I accidentally missed this Michael Stagg/Nate Shephard book last week, but caught that error quickly and remedied it – finished today. The series was all on sale this last week and I’d read the first 3 prior but I had 4 books to go so I bought them and started in … on #5 – lol!~) 

False Oath 
By Michael Stagg
Read by George Newbern 12h 5m
2022 – 
Rating –  A++ / legal thriller 
(#4 in Nate Shepherd series)

Nate Shepherd is a young widowed criminal lawyer who works in the northern part of Ohio up next to the Michigan state line. That plays a part in this plot as well as in the plots of some others in the series.  Although he lives alone, Nate’s family also lives nearby.

This “legal drama,” the 1950’s/Perry Mason-ish word for it, is quite suspenseful addition to the series. But it’s not quite what I think of when I think “thriller.”

Brett Daniels, father of Colton and Tyler Daniels. is found dead in the woods behind the house where those three live together with their golden lab. He was apparently killed with an arrow from a cross-bow and left for the coyotes he was hunting. The boys’ mother, Rhonda, lives with her long-term boyfriend just across the state line in Michigan. The boys are star football players and when Colt was a senior in high school last year, the team lost the championship games. This year Tyler is the star quarterback and they’re winning the games.  Dad has been very hard on both boys since they were born, but his treatment of Colton was probably worse – borderline abuse.

Tom, the brother of Nate, our series lawyer, is the football coach at the local high school and has coached both of his talented nephews boys.  The evidence shows, obviously, according to the prosecutor, that Colton had solid motive and opportunity when he killed his father with a cross-bow. The plot line is complex and very carefully built with plenty of twists and tension – just no high speed car chases or graphic beatings – lol. . 

I was kind of lost for the first few chapters because I know next to nothing about football, but when that got taken care of, about 1/4 of the way in, I was hooked and the tension built to a great ending.