annieb123's Review of Deliver Them From Evil

by Amanda DuBois

In book two of the Camille Delaney Mystery series, a mother turns to Camille for help investigating a top Seattle doctor after tragedy strikes the delivery room.

Seattle attorney Camille Delaney is cash-strapped and struggling to balance the demands of her new solo legal practice with raising her three daughters. But when an emergency C-section goes wrong and a baby dies in the delivery room, the mother, Helene Anderson, shows up at Camille’s office asking for help. Facing the challenge of a legal system where child-loss verdicts are limited by the dollar value placed on a child’s life, Camille considers a quick settlement for the family. But Helene insists: her child’s life had value, and Camille needs to prove it in court.

Camille agrees to take the case to trial. The defendants are Dr. Jessica Kensington, one of Seattle’s top doctors and beloved volunteer and society hostess, and her medical practice partner, her father, the glad-handing, high-profile Dr. Kip Davenport. Dr. Kensington is respected in the community and stellar on the stand. But Camille and her friend PI Trish Seaholm begin to uncover what happened in the delivery room—and what lies behind Dr. Kensington’s seemingly flawless facade. Unstable behavior at work, flagrant breaches of care, and clues about a dark family past that lead to a high-security psychiatric facility are just some of what they unearth about Dr. Kensington. But pieces of the picture are missing: how could the doctor treat Helene and her baby so irresponsibly?

As the case builds toward trial, and as she grapples with the deep inequities of the justice system, will Camille be able to uncover the evidence she needs to convince a jury of Dr. Kensington’s guilt? And can she offer some semblance of peace to a grieving mother?

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Deliver Them From Evil is the second medico-legal thriller featuring Camille Delaney written by Amanda DuBois. Released 7th March 2023, it's 336 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a gritty, fast paced, and well written courtroom drama/thriller. The main protagonist, Camille, is sympathetically rendered and deeply principled. She agrees to take on the wrongful death suit of a mother whose baby died as a result of a horrific labor and delivery. Much of the case feels like taking on "city hall" since the obstetrician and her father have ties to most of the power structure in their area.

The language is occasionally rough and the book includes several graphic on-page descriptions which sensitive readers will likely find moderately horrifying. The subject matter also includes the death of an infant directly related to labor and delivery.

The writing is consistently high quality, but the descriptions, denouement, solution, and resolution are *not* for the faint hearted. Readers should also bring a hefty suspension of disbelief to the read.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

10 August, 2023: Started reading

10 August, 2023: Finished reading

10 August, 2023: Reviewed