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Deadly Force: A Lizzie Scott Novel

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Deadly Force takes place in US Attorney s Office for the Central District of California, Santa Ana branch office, a desert outpost where a handful of federal prosecutors are responsible for enforcing the federal law of the U.S. for an area that is larger than 14 states, and has a population of more than 5 million people.Here is Lizzie Scott, a classic western hero for the 21st century. Follow her as she untangles an excessive force case against a cop, all while balancing agency turf battles, secret grand jury proceedings, inter-office rivalries and on-the-make prosecutors. If she indicts the deputy, she faces death threats from the police, if she loses the case, a killer will go free and her career will be destroyed. It s the ultimate insiders look into the nuts-and-bolts of a federal civil rights prosecution, with fascinating legal and moral issues."

224 pages, Hardcover

First published February 7, 2016

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About the author

Jonathan Shapiro

2 books14 followers
Jonathan Shapiro has spent the last 16 years writing and producing some of television's most iconic shows, including The Blacklist, The Practice, Life and Boston Legal. An Emmy, Peabody, and Humanitas Awards winner, he and David E. Kelley are the creators and executive producers of Goliath, a legal thriller set to air on Amazon in October 2016. In addition to his work in television, he is also the author of two recent books: the memoir "Liars, Lawyers, and the Art of Storytelling" (ABA Publishing) and the novel "Deadly Force," the first book in his Lizzie Scott series for Ankerwycke Press.

Prior to writing for television, Jonathan spent a decade as a federal prosecutor and as an adjunct law professor at Loyola Law School and the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law. He is a member and the former chairman of the California Commission on Government Economy and Efficiency, as well as the founder and director of the Public Counsel Emergency for Torture Victims. He is a graduate of Harvard University, a Rhodes Scholar at Oriel College, Oxford University, and received his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley. For the last two years, he was Of Counsel for litigation at the Kirkland & Ellis law firm.

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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Fran .
818 reviews946 followers
April 28, 2016
In criminal law, deadly force is justified if a person reasonably believes this self defense will prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. Lizzie Scott, an assistant U.S. attorney is pegged to prosecute the case against Police Officer Dwayne Wayne Lee in the shooting death of Joe Rincon. .Lizzie, a rookie prosecutor, is a self assured boxer and basketball star. Her stubbornness and tag team approach working in conjunction with FBI agent John Paul Jones makes her team formidable despite her emotional flaws.

The case against Officer Lee's use of deadly force to subdue Rincon is based on eye witness testimony and irregularities in the inventoried equipment surrendered by Lee.. Lee signed and asserted that this inventory list was complete and accurate.

Jonathan Shapiro has crafted a clear and concise legal thriller. His writing is very informative and thought provoking. An excellent tome.

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced digital copy
Profile Image for CL.
815 reviews27 followers
August 25, 2016
I like Lizzie Scott as a new character to follow. She is a DA who boxes as a hobby and she cannot abide by bullying or lies due to being raised in a religious community called Convocation. She pursues a case against a cop and no one thinks she can win it even she doesn't think she has very good chance but it is the right think to do. This cop abused his power and an innocent young man paid with his life. The cast of characters is interesting and they all play well off each other. I would like to read more books with Lizzie as the heroine. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.
Profile Image for K-BRC.
1,028 reviews
July 4, 2018
Only an attorney could provide the back history for the tightly woven legal tale presented here. Only the TV writer could craft the fast-paced vibrant characters included in this book. Lizzie is such a complex personality and is so believable in this role. Although this was thought to be a series beginning, this is the only volume to date. I’d really like to read the next installment of Lizzie’s legal thrillers. Excellent legal thriller!
Profile Image for Carolyn Injoy.
1,240 reviews147 followers
June 17, 2016
Deadly Force by Jonathan Shapiro Deadly Force by Jonathan Shapiro is an intense page-turning legal suspense story. I gave it five stars. I started it in the afternoon & finished it that night. I couldn't have gone to sleep without knowing the conclusion. It was riveting.
 
