I’m a massive Carson Taite fan, these are my guilty pleasure books and my favourite niche is love and the law, so to no surprise Leading the Witness didn’t disappoint.

So I didn't enjoy this one as much as I have the other titles I've read by Carsen Taite. It was a little flat of what I normally come to love and I don't know what it was that was different this time.

Another great read by a talented author I really enjoyed reading it and will definitely read more and recommend reading it

I've read many of Taite's novels but for some reason I was not interested in this one as much as the others. The characters didn't interest me and I found myself struggling to move through the plot. This was just not the best of Taite's work, but I still love her novels and I'll continue to read them.

The build up was good, although kind of narrator heavy and short on dialogue. Understandable given the back story of Catherine, but then I felt the ending was really rushed. Without spoiling anything, all the sudden something big happened, then the whole subplot was resolved with little fan fare, and even the climactic scene was somewhat of a let down. Strong start, weak finish.

I haven't read a Taite book in a while, and this made me want to reread some of them. This one was fantastic. Taite created a wonderful character with Catherine. I could have used a bit more chemistry between the two mains, but the entire story worked for me. I think characters with substantial backstories add so much to books, and Taite went beyond what most do. Starr was kinda perfect for Catherine, and I believed that the two could live happily together. While it was a bit quick to love, which I typically hate in books, this one didn't bother me at all. If you want a legal drama... you can't do better than Taite in lesfic. Pick this one up; you won't regret it.

A gripping mystery and suspense novel that had me on the edge of my seat and pushing to get through it.

Plenty to like in this book, particularly in the first two thirds of the novel. The final third didn't entirely deliver.
The main characters of Catherine and Starr were individually interesting. I certainly felt a connection between them but their coming together seemed incredibly rushed and out of character.

Carsen Taite has used her vast background in the legal profession to amplify storytelling when she writes. Her plots are always interesting, and this book’s plot is no exception. However, Leading the Witness has a little twist. It deals with a kidnapping which occurred several decades earlier and now is affecting the lives of a public defender and a defense attorney.

Catherine Landauer is a defense attorney who is very good at her job. In doing so, she has developed a reputation of being able to grill witnesses who might not be telling the whole truth.

Starr Rio is a public defender who has a very solid and successful background in prosecuting criminals. To win a case, sometimes she cuts corners legally in order to win. Starr aspires to running for the office of District Attorney and wants to keep her case win ratio high.

When Catherine was a child, she was kidnapped by a man. Fortunately, she was able to escape. Her kidnapper was never prosecuted due to some errors made by the police. In order to protect herself, she changed her identity and created a new life. No one knows about Catherine’s past until Starr begins to ask her questions in the search for the latest young girl who was kidnapped. Although it has been many years since her own kidnapping, “red” flags begin to pop up for Catherine.

I truly enjoyed this plot. Ms. Taite created a well-planned story with a good pace and lots of suspense. Catherine’s and Starr’s characters were interesting and well developed. Catherine’s fear seems real and readers will be touched by her emotions.

I rate this suspense/romance as 4.5 out of 5 stars. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a complex mystery.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.ew/R36LKWTBK8VYGV/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8

I really like Carsen Taite's books.This was such an enjoyable read. We learn about Catherine's past. I want to see more of Catherine and Starr, thumbs up!

Every once and a while you need a good lawyer book, and when I say every once in a while I mean every time Carsen Taite writes a book. She is my go-to for a good crime/lawyer focused book. Every single time you get a fabulous read that will be hard to put down way past your bedtime.

Catherine Landauer is a defense attorney that goes hard for every single one of her clients. She is well known for being a pit bull when it comes to cross-examining police officers. If they missed a step in procedure you can bet she is going to make them pay for their mistake. Catherine’s work is her life. She has no family, only a handful of friends, and spends most of her time away from work alone. Her past haunts her every move so she spends her time buried in work.

Starr Rio is Catherine’s opposite. This dynamic lawyer works for the DA’s office and is well known for taking shortcuts if it will get her where she needs to be in a case. She’s fun, outgoing and has her sights set on being the next DA of Travis County.

Needless to say, when these two meet to battle it out in court, Catherine and Starr don’t hit it off right away. Catherine has little tolerance for the Assistant DA and Starr is curious about the ice queen defense attorney. These two are brought together fighting on the same side when the mayor’s pre-teen daughter is kidnapped outside her home.

