e-ALC, 11:20:09
Narrated by: Viola Davis
Release Date: March 9, 2026
Published by: Hachette Audio
Read from: March 13-15, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received this ALC free from the publisher and Netgalley. This did nothing to influence my review!)
Content Warning: Abortion, Racism, Rape, Sexual Assault, Murder, Hate Crime, Animal Death, Sexual Violence, Violence
For Readers Interested In: Adult, Audio, Contemporary, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Realistic Fiction, Religious Diversity (Religious Bigotry), ThrillersViola Davis and James Patterson have written an incredible courtroom drama and created the most unforgettable character in years.
All rise…for Judge Stone.
The most respected citizen in Union Springs, Alabama (population 3,314), is Judge Mary Stone. She holds two responsibilities running her family farm and presiding over her courtroom. It’s there she draws the most controversial case in the history of the South.
Criminally, it’s open-and-shut.
Ethically, there is no middle ground.
Essentially, it’s a choice between life and death.
No judge can satisfy everyone. It would be dangerous to try. But Judge Stone is willing to fight to bring justice to the people and place she loves.
*MY THOUGHTS*
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a James Patterson novel. (And I mean by him or his ghost writers lolol) But when I saw that Viola Davis’ name and the genre was a legal thriller, I KNEW I had to get my hands on this.
If nothing else, I know a legal thriller is going to stress me tf out, but I’m also going to eat it up every time lol And this one did exactly that. I was listening to this at like 3 am because I needed to know what happened. The anticipation of the verdict while knowing the town they were in was racist, and the lawyers were religious bigots. And then there’s the politics and whether or not she was going to even get the case. It was a bunch of political theater and crazy, and I was HOOKED.
The characters were my favorite thing about this. Everyone had a distinct voice and it was easy to follow each person. And in true legal thriller fashion, I loved this even more because there was a POV from everyone involved in the case. The reader is able to see the case from all angles and can decide where they stand after looking at the case in its entirety. And with the way these people were trying to take the moral high ground, I was so glad for this. I hope people who read this will take a closer look at more of these cases and try to see every possible angle like the writing of these books. It’s never truly black and white, there’s ALWAYS some nuance.
The legal aspect of this was another thing I enjoyed a lot. I have so many notes where I was writing down theories and ideas about who it might have been and things that could be done for this young girl and her doctor. But even with all that, I still had it all wrong lol And that production in the courtroom? I was not ready. I remember thinking, “this is a circus, not a courtroom.” lol But even still I was ok with how things went.
Judge Stone was NOT one to be fucked with tho. She was smart af, passionate about everything, and her empathy well was never dry. Even with all that she sees day in and day out, and especially at a time like this, when people are protesting and fighting each other in the streets, I found that impressive. But to see the multiple ways they kept disrespecting her throughout the story was working on my last nerve. They used her past against her, they threatened her, and so much more. I was glad she was as tough as she was. A broken tailbone I’m sure could bring down the strongest person I’m sure.
And again, this is a legal thriller, so I can’t tell y’all how many definitions I wrote down and how many cases I looked up. I felt like a paralegal lol Had me loooking up what an Allen charge was, if the ending could really happen that way, and all kinds of questions about sequestered juries and high profile cases. This book was fiction but I was fact checking like it was non-fiction or like I was about to have a test.
This book was so good! I had to stretch it out because it was stressing me out lol But I easily could have sat down and binge read it. I was thoroughly entertained by this story and I really hope there’s more to come from Judge Stone! (Especially with that ending…..!)
Overall, I give this
