Audiobook Review: Legacy of Lies by Robert Bailey

Legacy of Lies
Author: Robert Bailey
Narrator: Eric G. Dove
Series: Bocephus Haines (Book 1)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (June 1, 2020)
Length: 8 hours and 23 minutes

Description: A small-town attorney takes on prejudice and corruption in this powerful legal thriller.

Small-town lawyer Bocephus Haynes comes home late one night to find District Attorney General Helen Lewis waiting for him. Her ex-husband has just been killed. She’s about to be arrested for his murder. And she wants Bo to represent her.

There’s a lot working against them. Just before his death, Helen’s ex-husband threatened to reveal a dark secret from her past. Bo has been in a tailspin since his wife’s death. What’s more, his whole life has been defined by a crime committed against his family, and he continues to face prejudice as the only African American litigator in Pulaski, Tennessee.

Bo’s back is against the wall, and Helen resigns herself to a dismal fate - but a stunning discovery throws everything into chaos. There’s a chance for justice, but to achieve it, the cost might be too much for Bo to bear.

My Thoughts: The first Bocephus Haines mystery stars a lawyer who has gone through a difficult time including the shooting death of his wife and the loss of custody of his two teenage children, He also has the hanging death of the man he knew as his father by the Ku Klux Klan when he was five which led to his pursuit of the law and of those who were involved. Along the way he learned that one of the men who was involved in the hanging was a white man and his biological father. This cascade of things caused him to go into a state of depression.

When District Attorney General Helen Lewis comes to him one evening and wants to hire him because she believes that she is soon to be arrested for the murder of her ex-husband, Bo turns down the case at first. He comes around to accepting the case despite the overwhelming evidence that Helen did murder her ex. 

As the investigation goes on in preparation for the trial, all sorts of secrets are exposed both in Helen's life and in the movers and shakers of Pulaski, Tennessee. Among the villains is a man who has come to town after inheriting a bunch of money from his deceased parents and who plans to bring in a Japanese automaker who promises 1000 jobs. However, his accusation of the rape of a fifteen-year-old girl stands in the way of the business deal and Helen Lewis is the one who wants to bring him to trial. 

This story was filled with twists and turns and suspense. 

I bought this one November 7, 2020. You can buy your copy here.