JURY OF ONE

Shelly Trotter must defend an accused cop killer whom she thinks is the boy she gave up for adoption at birth. In Ellis's complex plot, Trotter's estranged father is the governor, her client may have been involved in a sting operation, and the dead cop was--well, best not to reveal all the plot twists since that's the best thing this audio has going for it. Sandra Burr gives an uneven performance; her narration is pedestrian, but in the flashback stream-of-consciousness scenes she comes to life. The scared, young defendant sounds neither, but the courtroom scenes have some drama. Neither author nor reader is at his/her best this time, but lovers of legal thrillers may not care. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 04]