Cross Examination, the second in a series of Jamie Carson Legal Thrillers, confronts financial juggernauts when a biotech company’s IPO and an FDA approval stand at the precipice. The New Tisbury Police arrested the accused, Herbie Jones, after they discovered the weapon in his car used in a Groton bar staying. Jones works for the same biotech company as the slain woman’s boyfriend. Trial lawyer Jamie Carson faces overwhelming evidence when he agrees to defend Jones. Jamie Carson and his partner Stephanie Marx at the BigLaw firm of Ely, Snow & Carson cross the ocean to England and the tax haven Isle of Man searching for evidence that they hope may free their client in front of a Connecticut jury. Cross Examination gives the reader a front row seat to what first-rate lawyers must do to bring justice to a case where others would have failed. "Carroll’s knowledge of all things legal is expert, and he brings to vivid life “why cross-examination was the judicial highway to the truth.” "an entertaining crime drama, mostly because the courtroom scenes are so impressively constructed. An enthusiast of the genre will enjoy the intensity of the cross-examinations" "a sharp portrait of the world of criminal defense" Review of CROSS EXAMINATION by BestThrillers.com The Bottom Line: James E. Carroll is a master storyteller. Come for the murder mystery and riveting courtroom drama, but stay for the cunning corporate conspiracy. James E. Carroll’s second Jamie Carson Legal Thriller, Cross Examination, focuses on Herbie Jones, a white collar worker whose gun possession charge – aside from a prior arrest for cocaine possession – seems somewhat out of character. Herbie is a star salesperson for Atoll Investments, a privately owned financial firm specializing in complex investment vehicles for wealthy clients. But Jamie doesn’t know the whole story yet. Soon, we learn that the IRS has an active criminal file on Atoll. Meanwhile, an ex-girlfriend of the company’s research director, Karen Polito, was recently murdered. Subsequently, the gun Herbie is charged with possessing illegally is forensically confirmed to be the same gun that killed Karen. Herbie is arrested for Karen’s murder. Jamie is convinced that his client has been set up. Carroll, showcasing Jamie’s strategic mind, makes literary magic as he meticulously plans Herbie’s defense. The night before Herbie’s initial arrest, he was knocked out in a bar fight. There was no record of Jones buying the murder weapon, nor were there any of his fingerprints on it. There was no evidence of him knowing about the gun, nor did he have any pets – a critical insight since an animal fiber was found on it. But Jamie knows that simply raising reasonable doubt may not be enough to acquit his client. He needs an alternate theory. If Herbie didn’t do it, who did? The opening trial statement Carroll has written for Jamie is a rousing one, punctuated by a promise: “We will show you who had the motive to kill Karen Polito, and it wasn’t Mr. Jones.” Carroll excels at crafting knuckle-biting courtroom drama, but the sections focused on pre-trial research are nearly as good. That’s especially true as Jamie and co-counsel Stephanie Marx take a hard look at the company Herbie works for. Atoll was selling investments in a shaky biotech product that was headed for IPO. On the surface, the murder victim didn’t seem to have any connection to the company other than a romantic relationship, but Jamie and Stephanie won’t stop digging until they find one. Thematically, Carroll deftly explores the shady world of investment vehicles for the wealthy. Cross Examination weaves murder, courtroom drama, and corporate conspiracy into a thriller so sharp, it will leave you breathless by the time the verdict is read. Hollywood Book Reviews: Cross Examination is a brilliantly written and captivating legal thriller. It has the reader’s sense of a cozy murder mystery but its realism augments tension throughout the novel, making it a book you do not want to put down. Jamie Carson is a highly successful lawyer for Ely, Snow, & Carson out of New Tisbury, Connecticut. Jamie is a scholar’s lawyer, and his competitive nature implores him to win every case. But he also has a strong ethical core that informs his work. When he is assigned to the case of Herbie Jones, a stockbroker in illegal possession of a firearm, it seems like a simple enough project. But when the ballistics report comes back, it shows that the gun had been used in the murder of a young woman. Herbie swears he’s innocent. As the story unfolds, it becomes increasingly evident this murder was perpetrated to silence that young woman with Herbie being framed for it. Jamie Carson and his team follow the trail from murdered woman to the boyfriend who works at a biotech company in England. And said company is connected to an American investment group specializing in selling investments that come with big tax breaks for the rich and elite. Big players are involv