Kali O'Brien legal suspense Series

Kali O'Brien returns to her hometown of Silver Creek where her childhood friend Jannine is the prime suspect in the murder of her husband. Kali is convinced she's innocent until the evidence begins to mount. Secrets past and present confound Kali's investigation. This is the first in the Kali O'Brien series of legal mysteries.

San Francisco attorney Kali O'Brien knows that in the legal system, reality can be shaded but she doesn’t like clients who lie to her. That’s what she has in Grady Barrett, a wealthy computer magnate married to Kali's best friend, who is arraigned in the rape of Deirdre Nicholas. Grady’s claim that the sex was consensual doesn't excuse the hurt he’s caused his wife and his reputation, and puts Kali in a bind because she doesn’t believe him. Especially in the shadow of Deirdre's vivid, emotional, and thoroughly convincing deposition--damning testimony that Barrett maintains is a clever and manipulative web of lies spun to trap him. Then Deirdre plunges to her death from a second-story balcony. A tragic accident? Or cold-blooded murder? Now, bound to a client she can’t  trust, Kali finds herself straddling a fine line.

When a local waitress and her five-year-old daughter are murdered, Wes Harding -- a former classmate of Kali's who had a reputation as the town's worst troublemaker -- becomes the prime suspect. Kali agrees to represent him, but is stunned when he refuses to help in his own defense, and won't explain why. This is the second in the Kali O'Brien series.

Nowhere do startling intrigue and enthralling authenticity come together so powerfully as in the Kali O’Brien thrillers from former attorney Jonnie Jacobs. Now the San Francisco lawyer takes on a case that hits too close to home: the murder of her best friend by a serial killer who steps from the very pages of Kali’s own past . . . When her friend Anne misses a dinner engagement, Kali knows that something must be wrong, but nothing could possibly prepare her for the news that Anne’s body as been found – strangled and provocatively posed next to a Dumpster. When a yellow rose and a poem are sent to Anne’s husband, Kali’s worst fears are realized. Kali has seen that particular calling card before. Eight years ago, while working for the district attorney’s office, she helped to prosecute a serial killer known as the Bayside Strangler – a man recently executed for his crimes. When Anne’s death is followed by another similar one, it raises the possibility that either an innocent man was executed – or a dangerous copycat is on the loose. Either way spells doom for Owen Nelson, the ambitions DA who became famous for putting the Bayside Strangler behind bars – and who is now running for governor of California. With his political career hanging in the balances, Owen persuades Kali to return to the DA’s office for one purpose only: to obtain an airtight conviction. Now, Kali must put aside her grief and delve deeply into the sealed secrets of a case long thought closed, searching for the clue that links the past to the present – and for the deadly mistake that let a killer walk free, waiting for the chance to strike again. When a third body is discovered, Kali realizes that the victims are anything but random. A chilling pattern is emerging, a pattern that points directly to the next target – Kali herself . . .

With her unique blend of courtroom drama and feverish suspense, critically acclaimed author Jonnie Jacobs has won a legion of fans for her Kali O’Brien thrillers. Now the edgy San Francisco attorney is back to handle a simple adoption – and winds up defending her client for murder . . . Straightforward and short term: that’s precisely the kind of case Kali O’Brien needs at the moment. Yet the Harper adoption makes her uneasy from the start. Maybe it’s because psychologist Steven Cross – a man whose path hasn’t crossed hers since the tragedy that shattered his life and their forbidden relationship years ago – unexpectedly referred the couple to her. Or could it be that Ted and Terri Harper’s previous brush with parenthood ended in heartache when the birth mother changed her mind? This time around, the former star quarterback and his lovely blonde wife aren’t taking any chances. They’ve even moved pregnant Melissa Burke into their lavish Pacific Heights home. As Kali watches her determined clients shower the lonesome teenager with love and attention, she can’t help wondering just how desperate they are to claim the unborn child. When Melissa delivers a health6 baby girl and promptly signs the final adoption papers, Kali breathes a sigh of relief . . . until Bram Weaver surfaces. The controversial, chauvinistic radio talk show host announces he’s the baby’s father – a claim Melissa can’t dispute. With a sinking heart, Kali prepares to defend the Harpers in a bitter custody battle that’s certain to end in the birth father’s favor – until the case takes a shocking turn when somebody murders Weaver. Despite Terri Harper’s staunch denial, the police have compelling evidence linking her to the crime, leaving Kali to wonder how far an emotion-fraught new mother will go to protect her child. Once again, Jonnie Jacobs delivers an explosive, fast-paced thriller infused with authenticity and well-drawn characters. Witness for the Defense is a razor-sharp ride through the ethical dilemmas ripped from today’s headlines.

Imagine losing what you love most. Don’t say I didn’t warn you . . . The woman gives her name as Betty. No last name. No phone number. Just a meeting place – a deserted, wooded park on the outskirts of Lake Tahoe. The retainer is a healthy one. The one condition – come alone. San Francisco attorney Kali O’Brien understands client confidentiality, but something about Betty’s urgent request has her a little spooked. Whatever secrets the woman is hiding must be very incriminating – and very dangerous – to demand such privacy. But Kali never gets that information. The moment Betty meets with Kali, she’s shot and killed by a sniper, and Kali barely escapes with her life. She’s left with more questions than answers. Why did the woman go to such lengths to ensure secrecy? What is important enough to protect at such cost? And then there’s the last thing Betty every said – a cryptic phrase that leads Kali to another unsolved case – the mysterious disappearance of a woman eight years earlier. As Kali get closer to discovering the truth, a killer is right behind her, anticipating her every move, waiting for her to play into his very lethal hands . .

Following the death of her brother of an apparent suicide by overdose, Kali reconnects with her sister. To their dismay, they learn that he was the prime suspect in the double homicide of a wealthy heiress and a college coed. As if that weren’t shocking enough, Kali also learns her brother might have ties to a young stripper's murder and the disappearance of a 16-year-old runaway. Kali must dig into the sinister underworld of the sex industry to find her brother’s killer before the missing girl, or Kali herself, becomes the next victim.

In this novella addition to the best-selling Kali O’Brien legal mystery series, attorney Kali O’Brien takes on the case of a young widow accused of murdering her much older, and very wealthy, husband. As evidence mounts and other possible suspects are eliminated, Kali’s doubts about her client’s innocence grow.  As if that weren’t troubling enough, Kali is also grappling with her feelings for longtime boyfriend Detective Bryce Keating. "The tale races along to a final explosive ending that is sure to please any fan of legal thrillers. . . A great addition to the Kali O'Brien series."  - Midwest Book Review