{"id":264518,"date":"2026-07-15T02:11:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T23:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/judge-stone-james-patterson\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T02:11:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T23:11:23","slug":"judge-stone-james-patterson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/judge-stone-james-patterson\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge Stone – James Patterson"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Didn\u2019t sip it, took a deep swallow. Wished it were something stronger. When she started shaking, Ben put his hand on her arm. It steadied her. He said, \u201cWe\u2019re going to trial, Bria. There\u2019s no reasonable alternative. But we\u2019re going to fight this. I believe in you, and I\u2019m going to do everything in my power to see that you get justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t look at him, didn\u2019t permit himself to meet his eye. She was afraid of what she\u2019d see, what she might read in his face. But she was regaining her self-control when she said, \u201cJustice? Don\u2019t bullshit me, I won\u2019t stand for that. There\u2019s no way you can tell me that I\u2019m going to be all right when this is over.\u201d<\/p>\n

He dropped his voice. \u201cCome on, Bria, you\u2019re a doctor. You know no profession can guarantee results. I can\u2019t promise an acquittal any more than a doctor can guarantee a cure. But I\u2019m going to be your advocate. Try with everything I\u2019ve got.\u201d It wasn\u2019t enough. She could feel disaster looming over her. Bria wanted to hear straight talk. Nothing less. \u201cBen, I\u2019m going to lose.<\/p>\n

I know that. You have to know that, too. Why are you here?\u201d Ben didn\u2019t respond immediately. He paused, took a breath. \u201cBecause it\u2019s wrong, Bria. Everything that\u2019s happening, what they\u2019re doing to you. It couldn\u2019t be more wrong. The day the story broke, I read about the case. I just had to come.\u201d He wadded up a paper napkin, tossed it on his plate. \u201cLike I told you, I can\u2019t roll out guarantees. Except for this: Gonna do the best I can to make it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the best offer she\u2019d receive. Bria knew that. \u201cOkay. What now?\u201d His voice was reassuring. \u201cWe\u2019ll take it one step at a time. I\u2019m going to talk to each of the State\u2019s witnesses. Take a statement. Analyze what they say.\u201d She thought about that. \u201cNova? You\u2019re taking her statement?\u201d \u201cGot to. Her mother\u2019s, too.\u201d She opened her mouth, shut it. It hurt to think of inflicting distress on the girl, making her talk about the abortion.<\/p>\n

She wished she could prevent it. But it was inevitable. Bria had to let her lawyer do his job. They talked about his pretrial prep, and her struggle with the pain of waiting. She asked him to advise her, how she could best survive until the trial. He advised Bria to try to stay calm, keep up her day-to-day activities.<\/p>\n

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The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the authors. Copyright \u00a9 2026 by Viola Davis and James Patterson Cover design by Jason Smith Cover art by Trevillion, Getty, and Adobe Stock Cover copyright \u00a9 2026 Hachette Book Group, Inc. Produced in association with JVL Media Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.<\/p>\n

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the authors\u2019 intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the authors\u2019 rights. Little, Brown and Company Hachette Book Group 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104 littlebrown.com First ebook edition: March 2026 Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.<\/p>\n

The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher. The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to hachettespeakersbureau.com or email hachettespeakers@hbgusa.com. Little, Brown and Company books may be purchased in bulk for business, educational, or promotional use.<\/p>\n

For information, please contact your local bookseller or the Hachette Book Group Special Markets Department at special.markets@hbgusa.com.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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