Dissection of a Murder, Jo Murray (Review by Lisa Harder)

If you are looking for a thriller with multiple plot twists Dissection of a Murder may be right up your alley! This novel centers around Leila, a lawyer, who is trying a high-profile murder case as the defendant’s lawyer. The defendant, Jack, is not forthcoming with information, making an already difficult job that much harder. Additionally, her husband is the lawyer for the other party she is trying the case against. Needless to say (without giving any spoilers away), things are not quite how they seem on the surface, and this presents itself in numerous facets as the case and trial unfold. I appreciated the flow of this book overall. It took a bit of time to build up but was still fast-paced enough to hold your attention. I have read quite a bit of thrillers so some of the character’s traits were a bit predictable; however, this was not so distracting that I couldn’t lose myself in the novel overall. I also liked that the book was primarily written from Leila’s perspective as it contributed to the smooth flow and easy read of the book. Additionally, I appreciated how the novel explored the dynamic of Leila and her spouse’s relationship and how that was interwoven into the trial as well. The one place where Dissection of a Murder fell a bit short for me was the ending. Again, without giving spoilers away, there is the first plot twist that happens near the end. I honestly felt like the novel should have ended here. Throughout the novel, there is a secondary character who is discussed briefly, and is eventually involved in a second plot twist. It did not seem to add anything to the story overall, other than to basically highlight the duality of Leila’s character. The dichotomy of her character is already underlined enough, so this just seemed to further underscore a point already made. Overall, if you are looking for a thriller that is an engaging, easy read, you should check out Dissection of a Murder.