Book Review: An Unreliable Truth, by Victor Methos
Another killer thriller with another twist.
Thomas & Mercer, 2021, 349 pages
From the bestselling author of A Killer’s Wife, Victor Methos’s acclaimed Desert Plains series continues with the saga of two brilliant defense attorneys and a client whose confession may not be what it seems.
Two couples cut to bits near a canyon close to the Nevada border. The police pull over blood-soaked Arlo Ward not far from the site of the grisly murders; he fully cooperates with the officers, grinning through a remorseless confession dripping with gory detail. Investigators find no murder weapon, but young, awkward Arlo’s confession is signed, taped, and delivered.
Defense attorney Dylan Aster and his partner, Lily Ricci, are two rising legal stars. They’re hesitant about pursuing the Arlo Ward case, as it seems like a slam dunk for the prosecution - Arlo was covered in the victims’ DNA and admitted to everything. But the state psychiatrist shares the impossible with Dylan: Arlo Ward is likely innocent. The man is racked with delusional schizophrenia, seizing on these murders as an opportunity for macabre attention.
Dylan can’t resist. He and Lily take on Arlo as their client, but once the trial commences, it’s clear that the real secrets and lies are just beginning.
This is technically the third book in the Desert Plains series, but it stars a pair of defense attorneys who were minor characters in the second book, and barely mentions the characters from the first two books.
This is another book about horrific killings where the author tries to keep the reader guessing while trotting the characters through a courtroom procedural.
An Unreliable Truth starts off with three teenagers being gruesomely murdered out in the woods, slasher-flick style. The Final Girl survives by jumping off a cliff.
The Jason Vorhees of the story turns out to be a mild-mannered, possibly autistic fellow named Arlo Ward. The cops find him covered in the victims' blood, and he cheerfully admits to killing them, even giving an uncoerced confession full of gory, sadistic details.
The public defender handed this crapsack of a case asks for help from a more experienced defense attorney, and against his better judgment, Dylan Aster is pulled in and becomes invested in defending Arlo. Arlo is awkward and has a history of mental illness but no history of violence, and more and more details emerge that cast doubt on whether he actually did, or could have, committed the murders. Dylan becomes convinced Arlo is taking credit for something he didn't do.
There is some personal and family drama involving both attorneys. Dylan has just been offered a BigLaw job in Los Angeles and spends part of the book debating whether he wants to Do Important Work or Get Paid$$$. Dylan actually cares about his client's innocence, while his partner cares about upholding the Constitution and civil rights, regardless of the facts of any particular case.
The Assistant DA in the case is a minor character who mostly serves as a foil to the main characters.
If you like legal thrillers, then like all of Victor Methos's books, this one is full of legal details and trial maneuvers. The twist and the ending were a bit contrived, so I wonder if there will be another book in the series with some of these characters reappearing.
Also by Victor Methos: My reviews of The Neon Lawyer, A Killer's Wife, and Crimson Lake Road.
My complete list of book reviews.
Thomas & Mercer, 2021, 349 pages
From the bestselling author of A Killer’s Wife, Victor Methos’s acclaimed Desert Plains series continues with the saga of two brilliant defense attorneys and a client whose confession may not be what it seems.
Two couples cut to bits near a canyon close to the Nevada border. The police pull over blood-soaked Arlo Ward not far from the site of the grisly murders; he fully cooperates with the officers, grinning through a remorseless confession dripping with gory detail. Investigators find no murder weapon, but young, awkward Arlo’s confession is signed, taped, and delivered.
Defense attorney Dylan Aster and his partner, Lily Ricci, are two rising legal stars. They’re hesitant about pursuing the Arlo Ward case, as it seems like a slam dunk for the prosecution - Arlo was covered in the victims’ DNA and admitted to everything. But the state psychiatrist shares the impossible with Dylan: Arlo Ward is likely innocent. The man is racked with delusional schizophrenia, seizing on these murders as an opportunity for macabre attention.
Dylan can’t resist. He and Lily take on Arlo as their client, but once the trial commences, it’s clear that the real secrets and lies are just beginning.
This is technically the third book in the Desert Plains series, but it stars a pair of defense attorneys who were minor characters in the second book, and barely mentions the characters from the first two books.
This is another book about horrific killings where the author tries to keep the reader guessing while trotting the characters through a courtroom procedural.
An Unreliable Truth starts off with three teenagers being gruesomely murdered out in the woods, slasher-flick style. The Final Girl survives by jumping off a cliff.
The Jason Vorhees of the story turns out to be a mild-mannered, possibly autistic fellow named Arlo Ward. The cops find him covered in the victims' blood, and he cheerfully admits to killing them, even giving an uncoerced confession full of gory, sadistic details.
The public defender handed this crapsack of a case asks for help from a more experienced defense attorney, and against his better judgment, Dylan Aster is pulled in and becomes invested in defending Arlo. Arlo is awkward and has a history of mental illness but no history of violence, and more and more details emerge that cast doubt on whether he actually did, or could have, committed the murders. Dylan becomes convinced Arlo is taking credit for something he didn't do.
There is some personal and family drama involving both attorneys. Dylan has just been offered a BigLaw job in Los Angeles and spends part of the book debating whether he wants to Do Important Work or Get Paid$$$. Dylan actually cares about his client's innocence, while his partner cares about upholding the Constitution and civil rights, regardless of the facts of any particular case.
The Assistant DA in the case is a minor character who mostly serves as a foil to the main characters.
If you like legal thrillers, then like all of Victor Methos's books, this one is full of legal details and trial maneuvers. The twist and the ending were a bit contrived, so I wonder if there will be another book in the series with some of these characters reappearing.
Also by Victor Methos: My reviews of The Neon Lawyer, A Killer's Wife, and Crimson Lake Road.
My complete list of book reviews.