A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice and Freedom by Brittany K. Bartnett
This book shook me awake. Sure, I’ve followed the work of the Innocence Project, an organization that has taken on the cases of those who have been wrongly convicted, but what about those people who have been overly convicted? Who have gotten caught up in draconian sentencing laws that have led to a large number of impoverished people stuck in prison for life? This story follows one woman’s attempt as she becomes an attorney, first to get her mother out of prison and then to seek justice for those who have had their Eighth Amendment rights violated. A must read.
The Push by Ashley Audrain
What if you knew from birth that your own child was just a bit evil? Do you allow yourself to believe it, or do you try and pretend it’s not true? This thriller is already optioned for the big screen. You will be forced to keep reading, and whatever you do, read the very last pages. Oh, and no reading ahead!
A Beautiful Crime: A Novel by Christopher Bolleen
Is it really that bad to grift awful people? Especially people who tried to grift you? This very fast-paced read takes you from New York City to Venice as a couple tries to make a life for themselves by grifting a grifter—and committing a few other crimes along the way. Is it bad to root for the bad guys?
The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir by Michele Harper
Harper is an emergency room physician who seems to learn as much from her patients as they do from her. She grew up in an upper-class family, but that did not spare her from being exposed to domestic violence. Watching her father abuse her mother resulted in a life filled with failed relationships. But through her years in medicine and working with people, she learned how to self-heal and grew to accept herself and others for the way they were. Not the book I expected, but glad it was the one I got.