Digital List Price: | $13.56 |
Kindle Price: | $9.21 Save $4.35 (32%) |
Sold by: | Amazon.com Services LLC |
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
OK
Audible sample Sample
By Way of Sorrow (An Erin McCabe Legal Thriller Book 1) Kindle Edition
—The New York Times Book Review
In a fresh and riveting thriller debut, Robyn Gigl introduces Erin McCabe, a New Jersey criminal defense attorney doing her best to live a quiet life in the wake of profound personal change—until a newsworthy case puts both her career and safety in jeopardy . . .
Erin McCabe has been referred the biggest case of her career. Four months ago, William E. Townsend, Jr., son of a New Jersey State Senator, was found fatally stabbed in a rundown motel near Atlantic City. Sharise Barnes, a nineteen-year-old transgender prostitute, is in custody, and given the evidence, there seems little doubt of a guilty verdict.
As a trans woman herself, Erin knows that defending Sharise will blow her own private life wide open, and doubtless deepen her estrangement from her family. Yet she feels uniquely qualified to help Sharise, and duty-bound to protect her from the possibility of a death sentence. Because Sharise admits she killed the senator’s son—in self-defense.
As Erin works with her partner, former FBI agent Duane Swisher, circumstances hint at ties to other brutal murders. Senator Townsend is using the full force of his prestige and connections to publicly discredit everyone involved in defending Sharise. And behind the scenes, his tactics are even more dangerous. For his son had secrets that could destroy the senator’s political aspirations—secrets worth killing for . . .
“An intelligent and resourceful protagonist with an unusual backstory. . . . Erin’s ability to navigate the intricacies of the law is just as fascinating as the subsequent perils she encounters.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Gigl, a transgender lawyer herself, provides provocative insights into the legal system and the challenges of gender identity.”
—Booklist
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherKensington Books
- Publication dateMarch 30, 2021
- File size6421 KB
Editorial Reviews
Review
“This enthralling series debut features a twisty plot full of surprises and a cast of exciting characters—most notably tough, relatable defense-attorney Erin McCabe—all while diving into the mud of corrupt local politics. An original legal thriller that is sure to be among the year’s best!”
—Edwin Hill, author of The Missing Ones
“Robyn Gigl has delivered a compelling, provocative legal thriller like no other. It’s addictive as hell, one of those ‘just one more chapter’ books that keep you reading late into the night. Topical and fast-paced, By Way of Sorrow grabs you on the very first page with a brutal murder, and then sends you on a twist-filled thrill-ride that doesn’t let up until the startling finale. Gigl introduces a new kind of heroine with attorney Erin McCabe—she’s brilliant, resourceful, a little vulnerable and completely unique. Bravo! Is it too soon to ask when we can expect the next Erin McCabe thriller?”
—Kevin O’Brien, New York Times bestselling author of The Bad Sister
“Robyn Gigl’s By Way of Sorrow is a taut, engaging, page-turner with a lot of heart. Lawyer Erin McCabe and her law partner Duane Swisher are on the case of a transgender teen accused of murdering the scion of a ruthless politician bent on burying the case, and the accused, at all costs. A good read. McCabe’s a protagonist with a lot of depth. Two thumbs up for Gigl.”
—Tracy Clark, author of What You Don’t See
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B07W8ZXHK7
- Publisher : Kensington Books (March 30, 2021)
- Publication date : March 30, 2021
- Language : English
- File size : 6421 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 354 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1496728262
- Best Sellers Rank: #237,045 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #77 in LGBTQ+ Thrillers
- #152 in Transgender Fiction
- #861 in Legal Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Robyn Gigl is the author of the Erin McCabe Legal Thriller Series, which Lisa Gardner called a "don't miss" series. Her upcoming book, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, is "compelling, twisty, and—throughout—utterly life-changing." (Hank Phillippi Ryan) Robyn's previous critically acclaimed novels include SURVIVOR'S GUILT, which TIME Magazine named as one of the 100 Best Mystery & Thriller Books of All Time, was selected by the NYT as one of the best crime novels of 2022, and won the Joseph Hansen Award for LGBTQ Crime Writing; BY WAY OF SORROW, which was selected by CrimeReads as one of the best crime novels of 2021; and REMAIN SILENT, which was nominated for the Joseph Hansen Award.
Robyn is a graduate of Stonehill College and Villanova University School of Law. Robyn lives in New Jersey, where she continues to practice law by day, and work on her next novel by night. Fortunately, she has a very boring social life.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
But the author abandons the courtroom plot and turns it into a noir thriller with baroque turns and a high body count. And everything is off. The book is set in 2006, in New Jersey, at a time when the state was debating whether to end capital punishment. Since Erin is defending a murder suspect you assume the death penalty is going to play a prime part in the courtroom scene, but it all peters out, so maybe you’ll wonder why the author set the story back in the past, when if she’d set it today, a time when society is more conscious of sex versus gender, it might have made a better story.
