By Way Of Sorrow by Robyn Gigl | Blog Tour Book Review

[ad/gifted - I received an ebook copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.]

By Way Of Sorrow by Robyn Gigl

My rating: 4/5

Publisher: Verve 

Publication date: 16th March 2023

Blurb:

Erin McCabe has been referred the biggest case of her career. Four months ago, the son of a New Jersey state senator was found fatally stabbed in a rundown motel near Atlantic City. Sharise Barnes, a nineteen-year-old transgender sex worker, is in custody, and there seems little doubt of a guilty verdict. Because Sharise admits she killed the senator's son – in self-defense.

As a trans woman herself, Erin knows that defending Sharise will blow her own private life wide open and doubtless deepen her estrangement from her family. Yet she feels uniquely qualified to help Sharise and duty-bound to protect her from the possibility of a death sentence.

While Erin works with her law partner, former FBI agent Duane Swisher, to build a case, the distraught senator begins using the full force of his influence to publicly discredit everyone involved in defending Sharise. And behind the scenes, his tactics are even more dangerous. For his son had secrets that could destroy his own political aspirations - secrets worth killing for...

Review: 

I was instantly drawn into By Way Of Sorrow because it gave me SVU vibes which is one of my favourite TV shows.

Attorney Erin McCabe and her partner, former FBI agent, Duane "Swish" Swisher are given a case to work. Their client is a transgender woman by the name of Sharise but is currently in a men's prison being referred to as Samuel. Sharise murdered the son of a high profile politician and claims that it was self defence as the victim got angry upon learning that he was having relations with a transgender woman.

We learn very early in the book that Erin is a transgender woman too and is eager to work on the case for this reason. Her partner Swish is worried as this could mean that her private life is pulled apart in this high profile case.

I have never read a novel like this before and it was great to read something so fresh. I always do a bit of research on authors when I read and discovered that Gigl is not unlike the main character of Erin. I can only assume that a lot of what happened in the book has been taken from real life.

The plot was great and kept me wanting to read but it is definitely educational too, especially for those who don't understand the bias towards transgender people. An action packed read!

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A massive thank you to Verve for having me on the blog tour. You can find information about other bloggers taking part in the tour in the graphic below.