What do you think?
Rate this book
Chinese Wall: Lawyer in Jeopardy Redacting Secret Documents
MERIT BRIDGES IS TASKED WITH HIDING INFORMATION BEHIND A LEGAL ETHICS DEVICE CALLED A CHINESE WALL. WILL SHE KEEP THE SECRETS, EVEN IF IT COSTS HER EVERYTHING?Attorney Merit Bridges finds herself appointed as special counsel in a murder case where she becomes privy to top-secret information hidden behind a Chinese Wall. She must then discern if the curtain created by the court and powerful FBI operatives is to protect or deceive!Where the line between right and wrong blurs, Merit’s decisions will reshape her destiny and the fate of those she seeks to defend.As the weight of the classified secrets threatens to crumble her career and integrity, Merit plunges into a perilous game of legal brinksmanship. With adversaries lurking in the shadows, she must navigate the tempestuous waters of law, loyalty, and deception.Set in the high-stakes world of an FBI investigation, and bursting with courthouse scheming, intrigue, and stunning plot twists.Will Merit stay trapped behind the Chinese Wall? Or will the relentless pursuit of justice lead her to unveil the hidden truths, regardless of the sacrifice?Chinese Wall is the fourth book of the Merit Bridges Legal Thrillers. If you like powerful characters, twisty stories, and shocking revelations, then you’ll love Manning Wolfe’s heart-pounding novel. Can be read in any order.Get Chinese Wall today!Praise for the Merit Bridges Legal Thriller “Filled with great characters, well-researched law, and suspenseful mysteries…” - Larry A. Winters, Jessie Black Legal Thrillers"A legal thriller not to be missed, compelling and action-packed, with vivid characters and an authentic setting.” - Mark Pryor, Hugo Marston Novels"A high-speed storyline full of twists and turns upon a stark background of reality as lawyers might really experience it. Manning Wolfe is one of the up-and-coming legal thriller writers of this generation. Read her and enjoy her, but don't expect much sleep!" - John Ellsworth, Michael Gresham and Thaddeus Murfee Legal Thrillers
325 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 28, 2021
52 people are currently reading
416 people want to read
About the author
Manning Wolfe
87 books283 followersMANNING WOLFE, an award-winning author and attorney, writes cinematic-style, smart, fast-paced thrillers and crime fiction. Manning was recently featured on Oxygen TV’s: Accident, Suicide, or Murder, and has spoken at major book festivals around the world.
* Manning’s legal thriller series features Austin attorney Merit Bridges, including Dollar Signs, Music Notes, Green Fees, and Chinese Wall.
* Manning’s new Proxy Legal Thrillers Series features Houston attorney Quinton Bell, including Dead By Proxy, Hunted By Proxy, and Alive By Proxy.
* Manning is co-author of Killer Set: Drop the Mic, and twelve additional Bullet Books Speed Reads.
As a graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law, Manning’s experience has given her a voyeur’s peek into some shady characters’ lives and a front-row seat to watch the good people who stand against them.
www.manningwolfe.com
* Manning’s legal thriller series features Austin attorney Merit Bridges, including Dollar Signs, Music Notes, Green Fees, and Chinese Wall.
* Manning’s new Proxy Legal Thrillers Series features Houston attorney Quinton Bell, including Dead By Proxy, Hunted By Proxy, and Alive By Proxy.
* Manning is co-author of Killer Set: Drop the Mic, and twelve additional Bullet Books Speed Reads.
As a graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law, Manning’s experience has given her a voyeur’s peek into some shady characters’ lives and a front-row seat to watch the good people who stand against them.
www.manningwolfe.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 19, 2024
Terrorists, teenage girls, and Texas
Merit Bridges acts as reviewer of documents between the FBI and the defense attorney in a case involving a mass terrorist attack. She soon feels something is not quite right but not sure what is wrong. A compelling triller.
Merit Bridges acts as reviewer of documents between the FBI and the defense attorney in a case involving a mass terrorist attack. She soon feels something is not quite right but not sure what is wrong. A compelling triller.
September 18, 2021
Great read!
August 3, 2021
This is the fourth book in the Merit Bridges Legal Thriller Series, it is a series about Merit Bridges who is a attorney in Austin, Texas. She is not your typical attorney, she is strong willed and can go up against the best.
