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Sam Johnstone #4

Capital Justice

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When the death of a cryptocurrency magnate shakes a small town, Sam Johnstone is thrown into a new and dangerous legal frontier.

As changes in Wyoming banking law bring an influx of crypto entrepreneurs to small-town Custer, attorney Sam Johnstone doesn’t think much of the new arrivals. But when a shocking crime throws him straight into the epicenter of the digital world, there’s no turning back.

The death of crypto exchange magnate Max Kovalenko shatters the community, sparking local outrage and a long list of suspects. With many betrayed partners, jealous competitors, and bitter family members left in his wake, Max has stepped on plenty of toes since his arrival, and finding his killer is no easy task.

When Kovalenko’s protégé is accused of killing his mentor, Sam is reluctant to represent him—but an enormous fee tendered by Kovalenko’s daughter convinces him to take the case. As he begins his client’s defense, Sam must navigate a complex web of family and business secrets in an environment he doesn’t fully understand, where nobody can be trusted to give him the truth.

In the high-stakes world of cryptocurrency, a ruthless new generation of entrepreneurs compete for control over digital assets whose value can skyrocket overnight—and some freshly minted digital fortunes are worth killing for…

396 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 9, 2022

4758 people are currently reading
302 people want to read

About the author

James Chandler

15 books154 followers
Note: There other authors with this name.

James^^Chandler

James Chandler spent his formative years in the western United States. When he wasn't catching fish or footballs, he was roaming centerfield and trying to hit the breaking pitch. After a mediocre college baseball career, he exchanged jersey No. 7 for camouflage issued by the United States Army, which he wore around the globe and with great pride for twenty years before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel of Air Defense Artillery. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Eastern Oregon University and a Master's degree from Marshall University. He earned his Juris Doctor by attending night school at the George Mason University School of Law while assigned to the Pentagon, and practiced law in Wyoming for twelve years before his appointment to the bench. When he isn't working or writing, he'll likely have a fly rod, shotgun or rifle in hand. He and his wife are blessed with two wonderful adult daughters and one grandson. He is a recipient of the Western Horizon Award. He loves to hear from readers and can be reached at james@james-chandler.com.

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5 stars
3,300 (58%)
4 stars
1,822 (32%)
3 stars
429 (7%)
2 stars
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1 star
26 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
Profile Image for Tino.
434 reviews5 followers
October 7, 2022
Despite taking about 150 pages to get to business and the culprit being easily guessed it was an okay read. The cliffhanger at the end didn’t leave me as confused as the author intended I suppose. Still going to read the next one, though. 3 stars.
Profile Image for Laura Giacomino.
39 reviews2 followers
October 28, 2025
Interesting take on human nature

Besides court activities and trial aspects gets to a story of peoples preconceived notions and judgements of others. Shows what can happen when someone is broken by verbal abuse over periods of time.
7,778 reviews50 followers
August 5, 2022
He was an attorney, the new bank laws brought people and ways of getting rich When a crime happens, an the daughter wants representation, the money offered he doesn’t want to turn down. Full of mystery and suspense, and no one to trust. Well done and enjoyed
Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

Profile Image for H.M.S..
Author 7 books64 followers
January 15, 2023
4.5 stars, rounded up to 5

Capital Justice - Book 4 in James Chandler's Sam Johnstone series.

Another great story! Wow!

This story centers around a crypto magnate who's allegedly killed by a family member while he's out riding a horse on his newly-purchased ranch in Wyoming. The story covers how a bunch of greedy, self-entitled rich people - all related, more or less, to this magnate and all vying for ownership of the business.

The trial was fun to read, though it wasn't quite as engaging as the first three books which is why I gave it 4.5 stars. That said, I read it all in one day and can't wait for Book 5!

SERIES REVIEW:

Damn - Chandler's writing is excellent! I love a good mystery, but you can't keep me away from a tense courtroom drama.

Sam Johnstone is the main character in all five books. He's a veteran whose service ended after an explosion that took out a handful of the men serving under him. He wasn't without injury as he lost part of one leg. He's messed up. No other way to word it. He's hurt - physically, emotionally, you name it. He has PTSD and isn't doing anything to make it better beyond self-medication, alcohol being his vice of choice.

Through the GI Bill, he gets into law school and then works at a firm in DC - thanks to connections - but loses his job because he's too volatile and can't stay sober. A friend hires him for a job out in Wyoming as a last-chance effort to keep him employed.

Chandler, a veteran and lawyer himself does a spectacular job of tying the reader to the prosecution, the defense, the judicial, as well as the jurors throughout the trial. His characters are gritty, morally grey, messy, and wonderful. They're imperfect, and they're flawed, and that makes for a fascinating tale that will cause you to lose sleep so you can read just one - more - chapter! (So glad I read these over the holidays, so staying up until 3 am to finish a book didn't affect my work life!)