This is a great read. A real page-turner that will keep you reeled into the story. Starr and Catherine are both amazing characters who you just can’t get enough of.

I think this is the first book from Carsen that I just didn’t flow with. I feel the story kinda dragged. I also don't think the MCs had enough chemistry, their connection was rushed.

When I looked at this cover I was expecting it to be one of the standard lesbian romance novels. Turns out it is nothing like that.

Catherine has a court case and she is up against Starr. Catherine is closed off and seems stand-offish and cold. Starr is the rising star in the DA’s office. They don’t seem to like each other, but they don’t know each other either.
When the mayor’s daughter is taken from the the streets one day Starr is out on the case. She used to work for that unit and has a lot of experience with high profile cases. When Catherine hears the news of the abduction, something doesn’t sit right with her and it brings back a lot of unwanted memories. Catherine speaks to her therapist about them and about Starr. She has never trusted law enforcement and she isn’t about to do so now. When the case unfolds and Catherine seems to be a part of it, or at least her past. She bonds with Starr. And all of a sudden they become attracted to each other and hook up. What happens with the case is a mystery you should read about yourself.

I liked how this book was more about the case suspense than the suspense between the characters. I liked both characters and the supporting characters were good too, especially the therapist, she is something else, so funny.

This book was so gripping I finished it in one day. The two leads were both very well developed, refreshingly flawed and multi-faceted characters. I especially liked how Catherine's mental health issues were depicted. The kidnapping storyline was very well written and had me on the edge of my seat. My one gripe is that this book is more a thriller than a romance - the two leads hardly spend any time together for a good 60% of the book (Catherine is dealing with her past and Starr thinks Catherine has issues), their relationship is entirely professional and them suddenly ending up together towards the end of the book doesn't feel very natural.

When I pick-up a Taite book, I learn about the law which in my opinion is a good thing because one of the reasons I enjoy reading is to learn. And learn I do. Having a character relive their own abduction while trying to find an abducted child was interesting and well done. Catherine Landauer is a focused and talented attorney. She has had a very difficult life. To deal with her past life, Catherine has turned to a very structured and quiet life in order to function from day-to-day. I really felt for her as she lived her life and did her job. Starr Rio, public prosecutor with a reputation for doing what is necessary to obtain the desired outcome. Starr's family was a positive and entertaining aspect of the read, especially her mother. The story had me thinking about children, family, law enforcement, and the challenges all of the parties encounter.

This is a fast paced story about two lawyers caught up in different ways in a child abduction case. Prosecutor Starr is working with the county to assist in the investigation after the Mayor's daughter goes missing. Catherine, a rival defense lawyer, has a personal connection to the case due to her own troubled past. As the search for the missing girl unfolds throughout the novel the two are drawn closer and closer together as Catherine must face her own demons in order to help Starr with the rescue.

A lot of background set up needs to happen early on and the Taite did a great job of introducing Catherine’s past and motivations to give the reader what they needed to know while holding enough back to lead to a slow revel of her trauma. The story itself was gripping and moved very quickly. Even though the themes are very dark I found this to be an enjoyable read.

The author is great at layering details to highlight the differences between the main characters. However, I really struggled with how the relationship unfolds once it happens. Although the characters know each other for the entire story the seem to get together very suddenly and the circumstances did not sit well with me. I won't give spoilers, but the issue I had is related to the situation and Catherine's trauma. For me, I couldn't get past that to enjoy the relationship, I much preferred earlier on in the story when they were semi-friendly rivals.

I also found the pacing a bit strange. It was hard to tell from chapter to chapter if it was the next day or several days later that events were happening. Sometimes it seemed like both depending on what was happening vs things that were said. I also found that there weren't many physical descriptions of Catherine or Starr so it felt difficult for me to picture them.

Overall a great read that I would recommend, but not for the love story.

This is the perfect rainy fall day read. It is thrilling and spooky and terrifying and at the same time the romance is cozy.

Catherine has spent most of her adult life running away from the abuse she experienced as a child. She has a successful career as a lawyer, where she avoids child abuse cases at all costs. But when a child goes missing, and the clues seem eerily similar to her own disappearance, she knows that she has to get involved, only as a witness and not a lawyer. Star prosecutor Starr Rio will do anything it takes to win. The two women grow closer in their race to bring the kidnapper to justice even if means risking their lives, and their hearts, in the process.