Attorney Merit Bridges finds herself in quite a predicament, she is appointed as special counsel on a case. A case that involves some very top secret information. Merit must decide if the FBI operatives are hiding something. But as she tries to find out, she runs up against the Chinese Wall. What is the Chinese Wall ? To find out what it is, you will need to read this fantastic story, no spoiler here.
I love the series because Manny Wolfe had created a character who seems to be so realistic. Manny Wolfe’s writing ability, her legal experience as a attorney and her style of storyteller is by far the best!!
Chinese Wall is packed with suspenseful action, intrigue and twists and turns that make this story so very good. Manny Wolfe has created a relationship between the characters and the readers in all the books in the Merit Bridges Thriller Series. I highly recommend reading this awesome book and all the other books in this series.
Attorney Merit Bridges finds herself in quite a predicament, she is appointed as special counsel on a case. A case that involves some very top secret information. Merit must decide if the FBI operatives are hiding something. But as she tries to find out, she runs up against the Chinese Wall. What is the Chinese Wall ? To find out what it is, you will need to read this fantastic story, no spoiler here.
I love the series because Manny Wolfe had created a character who seems to be so realistic. Manny Wolfe’s writing ability, her legal experience as a attorney and her style of storyteller is by far the best!!
Chinese Wall is packed with suspenseful action, intrigue and twists and turns that make this story so very good. Manny Wolfe has created a relationship between the characters and the readers in all the books in the Merit Bridges Thriller Series. I highly recommend reading this awesome book and all the other books in this series.
August 20, 2021
Manning Wolfe has bravely set her Merit Bridges into the all-too-familiar intrigue of domestic terrorism for this one. Heck, yeah!
September 16, 2021
I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.
This is my fourth time trying to write a review for this book. At this point I just want to be done with it, so here are some random thoughts.
Unlikable main protagonists. Plot holes everywhere. Lots of telling, but not showing. Info dumps by the truck load. I think I counted all of three courtroom scenes in what is described as a "legal thriller". There are no thrills.
None of the characters are fleshed out. Their personalities consist solely of their car, their clothes, and/or their skin color.
If you are a female friend or acquaintance of the main protagonist you get to be described as "lovely" and "exotic".
Unless you are the assistant prosecutor and then the author describes you like this:
" Eleanor "Ellie" Frank was a dark-skinned woman of middle age, possibly chosen as second chair for her politically correct color as much as her legal expertise. "
Gah! I've read that over and over again to see if there could possibly be another way to take that and I don't think there is. Again, that's the author's description; not dialogue from any characters. It just comes across as nasty, especially considering that Ellie is a non-entity who is never mentioned again and has no dialogue.
I was already uncomfortable with some of the writing (there was just something...off in the way the author wrote about people in general, and I also got definite vibes of "poor people are grody" and that was before we got the nasty trailer scene). Then I read that, and it was like "what am I reading". It's very odd to see that in a story about white supremacy and terrorism and not have it spoken by a villain.
Merit Bridges is supposed to be our hero and she has a real shaky grasp of ethics.
Drink during billable hours while reviewing evidence in a death penalty case? Yep.
Immediately make contact with the defense attorney even though you were forbidden from doing so? Yep.
Recuse yourself due to a conflict of interest? Hell no!
(And there's another conflict of interest that is very obvious and it's never brought up and it's infuriating.) There are times when Merit would seem to be more at home in a Meg Cabot teen novel from 2001 rather than a legal thriller from 2021.
The big bad of the book is laughably stupid, but his superiors aren't much smarter. He is a
Let's see, what else:
The heroes spend a significant portion of the book watching CNN-style news programming. We are forced to watch along with them and it is excruciating. These segments alone are some of the worst in the book. Here's a sample:
" On Anguish. "Of course, a jury of McDonald's peers will evaluate the evidence against him at trial."
On Mary Ellen. "Correct, Ernest. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law". "
This format of "On Anguish. Blahblah. On Mary Ellen. Blah. On Anguish. Blahblahblah." is repeated ad nauseam throughout the book. Often for multiple paragraphs and sometimes for multiple pages!
There's an egregious sex scene that is a prime example of the IKEA erotica trope. The context for this scene is wild.
According to this book, Mexican accents and Mexican restaurants are considered "exotic" in San Antonio, Texas. I'm smiling even now just thinking about that. And I'm incredulous that any American (much less a Texan!) would describe Mexican food as exotic, unless that person had been kept in a time capsule.
