Frail Blood
Jo Robertson
Language: English
Pages: 366
ISBN: B007GT1LBU
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
4 1/2 star Romantic Times Review Rating
"Robertson delivers a suspenseful tale of murder, sex, and deception."
See the entire review at http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/frail-blood
Book Description:
"Frail Blood" is an historical romantic thriller, completely fictionalized from a true court case.
California, 1909. A woman straps a pistol to her ankle, walks to her lover’s home, and shoots him. Her motive? After an affair of four months, he jilted her for another woman.
How would an attorney defend the woman in light of her outright confession? Would an all-male jury view her actions with repulsion or pity?
The climate of California in the early twentieth century when women couldn’t vote and men held the real power, where immense wealth rested alongside poverty, held a paradox of contradictions.
The bare bones of this event sparked the idea for the fictional story of Alma Bentley, attorney Malachi Rivers, and Emma Knight, the woman who helps him investigate the case.
When jaded lawyer Malachi Rivers engages newspaper editor Emma Knight to aid him in the case of Alma Bentley, he has no idea they'll eventually unmask a vile web of family deceit, wickedness, and treachery. Constantly putting herself in harm's way, the feckless Emma uncovers dark secrets that lie behind the wealthy facade of the Joseph Machado clan.
With her strong opinions, Emma tests Malachi's patience even while he's strongly attracted to her. She disagrees with every aspect of his trial strategy, but he defends his client the only way he can – by insisting that a woman, a naturally frail creature, is incapable of committing such a heinous crime.
Emma wants to experience true passion and detests the false notion that women are inferior to men in any way. Even while she confronts Malachi at every turn, she falls ridiculously in love with him.
Readers of historical fiction and mystery/suspense, as well as historical romance, will enjoy the elements at play in this slice of life, fictionalized story of California.
ABNA Publishers Weekly Reviewer
This outstanding manuscript begins in 1909 northern California, where Alma Bentley has murdered her boss and lover, Joe Machado. Enter the famed attorney, Malachi Rivers, who must defend this uneducated, naïve and clearly guilty woman. The trial is watched carefully by Emma Knight, an heiress who is determined to make her own way as a newspaperwoman and to whom Alma has confided the truth behind the murder. As love grows between Emma and Malachi, the two become partners in their efforts to save Alma from herself and from the biased hand of the law. The trial unfolds while the truth behind Malachi's family is unveiled, offering up two parallel and engaging mysteries. The characters and setting come to life through effective and creative dialogue, while the trial provides a unrelenting narrative tension. Don't be surprised if you finish it in one sitting.
for me by my good friend Ransom Olds back in ought one, first off the lot," Stephen grinned. "He calls it the Curved Dash. Hop in." Malachi had suspected Knight had an ulterior motive for driving him home and after several moments of jostling over the rough terrain, Emma's uncle finally reached the point. "Thank you for inviting my niece to assist you on the case." Malachi merely shrugged. In truth he didn't know why he'd asked such an annoying distraction of a female as Emma to help with his
defendant he wasn't sure, but her anger lay just beneath the surface of a composed façade. "My task is to get Alma acquitted of murder charges," he grated out, impatient with her noble ideas. "Her equality means nothing if she's dead." He meant to shock her with his harsh words and edgy tone, and he must've succeeded for her face blanched right before her temper boiled to the surface. She clutched her fists at her hips and stepped toward him. He moved forward until he felt her hot, rapid
his gavel and another swishing of his robes, the judge left through the same door he'd entered. # Emma remained on the hard wooden pew long after the other reporters, attorneys, and onlookers had vacated the courtroom. She hadn't the slightest intention of leaving until she felt composed. Scrupulously honest with herself, she freely admitted that the single meeting of the eyes with Mr. Rivers across the courtroom had thrown her off guard. She ought to be furious with him. His response to her
to say that closing remarks would begin on the morrow. Emma knew that tomorrow the prosecution would present the salient points of their case first, then the defense, and then the prosecution would be given a final chance to address the jury. She surmised that Malachi was hard at work in his law office preparing his remarks. Although eager to tell him her discoveries about the Machado family, she would not interrupt him now. Would he agree with her suspicions or believe she was being
her face. And what if she were completely off the mark? Malachi would think her foolish indeed. "What is the relationship?" Malachi's hand rested on the back of the sofa, his fingers playing with the corded seams close to her unbound hair. She cleared her throat. "This is difficult to speak about." His laughter, rich and mellow, warmed her like a good brandy going smoothly down the throat. "I shouldn't think there was anything difficult for us to speak about. Not now." He reached for a