This book had everything, it was really well balanced and expertly written. Carsen Taite is a master of writing crime and law, weaving in the details just enough to heighten suspense but not so much the average person gets lost. This book definitely tugged on the heartstrings, Catherine's story was tough to read about, but Taite has created this brilliant and strong and incredible character to inspire the reader. The romance between Starr and Catherine isn't the main focus of the novel but it was a nice light touch to balance out the rest of the heavier subject matter.

I think this may be one of my favourite of Carsen Taite's. I look forward to read whatever comes next.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I can be really short with this review: if you like Carsen Taite's other work revolving the law with a little bit of thriller element thrown in there and 2 female leads then you won't be disappointed with this Leading the Witness. It's a classic Taite with strong main characters, a solid description of what goes on in the world of law and order and a nicely evolving romance.

Even though I did enjoy her previous book, which was romance heavy, I definitely prefer these kind of books by her. This is where Carsen Taite's strength lies and so far I haven't found a better writer on this particular playing field. We have a prosecutor, Starr Rio, who comes in contact with attorney Catherine Landauer. Catherine doesn't like Starr one little bit based on the way she works some of her cases but when the kidnapping of the mayor's daughter seems to tie in with stuff in Catherine's past she wants to remain buried they can't stop their life's intersecting and this becomes an interesting ride for both of them.

Another easy-reading, legal romance by Taite, with good suspense. Starr Rio, public prosecutor, is called in to work with the detectives when the mayor’s daughter goes missing. She’s passionate about her job and seems to play close to fast and loose with the law to get perpetrators put away. Catherine Landauer doesn’t like her much and is as passionate about defending her clients but always within the bounds of the law. The kidnapping of the mayor’s daughter crashes into her carefully built up persona forcing her to work with Starr.

I enjoyed the abduction part of the story and the tension that it brought to the reading of it. The plot, having a character relive their own abduction while trying to find an abducted child is a strong one and it worked really well for most of the book. I would have like more though, from Catherine’s point of view, because it would have given her so much more depth. She was written in a way that I could empathise with her but just not quite enough to make this superb. Her present is so bound up with her abductor and her past and he could have been a more powerful, more sinister character.

It’s a good read with a good romance with a nice sense of anticipation for most of the novel.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

The lead characters are at odds with each other over their legal and moral choices.

Starr is a feisty DA who will do anything to put the criminal away.

Katherine is a private attorney who strictly follows the letter of the law. She cannot stand Starr's methods.

Katherine has a mysterious past that forced her hand in joking with Starr to catch a pedophile.

They work through distrust, misunderstandings to begin building a friendship.

Friendship quickly turns to lust.

Will Starr unravel Katherine's mysterious past and find the abducted child before any real harm is done?

I really switched back and forth between giving this one a three or four stars before landing on the four stars, mostly because of Catherine and her story. She carried the book for me, and her urgency was palpable, even if unreasonable at times. I say unreasonable, mostly because she acknowledges it herself and her triggers were constantly being set off to the point were I wouldn't have been surprised the if she just melted down right there. At times it felt like she was just at that line, and was pulled back by Starr and her therapist.

What was set to the side to help develop Catherine was the romantic set up with Starr, Catherine's highly ambitious counter part. Catherine sees Starr as everything wrong with the system - especially when it comes to bending the rules to close a case. They have a frosty relationship that morphs into this weird allyship, then moves into the romance. When the romance happens it just explodes, and does feel like it was shoehorned in. Especially since there seemed to be a need to hit all the beats of a new relationship before the end of the book. There's even a miscommunication fight thrown in for good measure. However, this doesn't take away how good the actual case is and how the characters react to it. Like I said, Catherine is a fascinating person, and Starr has a surprising amount of depth to her. I just wish they had a little more time to really explore their romance relationship.

I love this book, and even though this does talk about adults dealing with childhood trauma in a very visceral way, it is one of the few books where the mystery feels personal and urgent right from the beginning - for both characters. Which makes it's conclusion that much more rewarding. The romance, though predictable, could have had more time to breathe, especially with these two excellent leads.