Hey, so here's something I never thought I'd ever have to type:
Yeah, that happens. That whole section is one of the most tasteless things I've ever read. I'm not gonna quote any of it, it's bad and gross.
Of all of my thousands of ebooks, this has the most highlights/notes I've ever made: over 100 in what Amazon says is a 368 page book. I can't share everything that I found odd, bad, or amusing with you but here are some things that stood out:
" the attorney who'd comitted suicide and made way for Jerry Webb to take over the case, lay quietly in his casket."
(I love this sentence so much!)
"The screen changed to Mary Ellen in front of large white columns of justice."
(Love this one too!)
"Val blanched white as the blood drained from his face."
(Well, what other color would he blanch?)
One of the characters kills himself. His suicide is a textbook case, literally:
"He experienced visceral congestion of the the venous vessels and blood stasis, petechiae, cyanosis, and fluidity of the body. Small veins broke from high intravascular pressure on the surface of his heart and organs, skin and scalp."
(That is not dialogue from a medical examiner or the autopsy report; that is how the author describes the suicide as it's happening.)
Lucy, the teenage daughter of the defendant, is staying at an FBI safehouse. She escapes from the house through an upper story window. She can't walk out her bedroom door because the FBI put a camera in a teenage girl's bedroom. But for some reason they didn't have a camera aimed at the outside of the window. What kind of safehouse is this?
Speaking of Lucy, she is the only genuinely likable character and I thought she was fairly well-written. The author clearly took a little more care with her and it shows. It's a pity that all the rest reads like rough notes.
I am stunned there are, so far, no other 1-star reviews. I don't understand what others see here. I truly cannot tell if this is supposed to be a serious work or a parody. I laughed at things I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to, cringed at what I think were supposed to be "cinematic-style" scenes, and at one point I briefly wondered if this had been run through google translate.
One of my favorite podcasts is called 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back. That name sums up how I feel about this book. This was 368 pages I'll never, ever get back.
I got this book for free and it still cost me way too much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2021
An act of domestic terrorism strikes close to home for Austin attorney Merit Bridges when a bomb goes off in the San Antonio riverwalk marketplace, killing hundreds. Shortly thereafter, the mayor of San Antonio is murdered, and the mayor of Austin, who is a friend of Merit's, is kidnapped.
All but one of the bombers are dead, and fingers point to Bobby Ray McDonald as the plot's mastermind. Or is he just the scapegoat?
Merit becomes involved when the judge appoints her as a liaison between the defense team and the FBI. Her job is to redact FBI documents to which the defense is entitled, removing sensitive information about FBI investigations not pertinent to the case. The term is known as a Chinese Wall; hence, the book's title.
Complicating matters, the lead defense lawyer "commits suicide" and junior attorney Jerry Webb, a former lover of Merit's, takes over. The defendant won't talk, won't lift a finger to help his case, since the FBI has taken his wife and daughter to a "safe house" where they are essentially prisoners. Merit senses the FBI is hiding things, but she can't legally share her concerns with the defense team. And she doesn't trust Archibald Duke, the lead FBI agent in the investigation. Her armpits tingle whenever she's around him--her signature sixth-sense response to evil.
And in fact, the reader knows before Merit that Duke's hands are dirty, as parts of the story are told from his point of view.
The attacks on the two mayors sort of faded into the background, and that thread doesn't really get picked up again.
The complexities of the terrorism case and the cat-and-mouse game Merit and Jerry play with Duke held my attention.
This is the fourth in a series, but it could be read as a stand-alone.
All but one of the bombers are dead, and fingers point to Bobby Ray McDonald as the plot's mastermind. Or is he just the scapegoat?
Merit becomes involved when the judge appoints her as a liaison between the defense team and the FBI. Her job is to redact FBI documents to which the defense is entitled, removing sensitive information about FBI investigations not pertinent to the case. The term is known as a Chinese Wall; hence, the book's title.
Complicating matters, the lead defense lawyer "commits suicide" and junior attorney Jerry Webb, a former lover of Merit's, takes over. The defendant won't talk, won't lift a finger to help his case, since the FBI has taken his wife and daughter to a "safe house" where they are essentially prisoners. Merit senses the FBI is hiding things, but she can't legally share her concerns with the defense team. And she doesn't trust Archibald Duke, the lead FBI agent in the investigation. Her armpits tingle whenever she's around him--her signature sixth-sense response to evil.
And in fact, the reader knows before Merit that Duke's hands are dirty, as parts of the story are told from his point of view.
