Remain Silent: A Chilling Legal Thriller from an Acclaimed Author

by Robyn Gigl

Overview

Attorney and LGBTQ+ activist Robyn Gigl breaks the mold with her “thrillingly complex [and] groundbreaking” (The New York Times) legal thrillers featuring ripped-from-the-headlines plots and a singular protagonist who, like the author herself, is a transgender lawyer.

Fans of J.A. Jance, Scott Turow, Lisa Unger, and Renee James will devour this edgy page-turner, as a Jersey Shore murder puts Erin McCabe’s own freedom in the crosshairs…

- Finalist for the Joseph Hansen Award for LGBTQ Crimewriting -

Erin McCabe’s years as a criminal defense attorney have prepared her for almost anything, except being on the opposite side of the interrogation table. A new client—a successful financial adviser—was found stabbed to death on the beach near his palatial Jersey Shore home. The time of death is estimated to be during Erin’s one and only consultation with him, during which he revealed that he was secretly transgender. As the last person to see him alive, Erin’s now the prime suspect.

If the evidence were simply circumstantial, Erin is sure she and her law partner, Duane Swisher, could prevail. But there are entanglements that can’t be easily explained, and connections to powerful unscrupulous politicians who hold a lot of grudges. While the investigation unfolds, Erin and Duane are called on to represent a mother charged with abducting her child—a hot-button case that has both private and public implications for Erin.

As she battles one prosecutor who wants to see her charged with murder, and another determined to send her to jail for refusing to divulge her client’s location, Erin also faces a devastating family tragedy. With her career and her relationship on the line, and her life being targeted by a desperate nemesis, there has never been more at stake—or fewer places to turn . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496741776
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	06/04/2024
Series:	An Erin McCabe Legal Thriller , #3
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	198,226
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.01(d)

About the Author

Robyn Gigl is an award-winning author, attorney, and LGBTQ+ advocate. The recipient of the Publishing Triangle’s prestigious Joseph Hansen Award, her Erin McCabe legal thrillers have landed on numerous Best of the Year lists, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, CrimeReads, and LAMBDA Literary. TIME magazine named the second installment, Survivor’s Guilt, one of the 100 Best Thrillers and Mysteries of All Time. An attorney whose legal career spans more than 40 years, she was appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court to the Court's Committee on Diversity Inclusion and Community Engagement and has been named one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in New Jersey. She has been honored by the ACLU-NJ and the NJ Pride Network for her work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community and is a member of the Board of Directors of Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s largest LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Organization. She is a partner at the law firm of Dilworth Paxson, LLP in Freehold, NJ, and can be found at online robyngigl.com, on X @robyngigl, and Instagram @robyngigl.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Robyn Gigl’s Erin McCabe Legal Thrillers
 
“Among this year’s standouts…hair-raising…thrillingly complex…a groundbreaking series poised to become a definitive one.” —The New York Times Book Review (Sarah Weinman) on Survivor’s Guilt
 
“[Survivor’s Guilt is] another barrier-breaking thriller from a voice missing too long from the mystery chorus.” —The Los Angeles Times Book Review
 
“Stunning…Gigl delightfully flips the usual terms of the genre with a murder victim readers are quickly drawn to hate and a murderer whom they will be rooting for. Her takes on big questions of justice, revenge, and the nature of victimhood will resonate with many.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW for Survivor’s Guilt
 
“Gigl’s legal thriller is an enjoyable read with a likable protagonist, and one who represents an important and underrepresented perspective.”- Library Journal on Remain Silent
 
“Emotionally resonant…Gigl is too astute and compassionate a writer to create cartoon villainy out of anti-trans attitudes…quietly groundbreaking.” —The New York Times Book Review on By Way of Sorrow
 
“Readers will find that BY WAY OF SORROW is a compulsively riveting page-turner with a complex heroine, a captivating plot, and no easy answers. It's one of the best thrillers of the year.” —Mystery Scene on By Way of Sorrow
 
“This intelligent page-turner with a social conscience illuminates the complexities of guilt and justice.” —The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice for Survivor’s Guilt
 
“Survivor’s Guilt is a richly-textured legal thriller that brims with authentic detail. Clever, bold and original, it skillfully pairs a compulsive plot with a cast of complex characters. In Erin and Swish, Robyn Gigl gives us a winning duo—and a riveting series that’s set to become a classic.” —Kia Abdullah, author of Perfectly Nice Neighbors
 
“An intelligent and resourceful protagonist with an unusual backstory...Erin's ability to navigate the intricacies of the law is just as fascinating as the subsequent perils she encounters. Gigl, an attorney, offers some enlightening insights into the workings of the legal world." —Publishers Weekly on By Way of Sorrow
 
“Gigl, a transgender lawyer herself, provides provocative insights into the legal system and the challenges of gender identity." —Booklist
 
“Gigl’s accomplishment here is to parse the serious flaws with the legal system and expose the vulnerability of homeless members of the trans community by way of subtle characterization and seamless plotting. In less skillful hands, we might get melodrama or a polemic; here, we get engrossing originality—and a brilliant point in a larger argument for the benefits of greater representation in our beloved genre.” —Lambda Literary Review on By Way of Sorrow
 
“A nuanced and beautiful story of standing up for what’s right, against all odds.” —CrimeReads on By Way of Sorrow
 
“With tight, realistic plotting interweaving a murder mystery with insights into transgender issues, By Way of Sorrow is a promising series debut… I’m looking forward to seeing where Robyn Gigl will go with this series next, and am really glad she’s writing so honestly and entertainingly about trans issues in a field with precious few trans leads.” —Criminal Element on By Way of Sorrow
 
“Topically relevant, edgy, and riveting, this series is one to watch. Rooting for a trans protagonist in a position of power is thoroughly refreshing and inspiring. Here’s to more Erin McCabes.” —Library Journal

From the Publisher

04/17/2023

Gigl’s gripping third thriller featuring 37-year-old Cranford, N.J., lawyer Erin McCabe (after 2022’s Survivor’s Guilt) finds Erin caught between two cases that threaten to put her behind bars. Shortly after Erin’s first meeting with a new client, the man is found murdered at his beachside home. Within hours, Erin is being interrogated by the police, who accuse her of killing the man after attempting to blackmail him with pictures of him dressed in women’s clothing. Before long, several of the man’s associates turn up dead as well. With circumstantial evidence piling up against her, Erin and fellow attorney Duane Swisher, a former FBI agent, begin their own investigation. Meanwhile, Erin takes on the case of a woman accused of abducting her child during a scorched-earth custody battle. To protect her client and the child, she refuses to reveal their whereabouts, thus risking imprisonment. Gigl—who, like her protagonist, is a lawyer and transgender woman—brings authenticity and depth to her characters, gracefully presenting LGBTQ issues to a mainstream audience via a satisfying mystery plot. This series deserves a long life. Agent: Carrie Pestritto, Laura Dail Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly