Heather’s Bookshelf: Class Reunion
Author: Gail Ward Olmsted
Released: 10/01/26
Genre: Crime Fiction/Suspense
“I made a right turn and headed back downtown. What the hell had I just done?”
“Class Reunion” is book 2 of the Raising the Bar series. Book 1: Class Action was reviewed previously and can be viewed here. This review for “Class Reunion” is conducted as a standalone.
Lennon Gallagher is a rising attorney supporting victims of domestic violence and abuse. She’s engaged to a gorgeous, supportive, and successful man and her mom’s finally getting her life on track. Everything seems to be going well until a phone call from an old classmate and frenemy throws Lennon’s life into chaos.
Erin’s been accused of domestic abuse of her girlfriend and she needs legal advice. Lennon isn’t sure why Erin called her, especially as she typically represents the side of the victim, but she feels she must help her old classmate. Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished and the case spirals in an unexpected direction.
Will Lennon figure out the truth behind Erin’s intentions and actions? Will her professional reputation survive the case and will her wedding go as planned?
Trigger Warning: violence, murder, domestic violence, adult language, assault, sexual situations
Overall, I enjoyed this story. Told through the POV of Lennon, a witty, intelligent, and relatable protagonist. The author does well in incorporating conversations and snippets of backstory to support her development. Her relationships with her fiancé (Nick- the rich, successful, gorgeous, man who can cook-yeah right!), mom (redeemed ex-drug addict and absent parent), and bestie (Randi***-successful friend and advice giver/lawyer-mentor) further enhance Lennon’s character-development and provide much of the entertaining prose. There’s a bit of a murder mystery, a bit of a court case, and a bit of a wedding tale all mixed in here and while aspects work, they are not weaved in together throughout the novel or seamlessly. At times, the storylines feel a little clunky with actions of the protagonist and antagonist not making a whole lot of sense and some of the secondary threads getting lost- like the ill father-in-law to be. I will say that I may have enjoyed the scenes with delightfully unlikable antagonist, Erin, the most. She is absolutely loathsome, but unpredictable in the best way. The ending wraps up everything pretty nicely with some openings that may lead into future tales.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A crime fiction with a witty and likable protagonist, an irking antagonist, and enough suspense to keep you flipping pages through a convoluted-at-times storyline.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Gail Ward Olmsted
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