The attacks on the two mayors sort of faded into the background, and that thread doesn't really get picked up again.
The complexities of the terrorism case and the cat-and-mouse game Merit and Jerry play with Duke held my attention.
This is the fourth in a series, but it could be read as a stand-alone.
March 19, 2024
I received an ARC and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
This story begims with terrorist acts in Texas; a bombing, killing and kidnapping. Because of this activity, the FBI quickly takes control. One item that happens shortly after is the arrest of a suspect who is thought to be involved with the bombing. Merit is in her offices working when she becomes aware of the news. A few days later, Nerit receives a call from the Federal judge handling the case asking her to be a liason between the prosecution and defense teams.
At the initial hearing, the defense is headed by Jerry Webb who is there because the defendant's 1st lawyer has died. Merit's role is to review the documents and redact information not pertinent to the defendant's case. This is where term China Wall comes into play.
Merit is to review the documents at the local FBI office. As she is reviewing the information, she gets a gut feeling that something is not right. Once the trial begins, she relays her concern to the judge and a meeting is held with the lawyers to resolve. Later an incident happens which changes everything. As a result, there are many parties that wind up in danger.
To learn what Merit found, what event happened, who were the parties that were involved, who was the ringleader of the Texas attacks, then you must read this book. The ending will clear it all up.
This story begims with terrorist acts in Texas; a bombing, killing and kidnapping. Because of this activity, the FBI quickly takes control. One item that happens shortly after is the arrest of a suspect who is thought to be involved with the bombing. Merit is in her offices working when she becomes aware of the news. A few days later, Nerit receives a call from the Federal judge handling the case asking her to be a liason between the prosecution and defense teams.
At the initial hearing, the defense is headed by Jerry Webb who is there because the defendant's 1st lawyer has died. Merit's role is to review the documents and redact information not pertinent to the defendant's case. This is where term China Wall comes into play.
Merit is to review the documents at the local FBI office. As she is reviewing the information, she gets a gut feeling that something is not right. Once the trial begins, she relays her concern to the judge and a meeting is held with the lawyers to resolve. Later an incident happens which changes everything. As a result, there are many parties that wind up in danger.
To learn what Merit found, what event happened, who were the parties that were involved, who was the ringleader of the Texas attacks, then you must read this book. The ending will clear it all up.
January 11, 2022
Won this from a Goodreads giveaway a while back. The plot was engaging, but I am not that crazy about Texas or domestic terrorism. There were some errors in printing. This is another book I'd like to rate 2.5 stars because "okay" seems too low, but "I liked it" seems a tad too high. I had read this as a stand-alone, but I felt that there was not enough background for the main characters. It was alluded to, but not brought out. If you like legal thrillers, and you have read the previous books in the series, I recommend you read it.
April 6, 2024
I received this book, free, for an honest review, and that's what I'm giving. Chinese Wall, by Manning Wolfe, is a more exciting, fresher style of writing than what I'm used to reading. It was a riveting piece of literature, and kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end, due to the characters and storyline. I hope you read it for yourself, and please leave a review, not only for prospective readers, who are very important, but for Manning Wolfe, as well, to let her know how you felt about her story.
October 21, 2024
What! She’s still a villain!
I enjoyed this book by Manning Wolfe. Her descriptions of well known places in Austin and San Antonio were well done. The villains were certainly evil! I was not quite sure why the victims were prominent local figures! And I was disappointed that one of the “bad guys” didn’t reform.
I found the book engaging and the characters, particularly the good guys, were people I would like to meet!
I enjoyed this book by Manning Wolfe. Her descriptions of well known places in Austin and San Antonio were well done. The villains were certainly evil! I was not quite sure why the victims were prominent local figures! And I was disappointed that one of the “bad guys” didn’t reform.
I found the book engaging and the characters, particularly the good guys, were people I would like to meet!
October 5, 2021
Entertaining read.
December 26, 2021
Excellent book. I hav never read Ms Wolfe’s books prior to reading this one. As I said it was very well written. Can’t wait to read her first 3 books.
March 11, 2022
Another great legal-thriller book from Manning Wolfe! I love the pacing , the twist and the characters in the story! A must read!
July 18, 2024
great read
Exciting story with many players that turns out to have a great plot. Fun to read and adds how the FBI can have many tangled webs!
Exciting story with many players that turns out to have a great plot. Fun to read and adds how the FBI can have many tangled webs!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews