RELEASE DAY REVIEW: The 9th Witness: A Josie Bates Thriller – The Witness #9 – Rebecca Forster

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No good deed goes unpunished: this time it's going to be brutal.

Christmas is coming and the world is joyful for everyone but Josie Bates. A devastating miscarriage, her employer’s pending retirement, and her husband’s overseas job have left her alone and adrift—until Lily Daye dies and names Josie executor of her estate. Josie has no idea who this woman is, but her will is simple and her possessions meager. In the spirit of the season, Josie accepts the job. Yet behind Lily’s seemingly modest existence lies a complex, mysterious life. When an eccentric tech mogul turns up to contest the will, the only spirit Josie is channeling is one of outrage that her life is being upended and Lily’s last wishes disrespected. Up against a high-powered, ruthless attorney, a court on a schedule, and an entitled man with more money than God, Josie is determined to protect her client’s interests or die trying.

Josie should be excited about the holidays except leading up to it has been nothing by sorrow. She suffered a miscarriage, her husband, Archer is overseas and her boss Faye Baxter the owner of the law firm Baxter & Baxter is retiring and wants Josie to buy the practice. Then she is contacted by the police to inform her of the death of Lily Daye naming her the executor of her will, but who in the heck is Lily Daye.

Now added to all the other pressing matters in her life she must investigate who this woman is and why she would name Josie as her executor. She can find no connection to her and this dead woman and is not sure if she will accept the position. After investigating where she lived and talking to the owner and seeing Lily’s home which screams of desolation and sadness, she decides to take the job and do the best she could for the woman.

The story goes back seven years ago until the present where we learn about Lily, her job at Backlash Technologies and CEO Jimmy Burroughs. Everything that led up to Lily’s death begins seven years ago and each year follows what happened to her until her death. Jimmy a rich man has invented the Distant2 that can stop incoming nuclear warheads, and he has sold it to the military.

Unfortunately, a car on the tracks destroyed his invention and killed many people including the driver of the car one of his employees. That devastating accident put Lily in a strong position with Jimmy while the rest of the employees were gone. One lawsuit after another by the military, the relatives of the dead, the railroad company and the list goes on.

In the midst of the chaos Lily suddenly disappeared and now in the present Josie must uncover Lily’s life. She wants her money to go to Mr. Murray, but who is he and where is he.

Just one mystery after another.

Like all the books of Ms. Forster’s I read the search for the truth kept me glued to the story. I actually was tempted to go to the last page to get answers but decided to find out one chapter at a time.

I can’t recommend Ms. Forster’s books highly enough because as much as I might think I have the story figured out; I am usually wrong. Her books keep you guessing until the end.