Thanks to Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

James Barretto is an exciting new face in the world of legal thrillers. His “Mystic Winds,” which is the first book in the Jack Marino series, is an interesting window into the world of lawyers, the accused, the imperfect justice system and the lawyers’ machinations between each other to pursue their idea of justice and excellence. 

Jack Marino, having been the best criminal trial lawyer of Boston, stops prosecuting hard criminal cases after a brutal attack that almost killed him, and has been working in his father-in-law’s law firm, working on civil suits ever since. However, circumstances push him into representing a defendant in a murder trial and he finds himself being pulled out of the fugue that he had been in and reawaken his dormant talents.  

His struggles in coming out of the after effects of the attack and the fierceness with which he fights for justice has been wonderfully portrayed in a brilliant way, with the trial serving as an engaging backdrop. Jack gets a lot of great development that allows the reader to connect with him as he comes back into his own. Sadly, the same can not be said for the other characters in this book.

I still had the most enjoyable and thrilling reading experience from this book and would recommend it highly to all lovers of courtroom dramas.

This book gets 5 out of 5 stars.