Series side notes:

* I love Sam's journey. It's slow and messy and awesome. He also doesn't always win!

* The defendants - aren't always guilty, aren't always not guilty. They're definitely not all likable.

* Sometimes, I wanted to scream at Sam - for a variety of reasons. You'll see.

* I love how some of the relationships between lawyers, police / investigators, judges, etc, developed throughout the series.

* It wasn't that much of a character, more a simple setting, but I really want to travel to Wyoming!

Book 1 - Misjudged
Book 2 - One and Done
Book 3 - False Evidence
Book 4 - Capital Witness
Book 5 - Truthful Witness (Comes out Aug 29, 2023) Yeah. I have to wait. (so rude!)

Please tell me there are going to be more books in this series!

In the meantime, since I have to wait until almost Labor Day 2023 for Book 5, I've started checking out other authors by Severn River Publishing. Their authors are all military - either veterans or families of veterans / active-duty military. I've already snagged Unsympathetic Victims by Laura Snider.
Profile Image for Patrick.
Author 4 books16 followers
April 30, 2023
Another good book by Chandler. A little too much police procedure for my liking, but once we got into the court room, he was excellent. Would have given four stars, except I continue to cringe with his lazy writing, when it comes to drama and tension… Every character seems to blaspheme in a regular machine gun manner. Otherwise, a pretty good read.
Profile Image for James Murray.
Author 17 books62 followers
October 30, 2022
The book is an entertaining novel and a nice plot for a legal thriller. However, I found the plot predictable and the author rehashed events of the murder and murder scene a bit too often. The book could have been shortened without that redundancy and still have kept my interest.
Profile Image for Jim E..
339 reviews7 followers
September 27, 2022
Not a good read for me, after enjoying the first 3 books in the series. There was too much repetition surrounding the murder. The story was first told when the deed occurred. Next, it was repeated again during the investigation by Inspector Garcia. Finally, it was came out again in a lackluster court room scene. There was so much information provided on DNA that it became tiresome. The surprise at the end came right out of the blue and was inconsistent with the character of the protagonist. For much of the book, the plot was about the cop and not about the main character. Not looking forward to book 5 in the series.
1,774 reviews12 followers
September 3, 2022
I received an ARC and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This story begins with Max telling his family that he is going to move his company to Wyoming. They are not to thrilled, but it is his company and they will go along with it. Once they have arrived in Wyoming, Max has given Mike, his daughter Lana's husband, task that he needs to accomplish. Max is not happy with the effort Mike has done and threatens to give running the company to someone. As time passes, Max reaches his 65th birthday and to celebrate, he organized a party inviting important townspeople to attend. At the party, Mike has threatened Max and the threat was heard by mny people. The next day while Max has gone riding with Paulie, Mike and Alex arround his property. While riding, Max has spotted people on his land and wants them to get off. Before they could ride off Max gets sick, but tells him to go without him. When they return, Max is not around and they start looking for him. Not having any luck, they return back to the ranch and Lana winds up calling the sheriff's office for help.

As it turns out, the next day they discover Max's body and the hunt for the killer begins. While this has been going on, Sam has been working with Max and his family as their legal rep. Sam hears about the killing. Later Mike is arrested for the killing and Lana asks Sam to defend him.

The trial pits Sam against Grant Lee a newcomer in the D.A.'s office. Grant is different Sam learns as he gets ready for the trial. The rest of the story portrays the trial and how Sam was able to handle Grant's witnesses and then put on his defense case.

To learn who killed Max, what events were going around in the background and also the last obstacle that Sam needed to overcome as the trial came to an end you need to read this book, you won't be disappointed.
3 reviews
Read
October 7, 2022
I have just finished reading all four of James Chandler's novels. They are superb. Inevitably, in the reviews on Kindle, where I do most of my reading, comparison are made with John Grisham, which is unfair to them both. They are both first rate authors albeit that they perhaps cater for slightly different audiences. I noted one reviewer who said that while the books were most enjoyable, there was a lot of boring court stuff that he just skipped over. Clearly Hamlet was spoiled for him by all that stuff about the Prince of Denmark!

James Chandler will appeal to those who want more courtroom drama, rather than less. Grisham's treatment of the court room can be on the light side, whereas Chandler's never is. As a UK lawyer, with a long interest in the American legal scene, I find Chandler's treatment both rivetting and absorbing.

In addition to an acute ear for dialogue for engagingly unpleasant people like Grant Lee in Capital Justice, Chandler has the rare gift of writing thrillers where the outcome is never a letdown. Unlike all too many successful thriller writers the denouement always works and you are not left with a vague feeling that really it's all been a bit of a con

I read somewhere that Chandler was turned down by 200 publishers. What an indictment of the publishing industry. Chandler's telent, like Grisham's is evident from the very first page. It gives me some hope that my own book which was only turned down by 7 publishers may yet become an AMAZON sensation!