John Paul Jones was an second generation FBI agent who had gotten a waver to carry a .38, a wheel gun instead of the typical semi-automatics carried. He was a dogged investigator.
 
Lizzie Scott was a prosecutor. She had to go through a background check before that took place. She avoided Jones for a personal reason. "He knew things about her. No one else did. She kept a strict separation between the personal & the professional. Her privacy & her past belonged to her. She shared with no one. Except with Jones, but only because she had no other choice." He did keep the information to himself, as far as she knew.
 
I would like to thank Ankerwycke & NetGalley for the complimentary .pdf ARC copy. That did not change my opinion for this review.
 
Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Force-L...
Profile Image for Katherine.
1,171 reviews39 followers
June 22, 2016
I love stories that encompass the law and the court system. Deadly Force gives you an exciting journey through a case against a police office (did he use deadly force) and the Federal D.A. trying a case nobody else wants. Oh, and don't forget the defense attorney that has lots of tricks up his sleeve. Jonathan Shapiro does an amazing job putting this case together. The characters are quickly developed where you understand their personalities and who you need to watch out for. My only negative was the secondary story; it was not needed. I will definitely read the next book in this series.

Thank you Ankerwycke and Netgalley for the advanced copy. This is my fair and honest review.
Profile Image for Joyce.
1,801 reviews20 followers
June 19, 2016
Lizzie Scott is an Assistant US Attorney stationed in Santa Ana, CA. John Paul Jones, the FBI Agent who vetted her for the job, asks her to take on the prosecution of an Inland Empire cop who shot an an armed young man he'd stopped for a traffic offense. Lizzie's background is enough to make anyone wonder about her, yet Jones had never so much as mentioned it, so she agrees. This novel covers the preliminaries, the trial and its outcome. It is fast, riveting reading and something you, as a reader will not want to put down. Thanks to Net Galley and Ankerwycke for an ARC for an honest review.
48 reviews1 follower
June 23, 2016
Hard hitting from the first page Lizzie Scott Federal Prosecutor love a challenge and hates to lose add in an angry small town cop who takes out his anger on a young man he stops for a busted taillight. The cop claims he shot and killed the young man in self defense when he charged at him with a knife.But there is a surprise eyewitness no one knew of who saw it all and says it was clearly murder. .Is he credible, was it Homicide instead of self defense?. Lizzie Scott takes the case amidst warnings that she may be in danger from the hotheaded cop. It is good reading that should hold readers interest from beginning to end. Good read.
Profile Image for Irene.
1,155 reviews15 followers
June 14, 2016
Deadly Force: A Lizzie Scott Novel is the first book in the Lizzie Scott Trilogy which is great news since this is one of the best legal thrillers that I have read in a very long time. The story just flows off the pages and takes you straight into the action of the story. Like them, love them, or despise them the characters are all very well developed and totally reliable. So looking forwarded to the second book of the Lizzie Scott trilogy.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book
Profile Image for Charlotte Anderson.
87 reviews3 followers
November 18, 2016
I received and advance copy of this book from NetGaller in exchange for an honest review.
The story starts when a cop is shot by a young man during a traffic stop and he claims it was self-defense. As the story unfolds their is a surprise witness much to the amazement of everybody. The witness claims that it was murder and not self-defense.
Thing get more interesting as the story continues read on to find out the out come.
The book is very well written and the characters are believable. I like to book very much and gave it 5 stars








Profile Image for Carol Dass.
Author 1 book21 followers
July 7, 2016
Excellent! Read this in record time, the suspense was too much! Lizzie is a strong, ethical prosecutor who takes on a case of a cop accused of murder and falsifying evidence. The reader learns early on that the cop really is bad and the suspense builds from there. We learn something of Lizzie's past and all that has made her the strong person she is today.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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