Jordan La Fontaine is a 41-year-old Assistant District Attorney in Portland, Oregon. She has become a workaholic since the death of her defense attorney husband, Eric, from a heart attack less than a year earlier. She is left alone with two teenage children, Trevor, 19, and Kendre, 14.
On the job, Jordan is vying with fellow Assistant District Attorney, Jerrod Wresler, for the position of Bureau Chief of the Homicide Division. Off the job, she has begun an affair with her late husband's law partner, Simon McNeil.
These worlds collide when Jordan finds herself in the middle of two homicide cases. She is trying the case against African-American homicide detective Graham Turner, who is charged with brutally murdering his white ex-wife. Meanwhile, when her son is charged with murdering a young couple, Jordan asks Simon to defend him against prosecutor Jerrod Wresler.
Jordan then begins her own investigation to prove her son's innocence. It leads all the way to the D.A.'s office and her chief adversary, Jerrod Wresler. The twists and turns and unexpected results of Jordan's double duty come to a head in a heart pounding, dramatic conclusion.
Male batterers of women are being beaten to death by a bat wielding female vigilante. Each victim had recently been on trial for domestic violence-related charges, but was set free through plea bargains, technicalities, or acquittal.
Two Portland Police Bureau Detectives--Sergeant Ray Barkley and his partner Detective Nina Parker--investigate the killings. Among the list of suspects is Criminal Court Judge Carole Cranston, who presided over the trials of all the victims and has dark secrets she is in no hurry to share.
Barkley soon develops an attraction to the beautiful Carole, and vice versa, even as the case heats up and more signs begin to point toward Carole as the serial murderess the press has dubbed The Vigilante Batterer Killer.
Nina, who had a brief affair with Barkley, is determined to prove that Carole is the killer.
As the body count rises, no one seems safe. In the end, all the pieces come together in an exciting, page turning whodunit and why.
In Eagles Landing, California, Assistant District Attorney Beverly Mendoza is assigned the case of prosecuting a man charged with murdering a local judge, Sheldon Crawford, and sexually assaulting the judge's wife, Maxine. The suspect, Rafael Santiago--who once vowed revenge against the judge for sending him to prison--is picked out of a lineup by Maxine Crawford.
At the same time Wilameta County Sheriff's Department homicide detective Stone Palmer is investigating the rape and strangulation of a local young woman, Adrienne Murray. A suspect, Manuel González, is taken into custody.
What seems to be an open and shut case for Beverly and Stone is suddenly challenged when González, a career criminal, claims he murdered the judge. Is it a case of mistaken identity? Or two desperate and violent men looking to manipulate the system for their own self interests?
As Beverly grapples with her case, she must balance this with being a single mother of a headstrong 12-year-old boy and the daughter of an elderly father suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Her lover is handsome attorney-turned-judge, Grant Nunez, who has some jarring secrets of his own.
Beverly and Stone are put to the test as the plot thickens in ways neither could have imagined. The dramatic and deadly conclusion will put both their lives in jeopardy and leave the reader hanging on every word!
"Flowers once again has written a page-turner legal thriller that begins with a bang and rapidly moves along to its final page. He has filled the novel with believable characters and situations." -- Midwest Book Review
"This legal thriller will have you on the edge of your seats. The court room scenes are unforgettable and very believable.... The author gets into the mind of the criminals and you'll feel privileged to information that the other characters don't know. State's Evidence is a must have for any fan of suspense books." -- Shades of Romance Magazine
"R. Barri Flowers's book STATE'S EVIDENCE is a well-written thriller with an opening scene that would cause anyone to keep turning the pages. STATE'S EVIDENCE will make the top sellers list because it's fast-paced, intriguing, satisfying, and I highly recommend it to you." -- Romance Reader At Heart
"STATE'S EVIDENCE, the new legal thriller by R. Barri Flowers, is a mixture of murder, mystery, madness and mayhem. The story was well-written and believable, and at times erotic. Flowers inflicted the characters with human flaws, among them the desire for love and revenge." -- RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
"Just when you think you have figured the plot out, R. Barri Flowers throws another curve. One of my suppositions did prove out but was clouded by the red herrings being thrown around... It was well worth the time taken to read it."-- Roundtable Reviews
" STATE'S EVIDENCE has a varied, multicultural cast of interesting characters, both good and evil.... Plot is clever and intriguing with unusual twists, with the suspense escalating rapidly." -- Romance Reviews Today
"An intriguing story of murder, madness and mayhem, with a slight blend of mystery. Flowers depicts believable characters in this suspenseful legal thriller." -- Romantic Times
"R. Barri Flowers has written an electrifying and enthralling legal thriller that will appeal to readers of Nancy Taylor Rosenberg and Barbara Parker. The courtroom scenes are very realistic and the heroine is someone readers will empathize with and admire as a role model for minorities and women. STATE'S EVIDENCE would make a great action packed movie." -- Harriet Klausner
REVIEWS OF PERSUASIVE EVIDENCE
"Compelling detective mystery." -- The Best Reviews
"A superb legal thriller." -- Midwest Book Review
"Raw, primal, thrilling, incredibleone of the best books that I have read. I was completely riveted from the first page." -- Romance Reader at Heart
"It has all the aspects of a perfect mystery, and thankfully, it isn't so predictable you figure out what's going on." -- RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
"An excellent look at the jurisprudence system .... will appeal to fans of John Grisham and Linda Fairstein." -- Harriet Klausner
"Interesting "whodunit" that kept me guessing until the end .... found the story to be quite engaging with all around solid pacing, plot and delivery." -- APOOO BookClub
"An absorbing legal thriller .... Flowers' forte lies in the vivid well-developed characters he creates. The interactions of his characters and the conflicts that arise serve to make the story a compelling page-turner." -- Romance In Color
"All the elements of a great mystery book, suspicions, red herrings, evidence and witnesses. If you are into mysteries, this would be the book for you." -- Romance Review
"A story that keeps you on the edge of your seat .... A page turning story I couldn't put down." -- Romance Junkies
REVIEWS OF JUSTICE SERVED
"A clever mystery with many suspects.... Vividly written, this book holds the reader's attention and speeds along." -- Romantic Times
"An A+ suspense/mystery with a touch of heartfelt romance.... Is not just simply compelling, it also activates reader's consciousness.... Powerful legal suspense is riveting." -- Fresh Fiction
"This author weaves a magical web, as well as, a tangled one [and] wraps up the mystery thriller beautifully .... Will be recommending this title to many!" -- Huntress' Book Reviews
"Justice Served is a model of crime fiction .... Flowers may be a new voice in modern mystery writing, but he is already one of its best voices." -- Statesman Journal
"The magic behind R. Barri Flowers' terrific suspense thriller is that the serial killer is in plain sight as the clues are laid out for the audience to determine .... Fans of police procedural serial killer thrillers will want to read this fine tale while anxiously waiting to follow the next investigation." -- Harriet Klausner
"R. Barri Flowers has created a superb mystery .... There's just enough romance and romantic triangles to keep the interest going. It's a great book that any mystery lover will adore." -- RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
"This novel has lots of twists and turns and is a very fast read with believable characters and a very tense setting." -- Midwest Book Review
