Kidnapped by a Client

Starred review from September 23, 2019
In 2006, Kentucky attorney Muse, the author of this harrowing, cautionary tale that juxtaposes crisp, clear writing with court transcripts, was kidnapped and beaten by Larry Morrison, a former client she barely remembered. Morrison arrived at Muse’s office one day, pleading for a ride to his grandmother’s house. Instead, he forced her to drive to a secluded area where he attacked her; she barely escaped with her life. Muse spent the next six years living in fear that he would come after her again while she battled the court system through two trials, during which Morrison lied continually on the stand and evidence went missing. If not for her knowledge of the legal system, Muse writes, Morrison could have gone free despite his 10 previous felony convictions. During final jury deliberations in the second trial (the verdict of the first was overturned on appeal), he called her cellphone multiple times from jail. Though finally given life in prison, Morrison will be eligible for parole in 2026. Advice on how to be one’s own advocate is a bonus. This gripping, fast-paced account leaves the reader wondering: could this happen to me?