By Ande Jacobson
Confession is the third book in Michael Cordell’s Contempt series, and it’s a page-turner. Released at the beginning of August 2025, readers again join Thane Banning on a controversial case. Thane is a criminal attorney with a past. Having been framed and imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit, he’s still struggling since his release to cope with what that did to him. He’s taken on some difficult cases in the past and won even when the odds were against him, although his methods weren’t always quite by the book. He’s trying desperately to change that though not just for himself, but for his wife Hannah, and their as yet unborn child. He wants to get back to being the man he was before his confinement. This time, Thane takes on a client who is accused of killing a popular football coach with a winning record at a notable local university. The biggest problem is that she confessed to the crime, so Thane and his team are starting from a huge disadvantage. Thane’s team includes:
- Kristin Peterson – a new, young attorney who is learning the ropes and has an eye toward righting wrongs.
- Gideon Spence – originally a friend from Thane’s time in prison who is now part enforcer, part private investigator, and all parts loyal friend.
- Letitia – receptionist and office manager extraordinaire.
Thane’s client is Boo, Bonnie Cruise. She’s in trouble and in an impossible situation. She confessed to killing Cash Dixon, the high profile coach, but she claims that she had to because of the abuse he inflicted not just on her but on others as well. As such, she’s loath to take a plea deal. She wants this trial to shine a light on the wrongs that the university abets, and show Dixon for the sadist he was. She describes unspeakable things that he did to her and others routinely. Yes, Boo is a prostitute, and her pimp, Stick, is a menace who she also wants the world to recognize for what he is. The case is dangerous, but this isn’t the first time Thane and company have taken on the impossible.
Boo’s parents are also integral to the story, and they come as a bit of a surprise as their identities come to light.
Cordell builds the story quickly, providing just enough history that readers can glean the crucial backstory told in more detail in the previous books in the series. It’s rather like joining a television series in a later season and picking up the necessary details along the way from conversations and a few short flashback sequences.
There are numerous complicating factors that come to light, not the least of which is how deep the conspiracy goes within the university. Cordell tackles serious social issues in this one such as the treatment of women at all levels of society, but especially women of color.
Cordell’s prose is accessible to all reading levels. While the book isn’t great literature, it’s an engaging story that makes readers care about what happens to the characters. Most of the characters are multidimensional, except the outright villains. The villains are written without any redeeming characteristics. They aren’t complex like everyone else. In that sense, Cordell begs the question, are some people born bad bent on acting out their worst impulses against everyone in their path? Stick fits that bill as do a couple of others. In that, the villains are less realistic overall.
Cordell gets inside the characters’ heads a bit, giving readers some insight into their motivation for their actions and life choices. Kristin’s story is of particular interest. Being young and new to her career, she’s still idealistic despite having faced some life-threatening situations due to her work. In a side plot, she explores some of her options peripherally asking herself the age-old question regarding from which side of the law she can do the most good. Defense attorneys are crucial for the justice system to work, and she firmly believes that everyone deserves a vigorous defense no matter what they’ve done, but she’s also sometimes conflicted given the gravity of some of the crimes they have to defend. Her evolution in this current case is interesting to watch and reads realistically, even though it happens a little more quickly than it might in real life.
Thane too is a myriad of contradictions. He believes in the law despite the wrong that he’s personally endured in his life. He is committed to defending those he chooses to defend, and yes, contrary to popular belief, he chooses the cases he pursues willingly. He wasn’t a violent man, but prison made him recognize that there are times when it is necessary. He’s not one to avoid protecting himself or those close to him, and it scares him when thinking about how far he’d be willing to go if a relevant situation arose.
Gideon is also somewhat conflicted, but since meeting Thane, he’s worked hard to stay out of prison and follow the law. He is often at odds with himself when people he cares about are in jeopardy though, and that’s generally what has gotten him into trouble in the past.
Hannah is very level-headed and cool in a crisis. She is the director of a local women’s shelter, and she sees the horrors of what violence against women can do on a daily basis. She’s devoted to Thane, and he to her. They bring out the best in one another in spite of, or maybe even because of the crises they’ve endured together.
Letitia is also very bright and an excellent judge of character. She often runs interference for the team when difficult people enter the office, and she always has their backs even when she doesn’t agree with their taking a given case.
There are a few editorial errors in the prose such as misspellings of character names and a few minor grammar slips, but the story still reads quickly and draws the reader in from the start. The chapters are relatively short keeping the story moving.
All things considered, this book is worth a read. The time will fly by, and readers might learn a thing or two about the law along the way.
Reference:
Confession, by Michael Cordell
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