced, action packed, romantic, front row seat to all the messy and gory details. I was hooked on the first page and before I knew it I was done.
What are you going to like? Criminal law, courtroom thriller, political and mob ruling corruption from the top to the bottom and how they handle someone that ignores their warnings. Then out of the weirdest place, a little romance is thrown in just for a break in all the gore and corruption. This is fast paced, heart pounding, breathtaking and only split-second decisions to save Thaddeus from certain death.
Read
January 28, 2021From Follett: The guilty party is found murdered. Or was he guilty? Ermeline is arrested because she had motive and opportunity. She hires Thaddeus, who makes his debut defending his first murder case in this courtroom drama. Ilene is a beautiful widow who loves horses. Ilene is introduced to Thaddeus one Saturday morning as he is caring for his own horse. She invites him to Christmas dinner. Soon Thaddeus finds himself in great need of her care and she rushes in to help. Will her love be enough to pull him through this courtroom thriller? Paralegal Christine Susmann, home from the war in Iraq, uses her military training to help Thaddeus put together the defense. Together they discover the dark forces behind the case and Christine teaches him how to arm himself and how to shoot--a skill he will need. The suspense mounts while alibis fall away and the killer's plot is discovered. In The Defendants, John Ellsworth offers you a courtroom thriller that puts you right on the front row to witness how murder cases are defended. See the politics behind all criminal cases, and how love can grow out of the strangest beginnings anyone could imagine. In the end, Thaddeus is given a split second to save his own life. His reaction is amazing!
April 13, 2018
David vs Goliath, can a lowly waitress prevail against the Governor and the Mob?
Small town waitress, Ermaline Ransom, goes to Victor Harris's temporary office in a purple bus for a drink. While there mobster, Johnny Bladanni, shoes up and drugs her and Victor then carves VIC on one breast and TOR on the other one. All to get Victor to pay his bribe money for the last six months, $100,000! When Victor could only come up with $25,000, Johnny goes back to the Governor with it and is told to get Victor's tax and bank records to see if there was anything with any equity. When the Governor discovers that Victor has liens on everything he owns, he tells Johnny to make an example of him. The Governor also tells him to set Ermaline up to take the fall. Johnny gets in touch with Ermaline's ex-husband, Hector, to help with the job by planting the murder weapons in her home. He links Ermaline to the murder by carving ERM on Victor's forehead. Can Thaddeus Murfee, her young and inexperienced lawyer help to set her free? Many good friends help him along the way but it takes one big mouth to accomplish the seemingly impossible!
Small town waitress, Ermaline Ransom, goes to Victor Harris's temporary office in a purple bus for a drink. While there mobster, Johnny Bladanni, shoes up and drugs her and Victor then carves VIC on one breast and TOR on the other one. All to get Victor to pay his bribe money for the last six months, $100,000! When Victor could only come up with $25,000, Johnny goes back to the Governor with it and is told to get Victor's tax and bank records to see if there was anything with any equity. When the Governor discovers that Victor has liens on everything he owns, he tells Johnny to make an example of him. The Governor also tells him to set Ermaline up to take the fall. Johnny gets in touch with Ermaline's ex-husband, Hector, to help with the job by planting the murder weapons in her home. He links Ermaline to the murder by carving ERM on Victor's forehead. Can Thaddeus Murfee, her young and inexperienced lawyer help to set her free? Many good friends help him along the way but it takes one big mouth to accomplish the seemingly impossible!
Want to read
January 28, 2021From Follett: The guilty party is found murdered. Or was he guilty? Ermeline is arrested because she had motive and opportunity. She hires Thaddeus, who makes his debut defending his first murder case in this courtroom drama. Ilene is a beautiful widow who loves horses. Ilene is introduced to Thaddeus one Saturday morning as he is caring for his own horse. She invites him to Christmas dinner. Soon Thaddeus finds himself in great need of her care and she rushes in to help. Will her love be enough to pull him through this courtroom thriller? Paralegal Christine Susmann, home from the war in Iraq, uses her military training to help Thaddeus put together the defense. Together they discover the dark forces behind the case and Christine teaches him how to arm himself and how to shoot--a skill he will need. The suspense mounts while alibis fall away and the killer's plot is discovered. In The Defendants, John Ellsworth offers you a courtroom thriller that puts you right on the front row to witness how murder cases are defended. See the politics behind all criminal cases, and how love can grow out of the strangest beginnings anyone could imagine. In the end, Thaddeus is given a split second to save his own life. His reaction is amazing!
December 7, 2019
Ellsworth writes a good story keeping me interested with all sorts of characters and some mob interaction. Most of the story takes place in Orbit Illinois where they must be dumb. Thaddeus and everyone else knows she didn’t do it but no one investigates ? Come on, how dumb? Where is the PI?
What a lawyer, didn’t even inventory her belongings, belongs in a zoo. Then Ellsworth lies through his teeth instead of making the story true to real life. Can’t he use google to give him some good information? Novels closer to reality are better received, look at Clancy! Weeks have gone by and now we go back to the mob and Johnny’s mess up, with the bangman telling him to get it done, it doesn’t line up???? He could have taken the “Blade” out earlier and it would have held together, seems he wanted a dramatic ending. All this criticism and I still liked the story.5
January 20, 2020
Good but frustrating!
