The Public PretenderM.D. Cliatt
Create Space/fiction, legal thriller
Release Date: November 23, 2011
When criminal defense attorney Maeven Dayne decides not to walk away from her job to defend a teenage girl with no family and no money, she not only finds herself taking on a corrupt juvenile justice system, but she winds up in the middle of a murder plot forced to choose between saving her client or her family.
It is obvious that the author feels a real connection to the characters in The Public Pretender. Their fiery passion draws you in and keeps you guessing as the characters are whipped along on a legal rollercoaster.
Sadly, the passion behind the story cannot correct for cumbersome dialogue and weak editing. At times The Public Pretender reads like a first draft where the author has simply listed plot points to move along. I believe that with more time and editing, this could have been a really good book. As it is, it is an interesting story that doesn’t quite make the cut.
My verdict: Read the e-book. For $2, it is worth reading, if for no other reason than to encourage M.D. Cliatt to work on a second book with Maeven Dayne. I’d like to see Maeven get the treatment deserving of such a rich character.
