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    Hostile Witness: A Josie Bates Thriller
    Hostile Witness: A Josie Bates Thriller
    Hostile Witness: A Josie Bates Thriller
    Audiobook12 hours

    Hostile Witness: A Josie Bates Thriller

    Written by Rebecca Forster

    Narrated by Ann Marie Lee

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton is arrested for the murder of her stepgrandfather, the chief justice of the California Supreme court, her distraught mother turns to her old college roommate, Josie Baylor-Bates, for help. Josie, once a hot-shot criminal defense attorney, left the fast track behind for a small practice in Hermosa Beach, California. But Hannah Sheraton intrigues her and, when the girl is charged as an adult, Josie cannot turn her back. But the deeper she digs the more Josie realizes that politics, the law and family relationships create a combustible and dangerous situation. When the horrible truth is uncovered it can save Hannah Sheraton or destroy them both.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 28, 2018
    ISBN9781977385550
    Hostile Witness: A Josie Bates Thriller
    Author

    Rebecca Forster

    Rebecca Forster will try anything once but when she was dared to write a book she found her passion. Now a USA Today and Amazon best selling author with over 40 books to her name, Rebecca is known for her keen ear for dialogue, an eye for detail, twisted plots and unexpected endings. From court watching to weapons training, landing by tail hook on an aircraft carrier to ride-alongs, Rebecca believes in hands on research. Her legal thrillers and police procedurals are inspired by real-life crime and are enriched by her talent for characterization, insightful dialogue and twist endings. "There is a poignancy to crime stories," Rebecca says when asked why she writes thrillers. "Those who investigate or prosecute crimes are personally challenged to be heroic and the victims are forever changed. There is no greater drama." Rebecca is married to a superior court judge and is the mother of two grown sons. She lives in Southern California but loves to connect with readers around the world. To contact her, visit her website. Don't forget to sign up for her spam-free mailing list so you never miss a new release.http://rebeccaforster.com

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    Reviews for Hostile Witness

