Thank you to NetGalley, Willliam Morrow & Co and the author for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of this book. The book will publish May 10, 2022.
Hannah leaves Maine and her mom, Laura, behind to join the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia Law School for very personal reasons. A group of lawyers are working to set Michael Dandridge free after he was convicted of the brutal rape and murder of a young mother.
Hannah first read about Michael’s case in Vanity Fair and then she stumbled across her mom’s diary in which Laura details meeting Mike and his ultra-wealthy friend, Tom. In Laura’s diary, she details why she’s been running from Mike since that summer they met.
Starting off in alternating timelines with Laura’s diary entries (from 1994) interspersed with Hannah joining the Innocence Project and getting assigned to this particular case. As she maneuvers through the investigation, Hannah finds it increasingly more difficult to keep her story straight. I doubt she would be assigned to a high-profile case like that within mere days of joining the team but it makes for a good storyline.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it’s her first stand-alone thriller (she is the author of the Cormac Reilly Series). This book is based on the true story of a young law student who uncovered evidence at the Innocence Project exonerating a man who had been in prison for 26 years. ( )

DNF @ Page 132

Too legal-y

While not quite as good as The Ruin, this book kept me up most of the night listening! Hannah, a third year law student gets involved in the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia where she works to sabotage the release of a man who claims his innocence of the rape and murder of a young mother. The storyline alternates between Hannah and the diary entrees of Laura. While some parts are unrealistic, suspend your disbelief and enjoy the ride! ( )

2.5 stars. Listened to the audio book. The main character, Hannah, is morally bankrupt and a horrible human being. I wanted to punch her the entire book. The plot twist was great and elevated this book for me. But then came the most unrealistic court scene ever. Entertaining but meh. ( )

Dervla McTiernan writes interesting and page-turning novels. McTiernan captures the characters in explicit detail. Hannah Rokeby invents herself as a third year law student and forces her entrance into the Innocence Project at the University Virginia, supposedly to enhance her profile, like Sheldon Cooper attempting to enroll in a program in Germany to beef-up his college application. As the story progresses, Hannah plots and completes plans that does not seem in line with the Innocence Project. Hannah appears to be on a quest to make sure that convicted rapist and killer will not be set free. But why? Hannah’s mother, Laura, an alcoholic, had written a diary that detailed a summer of romance and heartache. Hannah’s goal remains to seek justice for Laura’s heartache. A gripping story of love, relationships, and loyalty. ( )