Standby Counsel

A Monica Spade Novel

By: Alexi Venice

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

★★★★★ Named "The Best Legal Thriller of 2021" by BestThrillers.com

★★★★★ "A sexy legal thriller that deftly blends an international terror plot with romantic obsession. Highly recommended." -- Best Thrillers

Monica Spade insists she isn't a trial lawyer, much less one who represents dangerous criminals. Despite her protests, Judge O'Brien orders Monica to serve as standby counsel for a young woman accused of repeatedly stabbing her boyfriend.

Setting aside her abject fear, Monica drags herself to the jail to meet her new client, Stela Reiter. A demure Romanian, Stela looks more like a meek librarian than a person capable of overpowering and stabbing a young man to death. Unlike Monica's other clients, Stela is coy and secretive during their interview.

Meanwhile, Monica's girlfriend, Shelby St. Claire, is keeping secrets of her own, forcing Monica to question the foundation of their relationship. Cursed with intrepid curiosity, Monica digs into the backgrounds of both women.

Monica uncovers sexual innuendo and layers of international intrigue. Stuck between an unrelenting judge and a killer in a pink cardigan, Monica pursues the truth in court while fighting to keep Shelby and herself out of harm's way.

Set in the dead of winter in surprisingly progressive Apple Grove, Wisconsin, Standby Counsel will keep readers' hearts racing.

★★★★★ Over 400 ratings and reviews on Amazon and Goodreads

★★★★★ "Among legal thrillers, Standby Counsel excels in its depth of characterization. The chapters devoted to Monica's romantic life are no less gripping than those devoted to the primary plot. While Standby Counsel is the second book in the Monica Spade Series, it's a perfect entry point for new fans. Highly recommended." Best Thrillers

Great story, a good voice, 5 for the story

I found this story to be interesting and unique. It's a courtroom drama, so it's not the kind of thriller that has you on the edge of your seat but challenges you intellectually (but mostly figuring out how everyone will get there). It's a puzzle. There is some action that makes it a thriller. The MC's character is clear and realistic, though she seems a little younger than your average owner of her own law firm. This doesn't all come from the virtual voice, but from how the character was written. She's also naive for this trial and she knows it. She's heroic in a lawyer out of water way.

This virtual voice is realistic without having to up the speed too much to put more life into it. More than other voices, it reflects emotion such as disgust, affection, conflict, argumentativeness,, rebellion, and can distinguish a 180 change in a character's response to testimony to some extent. I'm sure this is in the writing, but at least the voice responded to it. Like I said, the voice responds to emotional content. There are some mispronounced words, but fewer than usual. There are dialogue heavy sections where "said" is repeated many times--that's in the written, so prepare yourself. It's worth it.

Great intrequeing story

This was a great of intreque murder and love. One of the best stories to spend a weekend listening to. Looking forward to hear more from this author.