Review
Synopsis
Dig for the truth and you’ll get dirty …
Natalie Bach is facing personal turmoil, legal conundrums and challenges. While trying to make a difference, she walks the fine line between being a help and a hindrance.
Seconded to criminal law firm, Savage Solicitors, Nat finds herself out of her depth when she’s handed a complicated and tragic case of assisted suicide. Will she get to the bottom of what really happened?
With a heavy workload to juggle, can Nat untangle her own feelings from another very personal and troubling investigation?
My review
Confessions is the second book in the Natalie Bach legal suspense series. It can be read as a standalone, as the past is mentioned, but I’d recommend reading Convictions first so that you get the full background to Natalie’s story.
In the first book, Natalie returned home to Manchester after five years of running a bar in Mallorca with her boyfriend, Jose, when her mum, Anna, suffered a bad stroke. He broke up with Natalie soon after so she went back to her old job at Goldman Law.
Set shortly after Convictions, Natalie finds herself flung headlong into more complicated cases when a personal tragedy means Gavin Savage has to take time out to be with his family and she acts as a locum lawyer for his criminal law firm, Savage Solicitors. Feeling a bit out of her depth, Natalie tackles the cases with the help of his staff and tries her hardest to make the best decisions, often with unforeseen consequences.
Her new relationship with Wesley Hughes, partner of the firm she works for, is still rather complicated and rocky and his ex-wife, Andrea, and mother of his 18-year-old twin sons, continues to try and interfere in his life, causing him and Natalie much upset and arguments. Natalie is a bit hot headed at times and, where Wesley is concerned, doesn’t always think things through before acting.
There are some more colourful characters in this story: in Gavin’s firm, we get to know bubbly secretary, Chantelle, and meet paralegal, Robbie, who has a sad past, as well as Lawrence Lamb QC, who is rather a character and admits to being a functioning alcoholic.
One of Goldman Law’s most wealthy clients, Brian Selby, returns and, this time, him and his family need Natalie’s help in a rather more serious matter and she ends up representing him.
Natalie’s mum, Anna, becomes frightened of leaving the house after her friend, Barbara, has a bad fall and ends up in hospital with a fractured ankle. She makes a new male friend though and starts socialising a lot more.
Natalie is a great protagonist but she often gives out advice that seems to end up making life more difficult for people. We see a more vulnerable and emotional side to her in this story and she has a lot to deal with as things seem to go from bad to worse and her cases get more complicated and fraught. She does well to focus as carefully as she does with all that’s going on around her!
Overall, I really enjoyed this full-bodied story – lots of plotlines and cases to get your teeth into and I was never quite sure how things were going to pan out. There are a few shocks and surprises along the way, and the odd dubious professional practice as well! It was an engaging and intelligent read with great attention to detail. As well as being very entertaining, the story was also amusing, as well as sad, at times.
This is another well-plotted and cleverly layered novel starring Natalie Bach. I read the two books back to back and really enjoyed continuing the story about the feisty lawyer as she tackled tough cases head on! She may not always make the right decisions but she doesn’t hold back from investigating and trying to help her clients. The series is building nicely now and I hope there will be another book soon!
Buy the book
Confessions by Caro Land can be purchased from Amazon on Kindle and in paperback.
About the author
Caro Land is the pen name of Caroline England. The first in the Natalie Bach legal suspense series, Convictions, was published by Bloodhound Books in January 2020.
Born in Sheffield, Caroline studied Law at the University of Manchester and stayed over the border. Caroline was a divorce and professional indemnity lawyer. She turned to writing when she deserted the law to bring up her three lovely daughters. Caroline has had short stories and poems published in a variety of literary publications and anthologies.
Caroline writes domestic psychological thrillers. Her debut novel, Beneath the Skin, known also as The Wife’s Secret in eBook, was published by Avon HarperCollins in October 2017. Her second novel, My Husband’s Lies, followed in May 2018 and became a Kindle top 10 bestseller. Her latest novel, Betray Her, published by Piatkus of Little, Brown Book Group, is now available as an eBook, audiobook and paperback.
Caroline also has two dark, twisty short story collections available on Amazon, both in eBook and paperback, Watching Horsepats Feed the Roses and Hanged by the Neck.
Twitter: @CazEngland
Facebook: @CazEngland1
Instagram: @cazengland1
Website: http://carolineenglandauthor.co.uk
Thanks
With thanks to Caroline England for providing me with an advance reader copy of her book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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