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When a scandalous divorce trial interferes with a ruthless killer, can one tough lawyer find the truth before she becomes the next victim?
Kenzi Rivera is classy, compassionate, and ready to buck the status quo. Sick of being patronized by judges and undervalued by her own firm, the no-nonsense Hispanic attorney boldly takes on a high-profile divorce for a tech-world “throuple.” But the case turns toxic when leaked nudes of her client go viral and ruin her reputation.
Determined to help this woman already battling a debilitating neurological disorder, Kenzi is caught off-guard when her new client’s partner is strangled. With damning evidence massing at an alarming rate, vindicating her troubled client may be impossible.
Can Kenzi discover whose hands are covered in blood before the jury brings back a guilty verdict? Can she make this right before the killer makes her the next target?
Kenzi Rivera is classy, compassionate, and ready to buck the status quo. Sick of being patronized by judges and undervalued by her own firm, the no-nonsense Hispanic attorney boldly takes on a high-profile divorce for a tech-world “throuple.” But the case turns toxic when leaked nudes of her client go viral and ruin her reputation.
Determined to help this woman already battling a debilitating neurological disorder, Kenzi is caught off-guard when her new client’s partner is strangled. With damning evidence massing at an alarming rate, vindicating her troubled client may be impossible.
Can Kenzi discover whose hands are covered in blood before the jury brings back a guilty verdict? Can she make this right before the killer makes her the next target?
- GenresLegal
334 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 26, 2021
91 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
William Bernhardt
96 books512 followersWilliam Bernhardt is the author of over sixty books, including the bestselling Daniel Pike and Ben Kincaid legal thrillers, the historical novels Challengers of the Dust and Nemesis, three books of poetry, and the ten Red Sneaker books on fiction writing.
In addition, Bernhardt founded the Red Sneaker Writers Center to mentor aspiring writers. The Center hosts an annual writers conference (WriterCon), small-group seminars, a monthly newsletter, and a bi-weekly podcast. More than three dozen of Bernhardt’s students have subsequently published with major houses. He is also the owner of Balkan Press, which publishes poetry and fiction as well as the literary journal Conclave.
Bernhardt has received the Southern Writers Guild’s Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (University of Pennsylvania) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (Oklahoma State), which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." He has been nominated for the Oklahoma Book Award eighteen times in three different categories, and has won the award twice. Library Journal called him “the master of the courtroom drama.” The Vancouver Sun called him “the American equivalent of P.G. Wodehouse and John Mortimer.”
In addition to his novels and poetry, he has written plays, a musical (book and score), humor, children stories, biography, and puzzles. He has edited two anthologies (Legal Briefs and Natural Suspect) as fundraisers for The Nature Conservancy and the Children’s Legal Defense Fund. OSU named him “Oklahoma’s Renaissance Man.”
In his spare time, he has enjoyed surfing, digging for dinosaurs, trekking through the Himalayas, paragliding, scuba diving, caving, zip-lining over the canopy of the Costa Rican rain forest, and jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet. In 2013, he became a Jeopardy! champion winning over $20,000.
When Bernhardt delivered the keynote address at the San Francisco Writers Conference, chairman Michael Larsen noted that in addition to penning novels, Bernhardt can “write a sonnet, play a sonata, plant a garden, try a lawsuit, teach a class, cook a gourmet meal, beat you at Scrabble, and work the New York Times crossword in under five minutes.”
In addition, Bernhardt founded the Red Sneaker Writers Center to mentor aspiring writers. The Center hosts an annual writers conference (WriterCon), small-group seminars, a monthly newsletter, and a bi-weekly podcast. More than three dozen of Bernhardt’s students have subsequently published with major houses. He is also the owner of Balkan Press, which publishes poetry and fiction as well as the literary journal Conclave.
Bernhardt has received the Southern Writers Guild’s Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (University of Pennsylvania) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (Oklahoma State), which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." He has been nominated for the Oklahoma Book Award eighteen times in three different categories, and has won the award twice. Library Journal called him “the master of the courtroom drama.” The Vancouver Sun called him “the American equivalent of P.G. Wodehouse and John Mortimer.”
