Review of Innocence on Trial

[Eunice Geres]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Innocence on Trial" by Stephen Roth.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Tommy Henderson was just ten years old when he first took a stand inside a courtroom. He was just a kid when he had to endure the pain of being cross-examined for a scenario that a child should’ve never experienced. He was just a kid when he had to tell a courtroom full of people about the sexual assault he experienced at the hands of Lester Mobey. And sadly, he was just ten years old when he had to watch a sexual predator be proven not guilty.

Innocence on Trial by Stephen Roth follows the story of Tommy Henderson. After the unfortunate events of the trial when he was ten, his mental health was negatively impacted. Thankfully, he found the courage to start a new life away from his past. And in the life he created, he became a lawyer and was able to start a family. But that was not yet the happy ending of Tommy’s life. He was once again desperate to win a trial case, only this time, it was to save his son’s life.

This book is one of my favorites so far this year. I especially liked the way the author weaved the story. When I thought the plot was very straightforward, the author threw some twists into the sequence. Tommy’s characterization was also done quite wonderfully. The author led me to believe that Tommy was something he wasn’t. I would’ve never expected this book to have so many twists, and I think other readers would love to read lies unraveled.

However, this book is not without its flaws. An aspect I didn’t like was the lack of impressiveness on the lawyers’ part. I was hoping for thrilling court scenes, but I only got less-than-stellar defenses when the lawyers were supposedly written to be excellent at their job.

With that said, I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I wholeheartedly enjoyed reading this book. When I thought I couldn’t be any more shocked, the author would continue to expose lies and backstories. The book was also professionally edited, as I only noticed one mistake. I didn’t give this book a perfect rating because I was not impressed by how the courtroom dealings were written.

I would recommend this to readers who are looking for an excellent drama to read. This book may sometimes be hard to read because Tommy’s cross-examination when he was ten went into disgusting details of what he claims to have happened, which was an appalling sexual assault on a minor. It was so sad and awful that I wanted to throw up at one point.

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Innocence on Trial
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[Amy Luman]

This sounds like a book that I would enjoy reading. I like to experience the tension when someone is not who they pretend to be. I wonder what I’ll find out about Tommy.

[bookworm694]

This book sounds like a heavy but at the same time rewarding read! I really enjoyed your review

[Ram Uday Mahajan]

Your review of "Innocence on Trial" is well-written and provides a comprehensive overview of the book's strengths and weaknesses. The way you appreciate the author's storytelling, especially the unexpected twists, shows your engagement with the plot. Your critique of the lawyers' performances adds a thoughtful perspective. Great job capturing the essence of the book in just 50 words!

[NetMassimo]

This is the kind of novel that is not easy to read due to the centrality of child sexual abuse, especially in the initial part, but the story seems good despite the flaw concerning the lawyers you pointed out. Thank you for your great review!