Twisted Justice

Marc Kadella Legal Mystery #12

by Dennis Carstens

I'M BETTER OFF KILLING HER," HE SAID... Those offhand words come back to haunt him when his wife’s found stabbed in her lover’s parking garage. It seemed like a harmless enough remark at the time – the joking reaction of a wealthy man to the cost of divorce. But now he’s the obvious suspect. And his lawyer, Marc Kadella, has to tell him the other bad news. His wife was running quite the side business as a dominatrix. The husband thought she was just a lady who lunched, who’d never had a job other than the one she had when he met her – Minnesota Vikings cheerleader – but it seems she and her friends were still a hard-working squad. The group of eight ex-cheerleaders had moved their gymnastics indoors , building a lucrative prostitution business, and his wife had developed her own specialty—along with a stash of secrets belonging to some of the most influential and powerful men in the state . The case is a prosecutor’s dream—the defendant’s phone records show he went to a party, then traveled to the scene of the murder, and back to the party . So obviously open-and-shut the police haven’t even bothered to look at other suspects. That leaves Marc an opening for the daring defense known in the trade as Some Other Dude Did It. Readers who like their mysteries smart and complex will be enthralled by Carstens’ spellbinding construction of Marc’s painstaking defense , which pays off like a dream, accelerating twists and turns leading to a satisfying conclusion. Guaranteed to delight fans of taut legal thrillers like those of John Grisham, Richard North Patterson, Brad Thor, John Ellsworth, and Scott Pratt.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Legal, Thriller, Crime

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 28, 2021

About the author

Dennis Carstens was born in Worthington, MN, and has lived most of his life in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. He received a BA from the University of Minnesota and his J.D. from a highly respected private law school, William Mitchell, in St. Paul. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a retired trial lawyer, Carstens brings these life experiences to his fiction for a dose of realism and accuracy missing from much of the legal thriller genre today.

Reviews

[Coco.V]

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[Jacob Peled]

This is the 12th book by Dennis Carstens that I’ve read, and up until now all eleven previous ones earned five stars from me. This is the first one, that falls short, receiving four stars overall.
The first half of the book was easily five-star material in my view. Tight, engaging, and compelling. Unfortunately, the second half dropped to a three-to-four-star level. The main reason is the excessive length devoted to courtroom proceedings. There are very long stretches describing the trial itself: entire chapters of witness examinations and closing arguments that contain little to no suspense. I enjoy legal thrillers, but here the focus on courtroom detail felt overindulgent and ultimately diluted the tension.
This also led to a second issue: an overwhelming number of characters. By my estimate, the novel includes close to 60 characters, making it genuinely difficult to keep track of who is who. I frequently had to rely on the e-reader’s search function just to remind myself of a character’s role in the story. For readers who struggle with names, or for those who read the book over several days rather than in one stretch, this can become a real distraction.
Overall, still a solid and worthwhile read, just not up to the consistently exceptional standard Carstens has set for himself in his earlier work.

[Roy Murry]

TWISTED JUSTICE
DENNIS CARSTENS

Review by Author Roy Murry

TWISTED JUSTICE is my third Carstens novel read and the twelfth in his Marc Kadella legal series. In his writing, he brings out the worst and best of humanity.

Marc, a defense lawyer, and his lover Maddy, a PI, round out a group of characters that propel the series forward by getting to the truth of a crime. In this novel, a friend of Marc's is charged with the horrendous murder of his wife.

The wife's secret life, the group of her friends, and her well-connected clients play a role in this twisted case. Marc and his cohorts develop a plausible defense.

In his deductive evaluation, however, Marc knows the truth and keeps it to himself, which leads to a thrilling closure. The twists and turns of this well-written novel will keep you reading to the end.

[Ellen White]

This plot for me was fascinating, the details of the case were easy to follow. Did one think he was guilty, when everything about his wife’s business,blackmailing clients, came out. Then it was all the big elite guys who thought they were untouchable when names were found out. Then you have how elections have been won. At then finding that most were in love with the deceased and her way for them to release their stress.
Touch of humor, some new people, and we have Maddy and Marc
Well done, and enjoyed

[Doug Ward]

In this courtroom thriller, Minneapolis defense attorney Marc Kadella defends an old friend who has been accused of murdering his wife. The prosecution has some good circumstantial evidence---most notably, the presence of the husband's phone at the crime scene at the right time---but when Marc's investigators start digging deeper, they find that a number of people had strong motives to want the wife out of the way. As usual, Marc and his team are consummate professionals who do a great job for the client and help uncover the truth.