Thaddeus leaves DC and settles in Orbit. He is nearly destitute from lack of cases. He has made friends, but lacks trial experience. Suddenly he has a civil case, which then turns into 1st degree murder! This is where it gets frustrating. Why didn’t he look at her purse and notice her wallet was missing? Why didn’t he ask if they found her prints on the trigger? Why didn’t they check her house for fingerprints other than hers and her family’s. Why didn’t he show Hector’s photo at the bar to see if anyone had seen him in town? Same with Johnny the Blade? Victor’s office girl would have recognized him. Why didn’t the FBI notify him of what they knew? It makes the FBI look very bad. The story goes in a different direction. Exciting, frightening, but ...I’ve already said too much. You will have to read the book to find out.
Thaddeus leaves DC and settles in Orbit. He is nearly destitute from lack of cases. He has made friends, but lacks trial experience. Suddenly he has a civil case, which then turns into 1st degree murder! This is where it gets frustrating. Why didn’t he look at her purse and notice her wallet was missing? Why didn’t he ask if they found her prints on the trigger? Why didn’t they check her house for fingerprints other than hers and her family’s. Why didn’t he show Hector’s photo at the bar to see if anyone had seen him in town? Same with Johnny the Blade? Victor’s office girl would have recognized him. Why didn’t the FBI notify him of what they knew? It makes the FBI look very bad. The story goes in a different direction. Exciting, frightening, but ...I’ve already said too much. You will have to read the book to find out.
May 15, 2020
So Glad the Story Continues
I am glad to have spent a few .More hours with Thaddeus. .He continues to grow as a lawyer and as a man and I enjoyed this book almost as much as the other . I'm this book he has set up a practice in a small town just as he wanted to it's filled with Characters who have equal interest to those in his earlier book If I have a Criticism of this book,It would be that he fails to develop the relationships as thoroughly as he did in his earlier book I would like to see more about his lady love and how that developed and all I know is that he went to a party and then all of a sudden she's visiting him in this hospital room and they're becoming an item she's. She sounds like a very interesting women.I'm very glad that there are many more in the series and I intend to read book #3 immediately.
I am glad to have spent a few .More hours with Thaddeus. .He continues to grow as a lawyer and as a man and I enjoyed this book almost as much as the other . I'm this book he has set up a practice in a small town just as he wanted to it's filled with Characters who have equal interest to those in his earlier book If I have a Criticism of this book,It would be that he fails to develop the relationships as thoroughly as he did in his earlier book I would like to see more about his lady love and how that developed and all I know is that he went to a party and then all of a sudden she's visiting him in this hospital room and they're becoming an item she's. She sounds like a very interesting women.I'm very glad that there are many more in the series and I intend to read book #3 immediately.
December 26, 2021
Thaddeus is a young attorney, eighteen months out of law school, practicing in small town southern Illinois. He has been hired to defend a local, a young single mother who has been charged with the murder of another local, a contractor with a shady background. She had, at his invitation, followed him back to his trailer office following her night shift as a cocktail waitress. The investigation and its consequences were surprisingly well written however I had some problems with logistics. The book, published in 2014, stated she was being tried with a potential death penalty which didn’t make sense (but did make good reading) since Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011. Still it was easy and sometimes amusing reading. Thanks to the author and publisher for an e-galley for an honest review.
February 19, 2022
Really I would rate it a 3 1/2 but since I can’t do half stars I do always round up. Figure anyone who can write a book gets extra points from me.
My book says “ Book 2” of the Thaddeus Murfee series but I think it reads like the first book. I find the first books of a series are always finding their way so I do have great hopes for the next book. Actually just looked at the list of books in the series and “Thaddeus Murfee” is listed first.
The biggest issue I had with this book was that it started out so slow. I didn’t like the way it kept going back from the point where the book started. Like it would say “a few days before....”. Once all the “back” stories caught up with real time, it finally took off.
I am ready to start Book 3 of the series. I do know they do get better because I started out with a book I picked up at Half Price Books-Book 5 and had it read within a day.
My book says “ Book 2” of the Thaddeus Murfee series but I think it reads like the first book. I find the first books of a series are always finding their way so I do have great hopes for the next book. Actually just looked at the list of books in the series and “Thaddeus Murfee” is listed first.
The biggest issue I had with this book was that it started out so slow. I didn’t like the way it kept going back from the point where the book started. Like it would say “a few days before....”. Once all the “back” stories caught up with real time, it finally took off.
I am ready to start Book 3 of the series. I do know they do get better because I started out with a book I picked up at Half Price Books-Book 5 and had it read within a day.
December 30, 2018
This is the dumbest book I have ever read. The murder occurred before 9:30 pm at which time the defendant was serving 200 people in a bar. The time of death was never raised which would have created a perfect defence. The defence cannot afford to hire an investigator yet the defendant has 6,700$ in her purse and an American Express credit card with no limit.