    3.5/5

    165 ratings23 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I thought Josie was a ridiculous lawyer. She would have been thrown out of court. Like the way they showed the girls mental illness.
    • 4/5
      I've never read a legal thriller, and this was a nice diversion from my usual historical fiction and women's fiction genres.The fast paced courtroom drama, family dysfunction and suspenseful twists made this novel a fascinating and quick read. Josie Bates, for the most part, is a flawed and unlikable protagonist. But, she's interesting enough to make me want to know more of her story.This book was the perfect change of pace I was looking for. I'll definitely be coming back to read the rest of the series.
    • 5/5
      Hannah Sheraton is the trouble teen-aged step-daughter of a soon to be appointed judge. When his father is murdered in a fire, the finger is pointed at Hannah and everything - the judge's appointment, his marriage to Hannah's mother, and the rest of the world gets turned upside down. Attorney Jose Baylor-Bates keeps tripping over suprises as she tries to straighten it all out.
    • 1/5
      Have tried to read a couple of times, but doesn't hold my interest. Recorded voice was almost unintelligible at times. Plot sounded good, but did not develop adequately. Deleted it after an hour or so of listening as it did not hold my interest. I won't be continuing with the series.
    • 3/5
      I'd give it 3-1/2 stars. Really a pretty good mystery, particularly considering that it was a freebie on kindle. Strong female lead and the ending wasn't telegraphed too badly. The other characters felt a little two-dimensional at times, but overall pretty good.
    • 3/5
      An interesting crime drama. It all revolves around whether or not a troubled rich girl is capable of committing a brutal murder and setting fire to the house of a Supreme Court judges' home. The story overall was a little predictable but did keep you wondering if she did or did not commit the crime.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this book! Great suspense, many twists and unbelievable situations, diverse characters. I liked the dialogues, the detailed descriptions, the pace. Even though the real suspect could have been guessed almost from the beginning, it was interesting to read how the case developed and how the characters responded in different situations. I think the author did a very good job. She really kept me hooked!
    • 4/5
      This is a thriller that didn't catch me at first. It took me awhile to get hooked but when it did it was worth. This is one of those books you yell at the characters because you know what's happening and they just can't see it and you so badly want to help - to stop what's so clearly coming. Josie Baylor-Bates is a lawyer who's taking cases that pay the bills but aren't much of a challenge when an old friend from college asks her to help her daughter. It should be easy right? Getting her out was easy (and not overly interesting) but keeping the daughter out of jail, now that's the hard part. And it's where the story starts to take off. This is the first in a series of books about Josie. Will be ready more.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book; didn't want to put it down. Wavered over whether or not Hannah was guilty. Another reviewer criticized sentence construction and said needed editing. I can honestly say I didn't notice any of that and I have read books that drove me mad because of these faults. Good book; worth reading. Will buy more of this author.
    • 4/5
      A good read but seamed to run out of steam towards the end which had a fairly inconclusive ending - unless there is going to be a sequel.
    • 4/5
      Loved this author - well written and good characterisation. Great court room drama, lots of twists with this plot and good ending. Will look forward to reading more from this writer.
    • 5/5
      Josie Baylor-Bates's life is changed when her old friend Linda Sheraton comes back. Linda's 16 year old daughter, Hannah, is accused of murdering her step-grandfather, a famous judge. So Josie decides to help Hannah. But as secrets are uncovered, Josie realizes that Linda wasn't the mother Josie thought she was. Hannah is abandoned and so that results into Hannah running away. Josie searches the place where Hannah's step-grandfather was murdered and Josie discovers secrets about what really happened. Linda Sheraton is the murderer and goes to jail for it.I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it, but at times it could get a little confusing.
    • 4/5
      Not so much a whodunnit as a whydunnit (or, as later becomes apparent, whynotdunnit) the plot follows the efforts of a defense attorney committed to doing the best for her client no matter what the cost to herself, the client or anyone else. The courtroom drama is handled expertly, although, for this reader, the delay of any forensic evidence until the last act strained the patience. Though the dialogue is well done, the characters and their relationships are from straight from central casting and the Ladybird Book of Writing for Dummies, but then that's not what we read this stuff for. A real page turner, the denoument is more satisfying than surprising.
    • 5/5
      Hostile Witness is a very good, fast pasted book. It has a lot of twists and turns. It will leave you fascinated, and consumed in the plot. I would recommend this book to anyone who reads legal thrillers or even watches them on TV!I love legal thrillers and this one was especially good. It took me to another world and the story was great. This author is becoming my favorite along with Tom Clancy and Steven King and also Dean Coontz. Had to take time out of my busy schedule to give praise to where it is due and to let people know about this great writer. Hat’s off to Rebecca Forster!Stunning . . . a novel that comes to you out of the blue and manages to keep you reading feverishly until the whole thing is completed.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed the book. I liked trying to get to know the characters a little better throughout the book. It took a few twists and turns towards the end which kept me reading as much as possible to finally find out what happened.
    • 3/5
      a good read
    • 3/5
      Good suspense....interesting twists.
    • 3/5
      Interesting book, it started out with little information and I was intrigued by Hannah. She was nothing like I expected her to be. I would have liked more dscription and charactor development of Josie as I could never get a 'picture' of her other than her height. I also would have liked more detail on her boyfriend.Toward the end of the book, the action was fast though not compelling. Overall, worth the read!
    • 3/5
      I am a big fan of legal thrillers so I was excited to read this book. I felt the whole premise of the book, the murder of a California Supreme Court Justice, was great. Unfortunately not much else of this book was all that great. Most of the characters in this book are unbelievably hard to like which made me want to quit reading this book many times. The only character that I had any remotely positive feelings towards was Hannah. The actually mystery of who killed Fritz Rayburn was very easy to solve early in the book. I spent most of the book wondering when Josie would finally figure it out. Besides the characters being annoying and the mystery being easy to solve, it wasn't that bad of a read. It was just not that great of a legal thriller.
    • 5/5
      I got this as a free book off of Amazon.It's been a while since I've read a page turner-- one that I had to stay up late reading just to race to the end. This was one of those novels. From the initial meeting of Linda, a past roommate with an intriguing proposal, to meeting her defendant, Hannah and to revealing the rest of the ragtag band of screwed up characters, they were all fascinating characters. I loved the fast paced courtroom drama-- I definitely have a soft spot for those. I loved the dramatic moment near the end when Josie is building her case... and gets an unexpected result.Most of all, I really liked Josie. She is a character with staying power. Strong, passionate but emotional and caring-- someone who resonates like Erin Brokovich. She's someone I would want defending me. And what's more, my first instinct when I finished the book was to pick up more books by Rebecca Forster!This is a thrilling ride that no one should miss out on.
    • 2/5
      I was looking for a good legal thriller, having been disappointed by the recent attempts by Grisham and Turrow. Amazon pointed me toward Hostile Witness, and the reviews were sparkling. There were over 20 ratings, and almost all were glowing. Plus at $2.99 (for a Kindle download) the price was right. What a disappointment.First of all, this book is in desperate need of an editor. It is filled with misspellings, and grammar poor enough to make a fourth grader blush. Then there are the characters. Most of them are painfully thin. Good, richly drawn characters can make up for a host of shortcomings; but Hostile Witness has only three characters with any depth at all. The rest are one dimensional. Lastly, the mystery itself was incredibly easy to solve. It was about as tough to figure out as an episode of Matlock.So my search for an exciting legal thriller continues. But it won't include any books by Rebecca Forster.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book very much. There was one character I didn't really care for, and not just because she was mean. There just seemed to be something not quite right about her character. Other than that minor issue, I thought the other characters were great and well developed. Plenty of twists and turns kept me guessing along the way and I thought everything wrapped up nicely at the end. Wonderful book. Thank you Ms. Forster!
    • 4/5
      Keeps you reading. I read this out of sequence, so knew the outcome, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book.