Publishers Weekly
★ 11/29/2021
In Gigl’s stunning sequel to 2021’s By Way of Sorrow, the shooting death of businessman Charles Parsons at first looks like suicide, until a voice recording surfaces in which Parson identifies the shooter as his adopted daughter, Ann, who subsequently confesses to the crime. But transgender New Jersey lawyer Erin McCabe becomes convinced she should help Ann, who’s also trans, withdraw the plea and go to trial after Erin becomes aware of Parsons’s monstrous behavior and of the pressure put on Ann to confess by Parsons’s colleagues, who made threats to someone Ann cares about. These threats extend to Erin and her loved ones once she becomes involved in the case. Erin’s fear that her new romantic partner, Mark, will leave her over his family’s rejection of her identity adds personal stress. Meanwhile, the actual killer skillfully continues her vigilante justice campaign against Parsons’s organization’s systematic child abuse and greed. Gigl delightfully flips the usual terms of the genre with a murder victim readers are quickly drawn to hate and a murderer whom they will be rooting for. Her takes on big questions of justice, revenge, and the nature of victimhood will resonate with many. Agent: Carrie Pestrito, Laura Dail Literary. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
Praise for Survivor's Guilt
“A groundbreaking series—Erin is trans, one of precious few in crime fiction—now stands to become a definitive one. Gigl is especially gifted at writing razor-sharp, compulsively readable courtroom scenes, something that sinks many legal thriller authors.” —The New York Times Book Review
“[Survivor’s Guilt is] another barrier-breaking thriller from a voice missing too long from the mystery chorus.” —The Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Topically relevant, edgy, and riveting, this series is one to watch. Rooting for a trans protagonist in a position of power is thoroughly refreshing and inspiring. Here’s to more Erin McCabes.” —Library Journal
“Robyn Gigl’s SURVIVOR’S GUILT is so good that it may end up counting among this year’s standouts. A groundbreaking series is poised to become a definitive one.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Stunning…Gigl delightfully flips the usual terms of the genre with a murder victim readers are quickly drawn to hate and a murderer whom they will be rooting for. Her takes on big questions of justice, revenge, and the nature of victimhood will resonate with many.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Another great merger of legal mystery and psychological thriller.” —CrimeReads
“[Survivor’s Guilt is] another barrier-breaking thriller from a voice missing too long from the mystery chorus.” —The Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Stunning…Gigl delightfully flips the usual terms of the genre with a murder victim readers are quickly drawn to hate and a murderer whom they will be rooting for. Her takes on big questions of justice, revenge, and the nature of victimhood will resonate with many.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW for on Survivor’s Guilt
“Among this year’s standouts…hair-raising…thrillingly complex…a groundbreaking series poised to become a definitive one.” —The New York Times Book Review (Sarah Weinman) on Survivor’s Guilt
“Robyn Gigl’s SURVIVOR’S GUILT is so good that it may end up counting among this year’s standouts. A groundbreaking series is poised to become a definitive one.” —The New York Times Book Review
“This intelligent page-turner with a social conscience illuminates the complexities of guilt and justice.” —The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice
“Survivor’s Guilt is a richly-textured legal thriller that brims with authentic detail. Clever, bold and original, it skillfully pairs a compulsive plot with a cast of complex characters. In Erin and Swish, Robyn Gigl gives us a winning duo—and a riveting series that’s set to become a classic.” —Kia Abdullah, author of Perfectly Nice Neighbors
Praise for Robyn Gigl’s Erin McCabe Legal Thrillers
“Emotionally resonant…Gigl is too astute and compassionate a writer to create cartoon villainy out of anti-trans attitudes…quietly groundbreaking.” —The New York Times Book Review on By Way of Sorrow
“Readers will find that BY WAY OF SORROW is a compulsively riveting page-turner with a complex heroine, a captivating plot, and no easy answers. It's one of the best thrillers of the year.” —Mystery Scene on By Way of Sorrow