So any complaints? Only that I have to wait until next year to discover whether Sam Johnstone can work his magic yet again and secure Judge Daniels acquittal on a charge of first degree murder.
450 reviews4 followers
July 26, 2024
I’m still invested in this series, highly recommended

Very impressive like the other books in this series. I just wished the ending was played out a little more in the end with Mike, Alex, and Lana. Where did Max body go when they were looking for him? Where was Laika at the time of the murder? And now I understand why the dog had a distrusting for Paulie. What happened to Alex and Lana? How did Garcia figured out the real culprits? Who took over the company? I have lots and lots of questions. I need a little more storytelling. I always thought Stacy was the smartest and Danny needed love, attention and a chance from his father. Their father was ruthless and cruel, probably crazy. He enjoyed pitting his family against each other. I never understood why rich people are so greedy. They never seem to have enough.
205 reviews1 follower
September 15, 2022
I enjoyed this murder mystery set in a small town in Wyoming. Even though our favorite lawyer, Sam Johnstone, wasn’t introduced right away, the story still got me hooked immediately. I was intrigued with this crazy family, who seemed to have no love for one another, only the money and power that they could get from “Daddy Warbucks,” who in this story was called Max. I loved all the twists and turns, and I especially enjoyed the courtroom scenes. I have read all the books so far in this series, and have become a fan of the author. Mr. Chandler is quite talented, and I will be anxiously awaiting his next book. I received an advanced copy of this book from SRP Mystery and Thriller Books, and have given my voluntary and honest opinion.
Profile Image for Aloma Arp.
77 reviews1 follower
August 8, 2023
The Best of Four

What a great story. I loved the trial of Mike and all the nefarious characters that became a part of this case. Even the cops themselves play a necessary purpose on how a murder is committed. Mr. Chandler has a great way of adding to the mystery of why people act as they do especially during a crime. Mike’s trial was fascinating from beginning to end. I almost chocked on the words I was reading so fast to see what the jury decided. Guilty or not guilty and now what happens when the jury has deliberated. Who killed Max ? And now there’s Judge Daniels and what is happening to him? It is indeed A Legal Thriller. Bring on the next one. Sam is on a role. Can it last!
3 reviews
September 24, 2024
Mixed feelings

After 3 books.I still don't know or particularly like Sam. What does he do besides fish? Shoot, he doesn't even eat apparently. We don't know a thing about his home life or who he is. The first two books talked about his efforts at recovery, but not this one. By now I should be half in love with him, but all I can think is ,meh. Outside of court, he could be anyone. His clients are more interesting.
The courtroom part is the only reason, I keep on, its really good. Please remember that we want to like the people we read about, or really dislike them, but Sam falls flat on both counts.
I'm going to finish the series, I think. But I'm not sure I'll put it in my favorites,
Profile Image for David Taylor.
1,542 reviews24 followers
August 23, 2022
James Chandler has outdone himself with the latest Sam Johnston thriller. Not only is the story excellent, but the character development has also taken on a whole new dimension as it pertains to Sam and Press. What can be better, a legal thriller that involves family, billions of dollars, interfamily affairs, messed up personalities and ignorance of the local area not to mention a little thing like murder. In my opinion this is the best of the series so far and the addition of the prima-donna lawyer/prosecutor has added a dimension that should make this series very interesting going forward. I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher and chose to provide this review.
Profile Image for Cheryl A.
70 reviews
October 10, 2022
Not as good as I was expecting.

I love James Chandler and the Sam Johnstone series, but I will say I struggled with this one. I understand that the author needs to set up the story, but it took way too long with all the Crypto currency and trying to go into way too much detail. Crypto currency currency is totally something I don’t understand and am not interested in. I almost gave up at chapter 12. Since I really like the Sam Johnstone series I pushed through but really didn’t start enjoying the book until maybe, chapter 20. I truly hope book 5 is better. This ended pretty much like I thought it would. No real surprises here. Just happy I finally finished it.
8 reviews
January 31, 2026
Another page turner from the author, expertly blending familiar characters from previous books with new characters to add intrigue and mystery and new twists and turns. Growing up in Wyoming, I find the author to have 'insider information' regarding the culture, attitudes, and demographics that make this place unique. There is some embellishment, however, in that not all residents drink alcohol like it is going out of style but of course this adds to the story. Finally, I love how each book ends with something that you know will spill over into the next, making you want to dive directly into reading the next one. Well done James Chandler...keep writing!
Profile Image for Denise .
833 reviews9 followers
September 8, 2022
This fourth installment in the Sam Johnstone series is a very well done addition to the series. The characters are well developed and the trial sequences are interesting. It’s been interesting to see how Sam has changed, battles his personal demons and continues to work through his personal struggles in getting his life on track as the series has progressed. The introduction of Grant Lee to the prosecutor’s office has given the reader someone I think we’re going to love to hate as Sam’s prosecutorial nemesis.
Profile Image for Claudete Takahashi.
2,682 reviews37 followers
September 14, 2022
Another excellent book in the series! It has a slow start, however, after that, the story is fast-paced, with a great plot. The family is despicable and Sam has to move on a little further into a gray zone to be able to do his job. Mr. Chandler wrote a story on a very up-to-date theme - cryptocurrency - without using the technicality of the financial area or the excessive legal terms. Looking forward to reading the following book in this series.
Thank you to the author and his publisher for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
2 reviews
September 29, 2022
Disappointed and boring

