The Cooperating Witness: A Susan Sorella Mystery

by Michael Avery

Suffolk Law Student Susan Sorella is tending tables at her father's restaurant in Boston's North End when the head of the local mob pays her a surprise visit. What he tells her sends her on a mission to save an innocent man accused of gunning down the mob's accountant.
Susan's an intern for Bobby Coughlin, a burned-out defense attorney who cops his clients out faster than they can sign his retainer agreement. The judge, having drop the accused triggerman in Bobby's lap, is pushing for a quick guilty plea. Bobby wants to supply it before he has a nervous breakdown.
Susan has to battle Bobby's fear of failure, his sexism, the D.A., crooked FBI agents, their homicidal informants, and a cooperating witness to get to the truth. She's not a lawyer yet but with her neck for digging up evidence and the wise guys on her side, can she get to the truth before an innocent man goes to jail?

Genres: Legal Thriller

348 pages, Paperback

Published February 25, 2026

Reviews

[Sue Plant · Rating 4 out of 5]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

law student susan was interning for bobby a burnt out defence attorney so when a case was dropped on bobby susan had no choice but to invest her time into it...

the case was murder and their client was saying he was innocent.... bobby had no interest in the case and wanted a plea deal but their client wasnt playing ball

susan was frustrated by bobby but then the unexpected happened one night she was visited by a mob boss at her fathers restaurant who gave her some important information to help with the case....

things were going to get very interesting if only bobby would get more invested in the case....

have to say i love court cases but this one didnt really hit the mark for me.... and i cant give an actual reason why.... i found it difficult to understand susans character and at times i felt she wasnt written right at times ... there are things women do and dont do and i felt this at times with susan character but it may just be me....

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written, enjoyable book. None of the typos and grammatical errors that are found in too many BookSirens offers. It is advertised as a legal thriller, but I found it to be more of a mystery than a thriller.

The protagonist Susan Sorella is a law student working with a worn-out lawyer Bobby Coughlin. I admired Susan's enthusiasm and loved her connection to the mobster Frank Romano. Susan's father and the Italian restaurant Gabriella's that he runs were interesting and added a lot to the story. The antipasto described in Chapter 49 had my mouth watering.

I once did some court-appointed criminal defense work and found the legal system realistically portrayed.

I plan to read the next book in the series to see if Susan maintains her enthusiasm as she progresses in the legal field.

I received a free advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[MB · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captured me right from the beginning. I enjoyed getting to know Susan the law student and liked how most those she encountered treated her respectfully. I recommend this read if you like courtroom drama.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Joseph Badal]

Excellent!

This first book in the Susan Sorella series was well written. The author kept me wondering until the very end how he would conclude the legal case. Highly recommended!

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

She will be given some information which will help save an innocent man. The defense lawyer tends to strike a deal before the ink on the contract is dried. She will clash heads with him as she wants him to protect an innocent man. How will she get on? Will he do what she wants? See how she gets on
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and I want to review

[Audrey Eisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was granted the Cooperating Witness: A Susan Sorella Mystery ARC. This is my honest review.

I LOVE a good thriller and if it's a legal mystery / thriller so this was right up my alley.

The book, for me, started out a bit slow with several characters and it took me a minute to wrap my head around who was who… so it wasn't an immediate page turner for me. A bit of getting to know you. I was a bit frustrated through about 50 pages but I stuck with it and I'm so glad I did.

All the characters and the stories started coming together. There's dirty politics, the mob, the good guys and not so good guys. Susan is a law student and a tough cookie this was a wild ride overall.

It was GREAT and I couldn't wait to see how this was going to turn out. The writing was really good and kept me engaged. I will definitely be reading the other books in the series.

[jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it, Read it, Read it

Being a Boston native, married to an attorney, as well as the father of an attorney ( Suffolk Law), I strongly recommend everyone read the Cooperating Witness. The writing and the “action “ certainly holds your attention, but the narrative of the local towns and places adds a depth of color that only someone who has lived in Greater Boston can provide? Having completed my surgical residency at a major hospital close to the North End, the actions of the FBI are not as out of character as one might think. My only minor criticism is that none of the characters spoke with an authentic Boston accent LOL

[Gordon Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boston law student Susan Sprella is interning for a less that stellar lawyer who unexpectedly gets handed a murder case. And then the head of the Boston mob approaches Susan with information about the case. A good set up, but the novel doesn't quite live up.

The characters are all a little flat and one dimensional. All treat Susan as a seasoned litigator, which seems odd given she has yet to pass the bar. And every motivation of every character is laid out for the reader to see. The novel lacks mystery at times - show don't tell!

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first book about Susan Sorella, ambitious and self-focused law student, intern in this story. Her self-absorbance means she goes out of her way to help a client, while ignoring her bosses instructions. Her naivety could cost her everything. Every experience is something you should learn from. Susan really still has a lot to learn. Not a perfect crime novel, but one worth passing a few hours trying to work out what’s going on. Thank you to Relay Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to 4 stars. The book had a decent plot although the author was stingy with the clues (for those of us who like to figure it out before the reveal). I had figured out who but not why. My main problem with this book was the writing: I found the pace slow and the characters shallow. There was no excitement or suspense; the story just plodded along.
Obviously this is one of a series. I can't imagine reading more of the same.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting storyline which vividly portrayed the legal system at its finest as well as the clever addition and portrayal of the mob that added extra depth to the plot as a whole.
The FMC was both strong and determined throughout the story with the ending having a satisfying conclusion.
Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book.

[Dan A. Foster · Rating 1 out of 5]

Language

Here is another person who is willing to profane that which many worship by using their names as vulgar exclamations. In addition, this person has no better grasp of language than to flip out f-bombs as common terms. There are better authors available elsewhere.

[Tom Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story from excellent author and lawyer!

Great story from excellent author and lawyer! Mike’s education, training and experience as a top-notch litigator help make this mystery very compelling.

[Vicki Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book cant wait to read the rest of the series