Dumbest book I have ever read. Time of death never established. Defendant has a perfect alibi defence which is never raised. Defence can not afford an investigator while the defendant has 6,700$ in her purse and a no limit American Express credit card. If atty. had known the card was missing, then the ex would have been located earlier. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Dumbest book I have ever read. Time of death never established. Defendant has a perfect alibi defence which is never raised. Defence can not afford an investigator while the defendant has 6,700$ in her purse and a no limit American Express credit card. If atty. had known the card was missing, then the ex would have been located earlier. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
September 28, 2017
Bingo! A Winner.
I was fortunate to have seen the prequel advertised at the end of a Jesse Williams western by Robert J. Thomas. It was a free offer and who can turn that down. Excellent read! Fun book! I knew when I finished I had found another excellent author to follow and immediately ordered The Defendents. The story line will not let you put it down. Believable characters, detail story from several angles working together, more switchbacks than a West Virginia highway. You can tell that John Ellsworth has 'walked the walk'. The Defendents is a fun read. Get it, you won't be sorry. You'll be hooked instead. - ole Joe. 😎
I was fortunate to have seen the prequel advertised at the end of a Jesse Williams western by Robert J. Thomas. It was a free offer and who can turn that down. Excellent read! Fun book! I knew when I finished I had found another excellent author to follow and immediately ordered The Defendents. The story line will not let you put it down. Believable characters, detail story from several angles working together, more switchbacks than a West Virginia highway. You can tell that John Ellsworth has 'walked the walk'. The Defendents is a fun read. Get it, you won't be sorry. You'll be hooked instead. - ole Joe. 😎
September 20, 2021
Thaddeus has been practicing law for 18 months in a small Illinois town. One day, Ermeline, a well liked mother of a 5 year old boy comes to his office baring a name carved onto her breasts in large letters. Shortly after this visit, the person who’s name was carved is found murdered. Ermeline is the suspect and her home is searched. The weapons are found with her prints and she is charged with murder. She is innocent and will only let Thaddeus represent her. He has never tried a murder case. This is a good legal thriller involving the Chicago mobs, crooked politicians and a murder trial.
May 16, 2017
The Defendants
Thaddeus Murfee, although not well known as a lawyer, takes a chance on defending Ermeline Randsom in the case of the murder of Victor Harrow. After she was defiled by Victor Harrow in his office/business after being drugged. All she wanted to do was sue Victor Harrow for damages. However, it would go well beyond that, it would go all the way to being a pasty for the mob and the Attorney General. What a great story. I loved it. It was very well written and has great characters. I can't wait to read the prequel. Five stars from me.
Thaddeus Murfee, although not well known as a lawyer, takes a chance on defending Ermeline Randsom in the case of the murder of Victor Harrow. After she was defiled by Victor Harrow in his office/business after being drugged. All she wanted to do was sue Victor Harrow for damages. However, it would go well beyond that, it would go all the way to being a pasty for the mob and the Attorney General. What a great story. I loved it. It was very well written and has great characters. I can't wait to read the prequel. Five stars from me.
November 19, 2017
I'm a Fan of All of John Ellsworth's Characters !
I just reread the first Thaddeus Murder Book, and noticed that I evidently hadn't reviewed it the First time. That's not my usual modus operandi, but, it sometimes happens when I'm anxious to get to the Next book in a Series. I have read All the Michael Gresham series, and All the Thaddeus Murfree so far. To say I enjoy John Ellsworth's Work would be a massive Understatement. He stands with Grishom, and his peers in Legal Fiction, and I strongly recommend All of Mr Ellsworth's books.
I just reread the first Thaddeus Murder Book, and noticed that I evidently hadn't reviewed it the First time. That's not my usual modus operandi, but, it sometimes happens when I'm anxious to get to the Next book in a Series. I have read All the Michael Gresham series, and All the Thaddeus Murfree so far. To say I enjoy John Ellsworth's Work would be a massive Understatement. He stands with Grishom, and his peers in Legal Fiction, and I strongly recommend All of Mr Ellsworth's books.
April 3, 2018
Wow!! The Defendants by John Ellsworth was exhilarating, nail-biting, and very dramatic.
Thaddeus Murfee is becoming one of my favorite Defense attorney’s, I’ve met.
Charged for a murder she was set up to take the fall for, Ermeline Ransom was left with little hope and a tattoo that would forever mark her permanently.
Attorney Murfee Ransom needs a miracle to get her off.
Can he find the needle in the haystack to save her or will this trial end his career before it even gets started.
Phenomenal legal thriller with an astonishing ending!
Thaddeus Murfee is becoming one of my favorite Defense attorney’s, I’ve met.
Charged for a murder she was set up to take the fall for, Ermeline Ransom was left with little hope and a tattoo that would forever mark her permanently.
Attorney Murfee Ransom needs a miracle to get her off.
Can he find the needle in the haystack to save her or will this trial end his career before it even gets started.
Phenomenal legal thriller with an astonishing ending!
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