“An intelligent and resourceful protagonist with an unusual backstory...Erin's ability to navigate the intricacies of the law is just as fascinating as the subsequent perils she encounters. Gigl, an attorney, offers some enlightening insights into the workings of the legal world." —Publishers Weekly on By Way of Sorrow
“Gigl, a transgender lawyer herself, provides provocative insights into the legal system and the challenges of gender identity." —Booklist
“Gigl’s accomplishment here is to parse the serious flaws with the legal system and expose the vulnerability of homeless members of the trans community by way of subtle characterization and seamless plotting. In less skillful hands, we might get melodrama or a polemic; here, we get engrossing originality—and a brilliant point in a larger argument for the benefits of greater representation in our beloved genre.” —Lambda Literary Review on By Way of Sorrow
“A nuanced and beautiful story of standing up for what’s right, against all odds.” —CrimeReads on By Way of Sorrow
“With tight, realistic plotting interweaving a murder mystery with insights into transgender issues, By Way of Sorrow is a promising series debut… I’m looking forward to seeing where Robyn Gigl will go with this series next, and am really glad she’s writing so honestly and entertainingly about trans issues in a field with precious few trans leads.” —Criminal Element on By Way of Sorrow
“Topically relevant, edgy, and riveting, this series is one to watch. Rooting for a trans protagonist in a position of power is thoroughly refreshing and inspiring. Here’s to more Erin McCabes.” —Library Journal
Library Journal
02/04/2022
Readers of Gigl's debut (By Way of Sorrow) will be thrilled to see the return of Erin McCabe while first-time readers will be equally pleased to have book one to catch up on. In this story Erin digs into a case that looks simple but is baffling. Local millionaire Charles Parsons is found dead in his home from a gunshot wound to the head in what looks like a suicide. Soon after his death, a voice-activated recording points to his adopted daughter, Ann Parsons, and she confesses to his murder. An investigator on the case suspects that something is off, and clandestinely meets with Erin, revealing that Ann, like Erin, is a trans woman. As darker pieces of information about Parsons swirl, Erin and her law partner Duane Swisher delve further into a dangerous underworld to persuade Ann to withdraw her guilty plea. VERDICT Topically relevant, edgy, and riveting, this series is one to watch. Rooting for a trans protagonist in a position of power is thoroughly refreshing and inspiring. Here's to more Erin McCabes.—Julie Kane
Kirkus Reviews
2021-12-15
A defense attorney takes on sex traffickers and child pornographers.
When a detective asks Erin McCabe to meet with a young woman accused of murder, he explains that he has two reasons. One is that, despite her admission of guilt, the detective thinks Ann Parsons is innocent. The second is that Ann is, like Erin, transgender. Her decision to represent Ann will end up putting Erin, her law partner, and her boyfriend in grave danger. And, as the action unfolds, she will also have to deal with her mother’s breast cancer and the knowledge that her boyfriend’s family won’t accept her. The setup is quite similar to that of Gigl’s debut, By Way of Sorrow (2021), as is the mix of legal thriller with interpersonal drama. Erin is an engaging protagonist surrounded by well-rounded secondary characters. But the emotional stakes here are less compelling, and the legal case is unsatisfying. In By Way of Sorrow, Erin was dealing with the fact that her brother and her father rejected her after she came out as trans, and she was negotiating a romance with a man who wasn't sure he could deal with her past. Watching Erin react to her mother’s illness slows the plot of this second book without revealing anything new about the protagonist and, here, that same boyfriend is almost too good to be true. The bad guys are also implausible. The idea of powerful people exploiting children is all too believable, but there’s something ridiculous about evil geniuses whose only response to a perceived threat is to just murder everybody. The emotional realism and the cartoon violence don’t fit together. The biggest issue, though, is the amount of information—about Ann Parsons and another key character—that Gigl keeps under wraps as the narrative unfolds. The reader never sees Erin asking—or even formulating—obvious and important questions about her client. To the extent that there are big reveals, they feel artificial and insufficient.
Gigl uses her debut novel as a template, with diminishing returns.