In addition to his novels and poetry, he has written plays, a musical (book and score), humor, children stories, biography, and puzzles. He has edited two anthologies (Legal Briefs and Natural Suspect) as fundraisers for The Nature Conservancy and the Children’s Legal Defense Fund. OSU named him “Oklahoma’s Renaissance Man.”
In his spare time, he has enjoyed surfing, digging for dinosaurs, trekking through the Himalayas, paragliding, scuba diving, caving, zip-lining over the canopy of the Costa Rican rain forest, and jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet. In 2013, he became a Jeopardy! champion winning over $20,000.
When Bernhardt delivered the keynote address at the San Francisco Writers Conference, chairman Michael Larsen noted that in addition to penning novels, Bernhardt can “write a sonnet, play a sonata, plant a garden, try a lawsuit, teach a class, cook a gourmet meal, beat you at Scrabble, and work the New York Times crossword in under five minutes.”
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 10, 2022
Always keen to read anything by William Bernhardt, I returned to this new series to see how the worlds of divorce and murder collide. (No comments from the peanut gallery, please!) Bernhardt spins quite the story and gets to the root of many topics that are abuzz in society, while also using his stunning writing style to keep the reader entertained throughout. Another winner from an author who has shown he has the magic many authors seek.
As a competent divorce attorney, Kenzi Rivera works well in her family’s practice. However, she is still living in the shadows cast by both her father and brother, leaving Kenzie eager to carve out her own niche. When she lands a high-profile divorce case, she’s sure that it will help her define an already exciting career. When a two members of a thruple reach out for assistance in a divorce case, Kenzie is eager to help. Wading into the world of polyamorous relationships, Kenzie realises just how poorly versed she, and most of the legal community, tend to be on the subject.
After a scandalous set of photos leak during the divorce proceedings, Kenzie must be on guard for what could happen next. When one of the women in the thruple turns on the other and accepts a payout, tempers flare and accusations are made, but things really take a turn when the jilted wife is accused of murdering her fellow wife by strangulation.
Kenzie is forced to change gears and leave divorce proceedings behind as she defends her client on charges of murder. The evidence is stacked against her, but Kenzie is not yet ready to toss in the proverbial towel. Working her way through the trial, Kenzie wonders if there is more to the thruple than meets the eye and whether someone might be trying to push all the blame on her client.
All the while, someone has been targeting people along the streets of Seattle, strangling them and leaving their bodies for the authorities to discover, while others simply vanish into thin air. Could the Seattle Strangler be behind the murders, leaving Kenzie’s client in the clear? It will be a major uphill battle, pitting Kenzie against some ruthless DA who is seeking to advance his career. However, determination will be one of the tools in Kenzie’s legal quiver she will have to use effectively. Bernhardt at his best, stirring up legal matters to educate his readings fans!
I have long enjoyed the work of William Bernhardt, finding his approach to legal writing to be both intriguing and highly educational. Bernhardt always hits the nail on the head and shows how complex legal matters can be. Using new and unique angles to the law, the reader is able to immerse themselves in all that Bernhardt has to offer, taking much away from each novel. Well-paced and full of drama, this is a series I am surprisingly enjoying more than I thought I might.
William Bernhardt has a way with writing, such that the reader is pulled into the middle of the legal drama and never loses their interest. The momentum builds with a strong narrative and develops as plots and characters add depth to an already intriguing piece. Chapters of varying lengths keep the reader guessing what awaits them and they can usually find momentum in forging onwards as the book gets more intense. Bernhardt uses legal and societal matters to grease the wheels, keeping the reader in an ever-learning situation. I am keen to see how the next (and last?) novel in the series will play out for fans.
Kudos, Mr. Bernhardt, for another winner in a long list of wonderful novels.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
As a competent divorce attorney, Kenzi Rivera works well in her family’s practice. However, she is still living in the shadows cast by both her father and brother, leaving Kenzie eager to carve out her own niche. When she lands a high-profile divorce case, she’s sure that it will help her define an already exciting career. When a two members of a thruple reach out for assistance in a divorce case, Kenzie is eager to help. Wading into the world of polyamorous relationships, Kenzie realises just how poorly versed she, and most of the legal community, tend to be on the subject.
