Review (PDF)

Deliberate

Leigh Blackburn is a busy woman. Head down and deep into a job, an eleven-year-old son, and a failing marriage, she hasn't got time for jury duty. Who does? However, the county court has other ideas. Serving on an all-female jury, she is forced to deliberate about more than the trial at hand. Old memories surface and Leigh makes a deliberate decision to take a hard look at her life and where it is going. I've certainly been there. Haven't you?

File Size: 2241 KB

Print Length: 388 pages

Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

Publisher: Under the Live Oak (August 23, 2015)

Publication Date: August 23, 2015

Sold by:  Digital Services LLC

Language: English

ASIN: B014DVGQ0Y

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray: Not Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled

Lending: Not Enabled

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #89,286 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Law > Procedures & Litigation > Jury #2 in Books > Law > Rules & Procedures > Jury #58 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Divorce

Author Dixie Burns' has written a poignant and touching novel with her latest release, "Deliberate". While on the surface it appears to be simply a story of a courtroom drama, it is so much more than that. Leigh is never been much for standing up for herself or being assertive and gets her first taste of this when she is called to jury duty in a child molestation case in her small Southern town. There is much more to the story, however, as her new found power carries over into her marriage that has been troubled for a very long time. A very well written, often witty, and relatable story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Consider this quote from the book: " Sequestration is at the sound DESECRATION of the court." The hits just keep on coming with writers/editors etc. showing no respect or responsibility for their written expression. This is obviously spell check gone awry for someone who can't spell and who was so far from knowing how to spell DISCRETION that this was the ridiculous result. I have seen numerous errors such as this in basic writing classes, but it should never happen in a published work. There are other misses such as condoned instead of cordoned and jolting shifts of verb tense, so many that my impression is that the author doesn't understand the concept. She needs to be far more DELIBERATE about her writing.

I got this book for free after seeing it on one of my free book lists. I did not know the author but the summary made me think it would be something I would enjoy. At first, I thought this was merely a retooling of "12 Angry Men" but it was not. The main character lives in a small town in Tennessee and has been called for jury service which she has never done. At first, it appears that this is merely about what happens when you put 12 women in a room to try and make a unanimous decision, but it's really about how fragile and fractured we all are and how those quirks and issues play out against other people's issues when placed in this kind of setting. Ultimately, the story is also about the main character being forced to "deliberate" her life while "deliberating" the fate of an accused criminal and both tasks are substantial.For those who enjoy legal/courtroom drama -- this might interest you in that I believe that it is accurate that jurors use themselves and their own lives as a barometer for their deliberations; that motivations outside of evidence in the courtroom impact verdicts; and that jurors often seek external information (which is against the rules) to assist them in making a decision. Other aspects of the legal process in this book are a little flawed, (like the fact that the jury instructions would have told them that they could not use external infomation) but it's not about the legal drama at all so this can easily be overlooked.

... with a side of Old Demons. All in a search looking for Do-Over's.- Apologies to Maddie & Tae, two of the best to hit the Country Charts in decades, IMHO as a certified Red-Neck.Yes this story does read like a Country Song in may ways with some reference to child abuse thrown in. I'm not making light of that and the reader should be aware that the storyline may not be best for all.--> If and only If you can deal with the mature nature associated with the premise of sexual child abuse surrounding the trial featured and the Demons two of the jurors are forced to recognize and face should you continue.Once you get by the hurdle and Demons that lurk in the back ground this well done story will grab your soul and suck you in. This is about more than Family Values and Child Abuse, it includes projections of Guilt and Fear that surround victims at all ages, be it a Childhood or as Adults in a Failed Marriage. Facing the Demons can be hard and sometimes results in violent outcomes as depicted in passing toward the end of the story.This is not a light hearted story by any means, but rather a lesson in what is all to common within American Society today.Thank you Dixie for a very well done story about "Facing Old Demons" and dealing with them.

The book starts out very "fluffy." Leigh comes across as a brainless twit and is rather unlikable. As soon as the trial ends (which is very early), she makes a sudden change and becomes almost forceful. The plot is good, and progresses at a decent pace.The writing, however, leaves something to be desired. There isn't an issue with misspelled words or poor punctuation. Instead, the scenes that should be the most dramatic are just skipped. The reader learns about the response to the jury's verdict through flashbacks of the characters. The big culmination of the book (avoiding spoiler here) is completely glossed over. The reader knows it happened, but nothing of how it happened.There's a lot of drama in the book, but the tone is the same regardless of whether Leigh is in jury deliberations or talking to her neighbor and friend. The tone is also often more lighthearted than I feel it should be, given the story that the book tells.Overall I liked this book, but it could have been a lot more.

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