Power Blind

Power Blind is the latest and sixth book in the Dana Hargrove series. It read very well as a standalone, however, and I felt that no detail was left unexplained. Judge Dana Hargrove is involved in two cases in Power Blind. The first case is about the medical decisions that are being made for a seventeen-year-old girl who has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The girl’s aunt wants to allow the girl to make her own decision whether or not to seek treatment with the possibility of suffering more than without the treatment. Because the girl is very mature for her age and has lost her own mother to cancer, her aunt feels like allowing her to choose is the right decision. The Family Court and Children’s Services, however, have their own agenda and bring the aunt to court over the matter. Dana’s son, Travis, works for Children’s Services and must go to court to defend why the girl should be forced to accept the medical treatment. Dana follows the case carefully and is torn between an ethical stance and a legal stance. Should the court be able to decide the girl’s fate?

The second case is a cold case from 2020 that is still not solved in 2022. Undercover police officer Marlon Stokes is found dead on a bridge after having drinks with fellow officer Corey McBride. Corey is not convicted of the murder even though there are witnesses that say that they believe Corey looked like the man with Marlon on the bridge. Dana and her friend and detective on the case, Aurelina Vargas, do their due diligence in digging deeper and questioning other people who may have information about that night.

The book is extremely thorough in giving the reader information into the legal aspects of both crimes as well as examples of past cases. The author also gives a lot of background information on the characters and their experiences both in and out of the courthouse. I found Dana, her husband Evan, and their adult children Travis and Natalie to be very likable, intelligent characters and found it interesting how closely bonded they are as a family unit. In fact, Natalie finds herself doing psychology research on the case of the murdered police officer and finds herself in a bind at one point. Faced with some of the most difficult choices that could change lives, Dana Hargrove must make decisions based on both ethics and the law. Power Blind has an air of suspense with some action thrown in that forms a well-laid-out plot. Perfect for fans of Grisham and Patterson