After a scandalous set of photos leak during the divorce proceedings, Kenzie must be on guard for what could happen next. When one of the women in the thruple turns on the other and accepts a payout, tempers flare and accusations are made, but things really take a turn when the jilted wife is accused of murdering her fellow wife by strangulation.
Kenzie is forced to change gears and leave divorce proceedings behind as she defends her client on charges of murder. The evidence is stacked against her, but Kenzie is not yet ready to toss in the proverbial towel. Working her way through the trial, Kenzie wonders if there is more to the thruple than meets the eye and whether someone might be trying to push all the blame on her client.
All the while, someone has been targeting people along the streets of Seattle, strangling them and leaving their bodies for the authorities to discover, while others simply vanish into thin air. Could the Seattle Strangler be behind the murders, leaving Kenzie’s client in the clear? It will be a major uphill battle, pitting Kenzie against some ruthless DA who is seeking to advance his career. However, determination will be one of the tools in Kenzie’s legal quiver she will have to use effectively. Bernhardt at his best, stirring up legal matters to educate his readings fans!
I have long enjoyed the work of William Bernhardt, finding his approach to legal writing to be both intriguing and highly educational. Bernhardt always hits the nail on the head and shows how complex legal matters can be. Using new and unique angles to the law, the reader is able to immerse themselves in all that Bernhardt has to offer, taking much away from each novel. Well-paced and full of drama, this is a series I am surprisingly enjoying more than I thought I might.
William Bernhardt has a way with writing, such that the reader is pulled into the middle of the legal drama and never loses their interest. The momentum builds with a strong narrative and develops as plots and characters add depth to an already intriguing piece. Chapters of varying lengths keep the reader guessing what awaits them and they can usually find momentum in forging onwards as the book gets more intense. Bernhardt uses legal and societal matters to grease the wheels, keeping the reader in an ever-learning situation. I am keen to see how the next (and last?) novel in the series will play out for fans.
Kudos, Mr. Bernhardt, for another winner in a long list of wonderful novels.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
November 3, 2021
One heck of a read. You won’t be disappointed.
October 27, 2021
In this second book in author William Bernhardt's newest legal thriller series, he hits a home run. "Exposed" builds from the strong foundation provided by "Splitsville" by continually surprising the reader. We learn more about Kenzi and her growing team, but we also explore new frontiers of divorce law. How can a legal system based on couples, whether heterosexual or homosexual, address the dissolution of a "throuple"? Nothing is out of bounds for Kenzi. Just as she crossed over into criminal law on her last case, without missing a beat, she addresses the realities of modern relationships the same way. This thriller has more potential antagonists than "Murder on the Orient Express" and a twist at the end that would make O'Henry smile from ear to ear. If you love a story that will keep you guessing and provide total satisfaction throughout, this is a book for you. Buy it. Read it. Enjoy it. And wait with anticipation for the next installment. I know I will.
August 10, 2024
Great Storytelling; Legal Fantasy
The author is obviously not an attorney. A good trial attorney, at least the ones who write legal thrillers do not allow creative license take flights of pure fantasy away from trial procedures and rules of evidence, not to mention allowing in hearsay, leading witnesses, the attorneys testifying while interrogating witnesses. Even if the author isn’t an attorney, good writers do thorough background research, even consult with experts to create realism about the subject. There is nothing realistic about the courtroom dramas this author fabricates. That said, he still spins a great yarn, with interesting storylines and characters. Just suspend any Hope his stories represents what goes on in courtrooms. Real legal professionals would find the courtroom antics laughable. Superficial at best. Still enjoyed the story.
