TANGLED VERDICT is the third book in the V-Files series. It continues with Victoria Rodessa, a big-shot attorney, as she batters the political system and unravels intricate webs of deceit and corruption while navigating the ruthless world of power-hungry elites. Running for United States senator, she is currently six points ahead of her opponent and holds a strong position in the polls. However, with just three days until the election, Victoria is thrown into one of the biggest scandals of her career.
During one of the aspiring-senator’s campaign speeches, a renowned and pristine judge makes a series of career-ending allegations against Victoria, accusing her of jury tampering and gaining illegal profit from the case. Victoria knows this is an obvious plot from her enemies to ruin her chances of winning the election, but how can she prove her innocence and expose the truth to the public—especially in today’s social media spectrum, where all it takes is one bad comment to earn a negative reputation within seconds? This leaves Victoria and her campaign team with less than 48 hours to rectify the situation, expose the truth, and turn the tides back in her favor.
Author Katherine Smith Dedrick’s skillful storytelling and compelling writing style shine through in TANGLED VERDICT. Here, she not only delivers a compelling political thriller but also tackles power-hungry politics, corruption, and the misuse of power. She uses a third-person point of view to show the complexities of real-world politics and legal battles, shedding light on the darker underbelly of ambition and deceit. Dedrick’s prose effortlessly captures the urgency of the situation, propelling readers through a rollercoaster of emotions as they follow Victoria and her legal team in uncovering the real perpetrators behind this scandal: “For the past two hours, the wind had been punishing the windows in the hotel suite, feeding on everyone’s last nerve as each minute passed. Even the smell of fresh coffee and pastries delivered by room service could not dispel the feeling of dread and despair that hung over the room. They were running out of time.”
Dedrick introduces a strong female lead who continues to grow in each book of the series. Victoria Rodessa embodies a confident, determined persona who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. Her character is very easy to like and fall in love with. Her resilience and determination to uncover the truth, even when it put her in harm’s way, were admirable.
There are some issues with head-hopping, which sometimes causes a bit of confusion for the reader. Nevertheless, apart from these moments, the novella remains straightforward and highly accessible. It can also be picked up as a standalone, so readers don’t have to worry about not going through each book in the series in order.
Katherine Smith Dedrick brings more than just legal proceedings to TANGLED VERDICT. She creates an engaging and captivating novella that encompasses all the elements of a good action-thriller within its limited pages: suspense, tension, murder-mystery, scandal, and intrigue.
~Tomi Alo for IndieReader