Worse, several times the author, whose first novel this is, uses the technique of one character telling another “now here’s what we’re going to do,” but not showing you just yet what they’re going to do. That, too, fritters away. The plans are blown up.
Then, too, you know who’s behind all of the violence and betrayal, and you wait for the reveal that will finally let besieged Erin defend her client. But by then the suspense is gone, along with the suspension of disbelief.
Notes and asides: The book could have used a “cast of characters” page.
I like the main character being a tough, smart trans man woman but the description of her exploration of her sexuality came off as dated and not very progressive. Seems strange she'd describe herself as heterosexual after dating and being attracted to women. Wouldn't she be bisexual or pansexual?
The villains were cartoon ish and over the top, but strangely prescient all the same. An entertaining, fast paced read and decent debut.
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2023
Erin McCabe has just agreed to take on the highest-profile criminal case of her career. Sharise Barnes, a transgender woman, is accused of robbing and killing the son of a New Jersey State Senator. The senator's family says that Sharise tricked their son into sleeping with her so that she could rob him. Sharise has a different story. She says that when the son discovered that she wasn't born a woman, he got violent with her. Sharise stabbed him in an act of self-defense. The case is down to the word of a transgender prostitute against that of an influential politician. It isn't hard to guess which side of the story the courts will favor.
Despite the odds being stacked against them, Erin believes that Sharise is innocent and is determined to defend her. Beyond her desire to see justice served, Erin's involvement in the case is out of something more personal. You see, Erin is a transgender woman herself. Like Sharise, Erin knows what it feels like to be a stranger in her own body. She's faced the challenge of having to live her truth or keep her family and friends. In taking on this case, Erin knows that her past will be brought to the forefront, but she can't let Sharise's case go. In Erin's eyes, the only thing separating her from Sharise is money and privilege. She has to help this woman win this case.
The best thrillers combine a riveting plot with captivating characters. In By Way of Sorrow, Robyn Gigl does just that. The legal case pits the large political force against the small, marginalized minority. That dynamic of power versus weak drives most of the suspense in the novel. What elevates the story is Gigl's ability to write characters who strive to overcome their perceived weakness and turn it into strength. The main protagonist Erin is still coming to terms with being a transgender woman. She's accepted herself but struggles with how the rest of the world perceives her. Gigl imbues Erin with a sense of truth that is undeniable. She places her in real situations and allows them to play out as they would in the real world. As Erin finds her place in the world and builds her confidence in defending her case, we too gain an understanding of her character and how universal her story truly is. I was glued to the pages of this novel and can only hope that Gigl has more stories to tell in the future.
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2021
Erin McCabe has just agreed to take on the highest-profile criminal case of her career. Sharise Barnes, a transgender woman, is accused of robbing and killing the son of a New Jersey State Senator. The senator's family says that Sharise tricked their son into sleeping with her so that she could rob him. Sharise has a different story. She says that when the son discovered that she wasn't born a woman, he got violent with her. Sharise stabbed him in an act of self-defense. The case is down to the word of a transgender prostitute against that of an influential politician. It isn't hard to guess which side of the story the courts will favor.
Despite the odds being stacked against them, Erin believes that Sharise is innocent and is determined to defend her. Beyond her desire to see justice served, Erin's involvement in the case is out of something more personal. You see, Erin is a transgender woman herself. Like Sharise, Erin knows what it feels like to be a stranger in her own body. She's faced the challenge of having to live her truth or keep her family and friends. In taking on this case, Erin knows that her past will be brought to the forefront, but she can't let Sharise's case go. In Erin's eyes, the only thing separating her from Sharise is money and privilege. She has to help this woman win this case.
The best thrillers combine a riveting plot with captivating characters. In By Way of Sorrow, Robyn Gigl does just that. The legal case pits the large political force against the small, marginalized minority. That dynamic of power versus weak drives most of the suspense in the novel. What elevates the story is Gigl's ability to write characters who strive to overcome their perceived weakness and turn it into strength. The main protagonist Erin is still coming to terms with being a transgender woman. She's accepted herself but struggles with how the rest of the world perceives her. Gigl imbues Erin with a sense of truth that is undeniable. She places her in real situations and allows them to play out as they would in the real world. As Erin finds her place in the world and builds her confidence in defending her case, we too gain an understanding of her character and how universal her story truly is. I was glued to the pages of this novel and can only hope that Gigl has more stories to tell in the future.
Top reviews from other countries
Story itself was all right. Nothing really new. Certainly not not in the Gresham or Throw caliber, but all right
empathy I felt throughout. Really recommend this conspiracy focused book with a social prejudice twist!