The author is obviously not an attorney. A good trial attorney, at least the ones who write legal thrillers do not allow creative license take flights of pure fantasy away from trial procedures and rules of evidence, not to mention allowing in hearsay, leading witnesses, the attorneys testifying while interrogating witnesses. Even if the author isn’t an attorney, good writers do thorough background research, even consult with experts to create realism about the subject. There is nothing realistic about the courtroom dramas this author fabricates. That said, he still spins a great yarn, with interesting storylines and characters. Just suspend any Hope his stories represents what goes on in courtrooms. Real legal professionals would find the courtroom antics laughable. Superficial at best. Still enjoyed the story.
November 29, 2021
This is the 2nd in the series and with the ending, they are announcing there will be another one.
This follows divorce lawyer, Kenzi Rivera, but with the last two cases, she seems to have become a criminal lawyer as her clients were charged with murder. This one involves a high dollar divorce as
the wife was responsible for the the creation of a billion dollar tech application. Also, in the mix, there is another "wife".
There is also the appearance of the Seattle Strangler, who has not been caught and he is creating havoc all over the city. Can these cases be realated?
This is a good courtroom read, that will keep you interested. Always love the surprise endings!
This follows divorce lawyer, Kenzi Rivera, but with the last two cases, she seems to have become a criminal lawyer as her clients were charged with murder. This one involves a high dollar divorce as
the wife was responsible for the the creation of a billion dollar tech application. Also, in the mix, there is another "wife".
There is also the appearance of the Seattle Strangler, who has not been caught and he is creating havoc all over the city. Can these cases be realated?
This is a good courtroom read, that will keep you interested. Always love the surprise endings!
August 4, 2022
Another great one!
WOW!!! I was so sure I had it all figured out. WRONG way wrong, such great twists I never saw them coming. Usually after reading several books by the same author, I can see little patterns and pick up on the tiny tidbits that would help solve the case. I am anxious to start book 3 and even though it is 1:15am that is exactly what I am going to do.
WOW!!! I was so sure I had it all figured out. WRONG way wrong, such great twists I never saw them coming. Usually after reading several books by the same author, I can see little patterns and pick up on the tiny tidbits that would help solve the case. I am anxious to start book 3 and even though it is 1:15am that is exactly what I am going to do.
January 8, 2022
Crafted crap! Too many snide political innuendos, to many deviates deviating too much.
Basically a good story invaded by latent phobias of some kind.
A disappointing ruination of some great characters.
To ma y other Authors to explore.
Basically a good story invaded by latent phobias of some kind.
A disappointing ruination of some great characters.
To ma y other Authors to explore.
November 12, 2023
Exposed is a good follow-up book.
I am enjoying my first exposure to the legal thriller shy William Bernhardt. I have already gotten book 3 of the Splitsville series and I am ready to start reading it.
I am enjoying my first exposure to the legal thriller shy William Bernhardt. I have already gotten book 3 of the Splitsville series and I am ready to start reading it.
October 23, 2024
One last book!
Then, I plan to reread the last Daniel Pike novel. Somewhere along the line I read Kenzie, Ben, and Dan out of order. If I reread Dan last, I'll have closure for the Last Chance Lawyers!
Then, I plan to reread the last Daniel Pike novel. Somewhere along the line I read Kenzie, Ben, and Dan out of order. If I reread Dan last, I'll have closure for the Last Chance Lawyers!
November 10, 2021
exposed
Another great book from William Bernhardt. I am loving this new series. You will not be disappointed when you start with book 1! I’m anxiously waiting for the next one!
Another great book from William Bernhardt. I am loving this new series. You will not be disappointed when you start with book 1! I’m anxiously waiting for the next one!
November 27, 2021
Breathtaking story
I wish the next book was ready now and not next year. Interesting concepts but a surprising ending and tantalizing concept throughout
I wish the next book was ready now and not next year. Interesting concepts but a surprising ending and tantalizing concept throughout
March 26, 2022
exposed
Interesting idea regarding relationships, sex and greed. Not sure if I am looking forward to the next book but time will tell.
Interesting idea regarding relationships, sex and greed. Not sure if I am looking forward to the next book but time will tell.
June 9, 2025
Easy, fun read! Didn’t realise it was the second book in a series but was quick to get into nonetheless
August 30, 2025
Dopey doalogue
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews