Two Wrongs: A Mercy Johnson Novel

by Reita Pendry

Federal prosecutor Laura Moss kills her husband when she finds him with her naked daughter. Was he raping Anna, as it appeared? Anna swears her mother killed her stepfather because she knew they were having an affair. The police credit Anna’s story and charge Laura with first degree murder. Washington, DC defense attorney Mercy Johnson takes on Laura’s case. Even though they were often adversaries in court, Laura should be working with Mercy to mount a defense. Instead, Laura fights her lawyer at every turn to protect Anna from the consequences of her history of lies. Will Laura make the ultimate sacrifice, her freedom, to protect her troubled child?

217 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 25, 2015

About the author

Biographical Information
Author Reita Pendry overcame years of paralyzing stage fright to become a criminal defense attorney. Over the course of a thirty-plus year career, she tried many cases to juries in Washington, DC and North Carolina. Her legal experience and her passion for justice animate her Mercy Johnson legal mystery series and this new series with Cassandra Robbins as the protagonist.
Robbins is a criminal defense attorney and a recovering alcoholic. Although the author is not herself an alcoholic or addict, she draws on the painful struggles of beloved family members to craft this new series. Courage, inspiration and hope are the bedrock qualities of Cassandra’s journey.
Like Cassandra, the author is accompanied on her journey by family, colleagues and friends, and a house full of rescue animals.

Reviews

[Jenifer Ruff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two Wrongs, by Reita Pendry, is a thoughtful, realistic novel that carefully guides the reader through the inner-workings of the court system. The novel reminded me of an in depth Law and Order episode with a touch of Orange is the New Black. Two Wrongs begins with a death that might possibly be a murder. Pendry skillfully leads us through the investigation and the case build-up from both sides of the courtroom with an insider’s insight. The pace really zings along when we meet Thelma Lyons, the prosecutor, a delightful, debutante villain.
Pendry has given us characters to cheer for and characters to dislike, but in a subtle way, as if she is presenting the case as it really happened, reserving her own judgments and allowing us to form our own opinions. For example, the scandalous aspects surrounding the death in question are never focused on as a main theme in the story.
This is the third novel in Pendry’s Mercy Johnson series. While it stands alone, I could tell there were interesting threads of background story from the first and second that will probably carry over to the fourth as well. A great read.

[Dr. Sharon Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, for sure, murder made bizarre bedfellows. Laura Moss, a fit of justified rage bludgeons her unfaithful husband to death. Because of this she is compelled to contact one of Washington DC’s top criminal defense lawyers. Here is where the book gets exciting. Laura tells the police that she killed her husband because she thought her husband was rapping her daughter. The daughter, an antagonistic young lady, tells the police that her mother was jealous of the relationship between her and the mother’s husband; therefore, Laura killed her husband. WHEW!!! Mercy Johnson, a federal prosecutor and opponent of Laura’s was asked by Laura to help her get through this mess. Laura accepts and handles the case well. Here I’ll stop and let you read it for yourself. This is a great book.