Hidden Behind the Robe

A Courthouse Thriller

Hidden Behind the Robe is a tapestry of stranger-than-fiction scenes, observed over Matt Graham’s 43-year career in the criminal justice system. The story traverses the unexplored and overlooked inner workings of the raunchy, salacious, often hilarious, behind-the-scenes happenings of Los Angeles justice, while taking you on a tour of equally unexplored corners of the City of Los Angeles.

Combining issues of privilege, race, and sexual misconduct, Hidden Behind the Robe provides a raw, behind-the-scenes perspective, and insight into the legal system that could only have been written by a Judge who has seen it all.

©2021, 2022 Courthouse Publishing, LLC (P)2022 Courthouse Publishing, LLC

Masterful Storytelling

As a reader fond of this category of novel, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Graham’s story. I found it refreshing in its ability to meld nimbly two divergent literary approaches to create an enormously enjoyable tale.

The narrative vacillates between two distinctive modes of crime/courtroom-drama storytelling, both of which I enjoy immensely. One style is the gritty realism and granular detail of the world of crime and punishment found in the works of a Michael Connelly, who’s tales, like Graham’s, take place in the greater LA area. But Graham successfully weaves into this hard-edged narrative a much more lighthearted and amusing thread, more in the style of a David Rosenfelt canine-themed Andy Carpenter mystery. WGraham seamlessly integrates these disparate narrative styles to create an engaging and entertaining read.

At its core the storyline is a hard-hitting crime and courtroom drama, made more intriguing by the intricate details and insights of an author who himself has served many years as a LA Superior Court judge, the same position held by the novel’s protagonist. It enables the author to provide color and texture to the story that only an insider could properly portray. For example, it was fascinating to learn about the wide diversity of personalities and backgrounds among the Superior Court judges. Their quirks and eccentricities were illuminating. And as the story content is represented as “a compilation of stranger than fiction events witnessed during (Graham’s) decorated career”, there is much of the real world to be discovered in the book, giving it an extra dimension of fascination. The twists and turns of the plot, largely unpredictable, become especially intriguing knowing the events are indeed based on actual occurrences.

The lighter aerating style is most prominent in the delightfully flawed junior heroines. Dawson, a college journalism student, is awkward and insecure in a manner that, to this listener at least, found much simpatico. In stark contrast is Dawson’s girlfriend. Assertive and a bit rascally, she nevertheless retains a charismatic charm that makes her irresistible. The two of them infuse the story with amusing dimensions of discovery and romance. I look forward to Matt Graham's next novel.

Mike Steele was a good choice for the narration. His voice is easy on the ear and he speaks in a comfortable cadence. As an audiobook listener, I found the very short chapters helpful. The nine hour book is broken into almost 90 chapters. It made it much easier to find where I left off in the narrative.

Bosch Behind the Bench!

A great read that peels back another layer within the criminal justice system. Cannot wait for the next one.

Excellent story

Delightful book with an intriguing story that kept me engaged to the very end.
The author takes us through the events from the perspective of two separate protagonists that brings a fullness to o the narrative that engaged me intellectually.
I found the story fascinating and the performance brought the words to life.
This was an easy listen that was compelling throughout.

Bravo

Great book!

This is author Matt Graham’s first book, and it is a mystery thriller, which is my favorite genre. The main character is Judge Charles Dunning in Los Angeles. There are twists and turns to the plot that keep the listener engaged and trying to figure out what is coming next. Some of the courtroom cases are shocking, some are entertaining, and some are downright hilarious! I hope the author is planning to write more stories about Judge Dunning. The narrator, Mike Steele, is easy to listen to, has a calming voice most of the time, adds feelings to the characters as needed, and uses a good tempo. I definitely recommend this book!

Solid thriller

Graham has crafted a good mystery here in an arena you might not expect. It's often hilarious as well. Narrator Mike Steele delivers an outstanding performance to keep listeners engrossed.