Just Talking Books

3.75 Stars!!!

I'm always on the lookout for good suspense/thriller novels. Judgment didn't disappoint!!

What I liked: Judgment was my first read by Ms Baldwin and it was free. The biggest factor involved in taking a chance on this book was another author I read and love, recommended Judgment. I took a chance because not all thriller readers are the same in the taste of their books.

Judgment has a good strong plot, interesting characters, and a few twists I didn't see coming. For those reasons, I couldn't stop reading.  As with mysteries, thrillers or suspense novels, you can't really say too much about the plot without spoiling the book. Suffice it to say, it's a roller coaster ride for Dr. Caitlin Cassidy, Agent Atticus Spenser and the rest of the cast.

I've always wondered what drives individuals to be a part of a defense team defending what seems a slam dunk conviction. Caity Cassidy has the best reason of all, she watched a loved one put to death for a murder he didn't commit. That's a scary thought to me and actually made me really think about the death penalty as a judgment. I don't know if this is what Ms Baldwin had in mind when she wrote Judgment, but it made me think.

Atticus is a very intriguing character. He has some focus problems that he's lived with all his life but has found a way to cope and hopefully not blurt out exactly what he's thinking. That characteristic was endearing and in some cases humorous. 

There are no down moments in Judgment. Take a breath and go along for the ride with the nonstop action including the repeated attempts on Caity's life.

What I didn't like: Have you ever read a book and knew you enjoyed it but something seemed a bit off? I was having that problem with Caity and Atticus' relationship. Their interactions seemed awkward and yet I can't put my finger on why. Maybe I didn't have a complete sense of them as a team. Ms Baldwin gives a good back story on each of them as individuals but I didn't feel the spark of them as a couple. It just slightly took away from the story for me but didn't impact my enjoyment of the book.

If you like suspense/thrillers/murder mysteries, you will enjoy Judgment. The next book, Fallen, is due to be released on June 9th. I will be buying that one to see how the series progresses and the characters grow.

Recommended!!!