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The Local

By: Joey Hartstone
Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
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Publisher's summary

A freewheeling, small-town attorney takes on a national murder trial when an out-of-town client is accused of killing a federal judge in Texas.

“A spectacular courtroom thriller that kept me turning pages like the best of Grisham or Turow." —Michelle King, co-creator of
The Good Wife, The Good Fight, and Evil

The town of Marshall, Texas, is the epicenter of intellectual property law in the US—renowned for its speedy trials and massive payouts. One of its best lawyers is James Euchre. His newest client, Amir Zawar, is a CEO forced to defend his life’s work against a patent infringement claim. But when a beloved hometown hero is murdered, all signs point to Zawar, an outsider with no alibi. With the help of a former federal prosecutor and a local PI, Euchre hopes to uncover the truth. In his first criminal case, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Euchre fears either an innocent man will be sent to death row, or he’ll help set a murderer free. The Local is a small-town thriller crackling with courtroom tension right up to the final verdict.

©2022 Joey Hartstone (P)2022 Random House Audio
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Critic reviews

"Terrific . . . [Hartstone] writes with verve and affection . . . the characters are vivid and worth rooting for, and the plot is just complicated enough to be interesting without being overwhelming." --The New York Times Book Review

"The finest legal thriller debut since Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent in 1987. . . Do not miss it." --The Daily Mail (U.K.)

"A sizzling, fast-paced read that drew me in and kept me turning pages right to the end. Joey Hartstone paints a vivid picture of a small-town Texas court where old feuds and allegiances mean anything can happen." —William Landay, author of the New York Times bestselling Defending Jacob

What listeners say about The Local

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As good as Grisham

Great legal mystery/thriller. Don’t pass this up! From beginning to end a great listen. I hope Joey writes another.

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2 people found this helpful

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Great debut; reminded me of good Grisham.

I really enjoyed this. At the beginning it reminded me of old Grisham (Rain Maker…) and was well thought out and had me binge listening.
I wish the follow-ups were available in my region on Audible 😖

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5 star!!

This was my first time ‘reading’ this author and I’m glad I did! This is a great book with plenty of twists and turns! Enjoy

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A good read

An awesome little book that doesn’t overly fluff but delivers a great legal thriller. A nice break from major authors and their characters, The Local delivers the same quality of gut punching twists as the Lincoln Lawyer and similar series.

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Fantastic

If you like courtroom dramas you are going to love this book. It’s got a different kind of twist than the usual courtroom drama books and it’s a really good twist. I was sure I had it all figured out. Actually, I was convinced of it but boy was I wrong. You won’t regret this story. It’s great.

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An excellent read

I actually enjoyed it very much. After reading some of the negative reviews I was hesitant, but decided to go ahead and purchase the book. I am so glad I did?l! A few chapters in and I was hooked. You won’t regret it.

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WELL WRITTEN LEGAL THRILLER

I have been an avid reader of legal fiction for years…from Grif Stockley to John Grisham & everything in between. I thoroughly enjoyed how succinct, legally accurate & enjoyable this new writer is- highly recommend.

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Slow start

When I started this book it seemed really stiff and more like a class in patent law. As it progressed however the story evolved and was very good.

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Enjoyable

I was interested to start with because Marshall Texas is my hometown. It was super visualizing the town I’ve been away from for many years. The courthouse is central to the towns setting. But I also enjoyed the book and characters. Very good read.

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Great book

It was so much like reading Grisham or Patterson. Well developed characters and interesting twists and turns. I would enjoy reading more of his books.

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