[Steve Daugherty]

Interesting read with some insight as to the inner workings of a courtroom. I feel the book jumped around in some sections and didn't fully develop certain aspects if the story which left me (the reader) hanging and wondering how and why a particular detail was brought up, then never brought up or developed again. I know that's vague, but I don't want to give away details of an otherwise entertaining book. I'll look for other books by this author and try to read this series in order.

[Sebastian Barrow]

Into another interesting world.

A great story that delves into the world of Bondage and Discipline and, of course, murder. Yet again Marc has the task of casting reasonable doubt for his client. Doing this has opened another can of worms though.
I enjoy these books with the banter between all of the team and watching the relationship grow between Marc and Maddie. They do make humorous sparring partners! And now to the next.

[Arrowhead]

Another great Mark Kadella mystery

So much theory on who did it. I never thought that Peter was the bad guy until half way through the twists ( no pun intended) and turns of the story. Then I started to think hmm is he really innocent? Glad that Justice prevailed in the long run. Thanks Dennis for another great read.

[Jean Maxwell]

I stumbled across Twisted Justice opened the book and was hooked

Well plotted, written, historically possible to have happened since the English did rescue their trapped military by volunteers using ships and even smaller yachts, etc. to save their Navy. Absolutely loved the ending.

[Shannon]

Disappointing

How can the latest in the series be boring?! My takeaway is everybody loves Maddy Maddy Maddy until the reader doesn't like her. New editor & they threw away the good parts on accident? There is some witty banter but not enough to save it.

[Irene Walton]

Fantastic read

This book has everything. Money, infidelity, murder all tangling with a group of attorneys , PI's and associates who get the job done with with humor and hard work.

[Marcella]

Always delivers

I have been looking forward to the next installment in Kadella series. As usual Maddy is the cake but Marc is the icing. Thanks for taking headlines and giving them life.

[brian bolton]

Another great read from Mr. Carstens. fast moving, numerous plot potentials, lots of humour and the law almost wins out again with plenty of help from non-believers.
The standards set in the previous novels has been maintained and I for one am very appreciative.

[Larry Gee Shoup]

Great read as always

I thoroughly this series and can heartily recommend it to fans of court room drama. The characters are real and consistent from book to book. They become old friends and difficult to part with in the end.

[Maria Barbosa]

É uma narrativa de detetives que é narrada pelo ponto de vista do advogado de defesa, o que a torna diferente, visto que o objetivo não é encontrar o criminoso, mas provar que o cliente não o é. Interessante, com algumas cenas divertidas, e um final surpreendente.

[Pat Eroh]

awesome

I love this series. I usually get tired of a series by the 5th or 6th but this being 12 and I’ve read all of the previous books am fully engaged. Hoping there’s more after 20. Great characters and always a great story.

[Rebecca Warren]

Disappointed

Used to look forward to the next book. But the last 2 have been so disappointing, so much so I can't be bothered to read the end of this one.
The main characters are so much each other's arse. It's sad.

[Jim]

Book 12 in the series

Marc is hired to represent a guy accused of murdering his wife. All the evidence points to his client so Marc uses reasonable doubt and the SODDI defense. There are several surprises along the way. A great story.

[Diana L Johnson]

Legalese made easy

Carstens writes a very good novel. The Kadella series is a great read. Putting the book done was very hard. You long to continue.

[Jim E.]

Really enjoyed this latest adventure of Marc Kadella. The story was interesting and kept me engaged until the end, which seemed to come too quickly as in previous books .

[John Roach,]

One of the best books I've read this year.

[Trish Davis]

Another fantastic book in the Marc Kadella series. Just love the writing of Dennis Carstens.

[Cynthia D Biggs]

Typical Mark Kadella story.

[Bruce Green]

Another great story by Mr. Carstens.

[Denise Adens Parnell]

Denise, avid reader

Love the twist and turns. Excellent read. Can't wait for the next legal thriller by the author. Enjoy!!..... DAP Interior Designer

[Mary E Kilpatrick]

Terrific mind swimming novel!

Great story...who did what to who? Extracellular activity throughout. Wants you to vote innocent until proven guilty! Great and exciting!

[Ann]

love these books

Once again this novel does not disappoint. Mr. kadella solves it again. I can’t wait for the next one. Thank you Mr. Carstens.

[Marla Madison]

Great courtroom drama, but this book was obviously rushed to press without good editing. Enjoyed the read but the numerous errors distracted from the plot.

[Virginia]

Besides the surprise result of the murder trial; there is an additional surprise ending.

[Steve Thomas]

Quite a story

In this quite an intense story. There is enough corruption and salacious activities to keep.pages turning. I enjoyed this volume of a great series.