Proof

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Jilly is persuaded to return to work as a defence lawyer, despite the fact that she is grieving for her murdered partner and their baby is still very young. She is asked to represent Kate, the mother of a missing 5-year old child. Kate is soon charged with murder and Jilly has become so involved by this stage that she agrees to take the case on pro bono. Her law partner Jeff takes this surprisingly well, considering the amount of time and resources Jilly devotes to the case. As Jeff points out, she spends as much time trying to prove Tess is still alive as she does preparing for the murder trial.

I found the beginning slow, the middle a page-turner, and the ending odd. The show more solution to the mystery of what happened to Tess was satisfactory, but the way it was narrated didn't really ring true. I assume, given the writer's credentials, that the legal aspects were depicted accurately, but at times Jilly's behaviour seemed extreme. My only other quibble was Jilly's apparent belief that no mother had ever before worked and cared for a baby at the same time and in the same way. In fact Jilly had lots of support and almost supernaturally wonderful childcare arrangements. show less