Living and Dying in the Rainbow Light: Volume III of the Lincoln County Law Trilogy

by Jerri Blair

Elizabeth Shaw finds herself in a dilemma of great magnitude when she's appointed by Judge J.T. Lockman to represent the most hated man in the rural county where she practices law. Her client is accused of killing a popular legal assistant who worked for the most powerful lawyer in the county, a man who's also about to announce his candidacy for governor of the state. Elizabeth's dream that she might someday be appointed as a judge begins to dissipate when she takes on this highly controversial case, but disappears completely when the married gubernatorial candidate makes it clear that he wants an affair with her as the cost of any such appointment. This novel continues the arc of change in a rural county from the prejudices of the past to a more hopeful future when the county's first female trial attorney enters the scene. She's a woman who knows her way around the courtroom and how to accept the foibles of the men who surround her in the male dominated legal community, making her very popular with the courthouse regulars. Her talents are less accepted by some of the good old boys who run the power base of the county, but she's prepared to take on anyone who gets in the way of proper representation of her clients. When her criminal client avows his innocence, her determination to do the best she can no matter what the consequences to her personal life puts her on a collision course with the most powerful lawyer in the county. It's a battle to the end for the truth to come out about what really happened to the beautiful young assistant whose death haunts everyone who knew her.

517 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 11, 2017

About the author

I practiced trial and appellate law for 28 years representing clients in many high profile cases covered by the national and international press. My cases have been featured on most of the network television prime time and morning news shows, magazines and newspapers all over the world, and have been the subject of two movies. As an attorney, I was most passionate about cases which had an impact on the law and my clients' lives. I took one of my young clients from the trial court to the U.S. Supreme Court in eighteen days to protect her privacy rights, obtained what the press labeled a "divorce" from his parents for another of my young clients so that he could be adopted by the foster family he'd come to love, and I was successful in getting another client removed from death row where he never should have been in the first place. These cases and many others that impacted the law and the lives of those I represented form a part of my inspiration to write. In my younger years, I travelled America, hitchhiked thousands of miles, lived in a commune, and became a yogi, a practice I continued throughout my life. I have retired and now work on editing and publishing the six novels I wrote during my legal career. I am a Southern woman who is still most passionate about the protection of human rights. I love history, philosophy, literature, scientific theory, reading, traveling, and college sports.

Reviews

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very suspenseful book. I really got into the mystery, trying to figure out what really happened behind the scenes. It's a story full of twists and turns as a man is on trial for the murder of a local paralegal. The courtroom drama is great and keeps your attention all the way through the book. I like the main character, Elizabeth, an attorney who is defending the suspected murderer. She's a strong, smart woman who handles her case and her colleagues with ease. The book also centers around a judge, J.T., who presides over the case with fairness and dignity, as he deals with some hard things going on at home. It's a story that draws the reader in, to this small town that has some seriously interesting people who have all kinds of quirks and endearing qualities. I'd like to go back and read the first couple of books in the series, because I think it would give more insight into some of the people with their backgrounds. But, no worries, this story stands alone and is an enjoyable legal thriller with its own compelling events. I recommend it.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was intrigued just by the synopsis and then stared reading and got hooked immediately. This book was amazing. The author did a great job with character development, plot, multiple difficulties faced by the heroine and just conveying what it would be like for a woman breaking into a male dominated field during the transformation of a woman's role in society. Highly recommended!