Couldn't wait for this book because I believed it was going to be about crypto and I am a Wyoming resident . this book was not to my liking. Sam is what made the first three worth reading and all he's doing in this book is fishing. I'm not anxiously awaiting book 5. I would like to see Sam get an innocent boy out of prison and help his friend who gave him a chance when Sam was needing a hand up. . As far as I'm concerned, book 2 needs to be done and complete.

127 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2024
Very good, but with some redundancies

Having now the first four books in the series, it is clear that the author has some "go tos" that he likes to use. Some of them are useful but others, like jury selection and a judge's instructions to the jury, ultimately offer little go the story and seem like filler.

As to this story, it was good, but not great. However, the subplots, notably the development of the local characters, old and new, and their interrelationships, carried a healthy does on interest and some intrigue.
Profile Image for Clifton Rankin.
151 reviews3 followers
June 7, 2025
The more I read of James Chandler’s books, the more that I enjoy them. “Capital Justice” finds Sam Johnstone representing the son-in-law of a cryptocurrency magnate who was accused of murdering his father-in-law. The more Sam investigates, the more he believes that his client was framed. Suspects are numerous since the murder victim had managed to alienate most of his family, and was ruthless in the business world. At the same time, he is concerned for his mentor whose wife is dying of cancer. Chandler’s characters are likeable, and his stories are difficult to put down. (396 pages)
994 reviews12 followers
September 14, 2022
A quest for power and dominance

Who killed Max Kovalenko, a self made billionaire and philanthropist? Sam Johnstone is puzzled. It's true Max had many enemies and rivals but who could have killed him when his family members were so close to him? Another Sam Johnstone mystery by James Chandler which is mind-blowing and will set your pulse racing. It's a story about hunger for power and dominance.
Profile Image for Vickie.
170 reviews9 followers
September 23, 2022
Dragged Out

I enjoy the Sam Johnstone series as they are an easy read and I like the Sam Johnstone character. He is a modern day hero who has his flaws. For the most part, I enjoyed this book. However, I felt the story line was dragged out. It seems the author rushed to finish and did not clean up the ends possibly anticipating the next book in the series. Pleases don't take so long your readers loose interest or we forget the storyline.
Profile Image for Michael.
573 reviews8 followers
September 23, 2022
Great legal thriller

A billionaire make lots of enemies and makes even more when he decides to take his entire company to another state. He's not welcomed with open arms; his health is deteriorating and even his family is in turmoil. Then someone shoots him.

And things get very interesting!
Profile Image for Leondra Monique Shanks.
102 reviews2 followers
September 25, 2022
So James Chandler's Character Sam Johnstone Has Finally Conquered His Addictions But Has Found Himself In An Unique Situation Defending The Son In Law Of A Ruthless Business Man Who Is Shot On A Mountain. Sam Scrambles To Find The Truth And Help His Client But The Plot Is Thicker Than That. Can Sam Figure It Out And Help A Friend? You'll Have Fun Finding Out When You Read Capital Justice
Profile Image for Nicole Fortuna.
196 reviews
October 5, 2022
The end made up for what seemed like the slowest, and most repetitive, predictable book in the series. This one starts out very slow with no real action until about halfway through. I usually enjoy the courtroom antics but found myself skipping over a lot of it in this book. Still worth a read if you’ve read all the others and I’m guessing the end sets us up for the fifth installment.
82 reviews
October 16, 2022
gripping

It isn’t often that you get a good story as well as an education. This book has fascinating information on DNA, and also the world of cryptocurrencies. But the best part was the final court room scene when everything comes together. The writer did a good job of holding my attention, especially when you consider I have ADD.
207 reviews
October 24, 2022
You will be happy that you read this chapter

It is tough to review a book without giving away the storyline. This chapter in Sam's life deals with a lot of demons and not all of them are his . He comes out of it in better shape but not all the demons are dealt with. I guess, or hope, the next chapter Deals with them.
50 reviews
September 19, 2022
Fast paced and fun

Excellent character development from the get go. My only disappointment was the story ended a bit too quickly with many open-ended topics. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it helps the reader look forward to the next book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews

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