06/12/2026
This week, library assistant Shauna suggests Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray, soon to be presented as season 2 of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV. "Nothing is as it seems - and no one is telling the truth - in this page-turning thriller about a young lawyer forced to defend a man on trial for murder against the mentor who taught her everything: her husband." This is the tagline on the inside flap for this legal thriller from debut author Jo Murray. A well-known, well-respected judge is dead, and the defendant in the case has specifically requested Leila Reynolds for what will be her first murder case. To say that she is shocked is an understatement, especially since she failed to keep him out of prison when she defended him on assault charges in the past. The trouble is that her client Jack is refusing to talk, and to make matters even more complicated, her opponent in court has a reputation for being ruthless, and he is, of course, also her husband. As Leila investigates, her client's reticence makes things difficult, but he maintains that he will wait for his day in court and only reveal what he knows on the stand in order to prevent any kind of a cover-up. If her first major murder case weren't stressful enough, someone from Leila's past has returned, drawn by the spotlight to make their move and take their revenge for past wrongs. Dissection of a Murder is told mostly from Leila's point of view, with occasional chapters from a mysterious Witness X, who seems to be someone from Leila's past, and a sprinkling of chapters from defendant Jack. Is the shadowy figure with the vendetta against Leila Witness X, or is Witness X yet another person unimpressed by Leila's past actions? Did Jack kill the judge, or was there someone else in the room? And why was the judge there in the apartment of a doorman above a club to begin with? Dissection of a Murder is available at Cuba Library in hardcover.
