Spoiler Alert: character names, themes, and plot discussed. 

Summary

Breach of Promise written by Perry O’Shaughnessy is a fictional legal thriller about love and broken promises. Book no.4 in the Nina Reilly series. 

Set in the backdrop of Lake Tahoe, Lindy and Mark Markov are a wealthy couple. They own a multi million dollar business together and they are in love. Until all of sudden they aren’t. Mark is cheating on Lindy and wants to part ways. Lindy decides to sue Mark for her half. A lawsuit worth millions. 

In steps Nina Reilly, a local lawyer, and single mother who is struggling to make ends meet professionally and personally. Nina hesitantly agrees to take on Lindy’s case, but due to the sheer amount of money on the table, Nina agrees to try the case. With some help from another high profile lawyer, Winston and a jury analyst, Genevieve. 

There are 5 books (or parts) within this novel:

Book 1-Parties

Book 2-Discoveries

Book 3-Trials

Book 4-Verdicts

Book 5-Vacations

About the Author

Perry O’Shaughnessy is actually a pen name for this sister writing duo, Pamela and Mary O’Shaughnessy. Perry is a nod to Perry Mason, the fictional tv lawyer/detective. Pamela is a trial lawyer and Mary is a writer. I found it really delightful that two sisters co-wrote this book.

Maybe because it was the first time I have ever heard of two people co-writing a fiction book. Or maybe its because I have a sister who writes and is in law school right now. 

Review

This was my first time reading a legal thriller. I randomly picked up this book at a local bookstore that was closing years ago. I did not know what to expect. I definitely have not read any other books in this series.

I was pleasantly surprised with how in depth Breach of Promise was. Introducing us first to the main characters and the law suit, then the preparation for the trial. Then the actual trial itself. 

That’s where I thought the climax of the book would have been, with all of the trial proceedings. Nope.

The real climax of  Breach of Promise is behind the scenes during the jury deliberation. Mind you there alot of names to keep track of during this section of the book, but it was cool to see first hand the jury dialogue and the why each juror sided in the way that they did.

Main Character Impressions

Nina–  Honestly, it is hard to come up with much to say about Nina. 

I felt thrown into Nina’s world. I’m guessing this is because Breach of Promise is the 4th book in a series (something I didn’t know when I first started reading it). 

As I kept reading though I felt like I got to know Nina a little better. We get to see her insecurities. These insecurities manifest inside the courtroom when  she compares herself to her overly confident peer, Winston. We also get to see her insecurities when it comes to being vulnerable with her love interest, Paul. 

Lindy– Lindy comes off as a rich socialite who likes to spend her money on extravagant things. After all, we are first introduced to her at a party….on a boat.  

But we come to see that she works hard for her money and she gives generously to those around her.

She loves Mark deeply. Even during the trial. It’s easy to see this as her weakness but it may be her strength. The ability to be sure about your heart even if you may have to love them from afar. 

Mark– Mark is rich. And he is  getting older. Which may be the reason for his seemingly mid-life crisis.

Why read?

3 reasons to read Breach of Promise include:

1. The suspense- The build up to the climax was slow but once you get there you want to keep reading to see what happens next. Also, I feel like I’m pretty good at determining the ‘who’ in ‘who done it’ type books and especially movies. However, I have to admit that my initial presumption was incorrect. 

If you enjoy a good ‘who done it’ then I would recommend this book.

2. 90’s nostalgia- This book was written in the late 90’s. Copyrighted in 1998 to be exact. There’s something about being thrown back into the world of dial up internet and Ford Broncho’s that warms my heart ❤️

3. Legal Terminology- So obviously since this book is a legal thriller, one would expect a certain amount of legal terminology. However, the terminology did not distract from the flow of the book. You are still able to understand what is happening and what is being described, but also feel a part of this legal world.