Heather’s Bookshelf: This Side of the Law
Author: Tamar Anolic
Released: 05/22/25
Genre: Legal Thriller
“She had barely put her belongings down when tears began running down her face.”
“This Side of the Law” follows the individuals involved in a sexual assault case of a teenager at a club in NYC. The victim, Sofiya, is found by her classmate, Alexander, whose family is a bit too close to the crime.
Alexander is the grandson of Peter Federov, the club owner and known career criminal with community connections- including Alexander’s father- Evgeny. Calling an ambulance to help Sofiya put Alexander at risk and in the sights of those closest to him. Wanting to help Sofiya and find a way out of the family business, Alexander turns to ADA Jamie Jefferson, the prosecutor assigned to their case. New York City prosecutor Jamie Jefferson’s life is going nowhere fast- until a relationship with a witness puts her on a collision course with a federal prosecutor out for blood.
Jamie is overworked and exhausted, trying to keep up with her unsurmountable caseload while maintaining her conviction rate. Jamie sees Sofiya’s case as an opportunity to advance her career.
Alexander’s family isn’t the only challenge. An overzealous US Attorney and a surprising relationship further threaten justice for Sofiya and the freedom of those involved in the case.
Trigger Warning: violence, reference to rape, alcohol consumption, statutory rape, adult language
Overall, I enjoyed this story. However, I did not love the structure of the chapters. Each chapter included multiple POVs with no divide or stop between changing characters. You just have to read, note the change and then adapt into the next personality without warning. Of the main characters, I most enjoyed the POVs of Alexander and Jamie and think the two alternating characters could have told the story just as well. The author does well in incorporating the character’s motivations, pasts, and desires in a way that feels organic. I also found Alexander’s father, Evgeny to be a surprisingly complex and interesting character. The story moves along pretty rapidly and does not focus on the court scenes or investigation. It’s much more about the characters surrounding the case. I also found the unwritten psychology behind Jamie’s past and choices intriguing- that could be a book all on its’ own. The ending just felt anti-climatic and left me wondering what would happen to these characters a little down the road. I would have loved an epilogue or maybe the author has an idea for a sequel…?
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A legal thriller more focused on the characters than the courtroom scenes. Challenging sentence structure and an unresolved-feeling ending hinder the story a bit.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Tamar Anolic
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.
