
The Best Defense
A Barbara Holloway Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $20.97
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Anna Fields
-
By:
-
Kate Wilhelm
About this listen
After her recent harrowing experiences, attorney Barbara Holloway isn't looking to take on any new courtroom cases; instead she's happy working from a booth in a cafe in the local working-class neighborhood.
But when the sister of "Baby Killer" Kennerman asks for help, Barbara reluctantly looks into matters and finds that incompetent lawyers and a smear campaign from the local right-wing press are going to allow a killer to go free. The deeper Barbara delves into the case, the more atrocities she finds and the more she believes that the best defense may not be enough.
With this extraordinary novel, Kate Wilhelm returns to the marvelous milieu of Death Qualified, bringing us a legal thriller of the finest caliber.
It's legal: download more of Barbara Holloway's cases.©1994 Kate Wilhelm (P)2003 Blackstone AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
Death Qualified
- A Barbara Holloway Novel
- By: Kate Wilhelm
- Narrated by: Anna Fields
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five years ago Barbara Holloway gave up practicing law, disillusioned with a profession that put politics before justice. Then she receives a phone call, with a simple message: "I need you."
-
-
My, Oh My!
- By Kay M on 04-25-04
By: Kate Wilhelm
-
The Deepest Water
- By: Kate Wilhelm
- Narrated by: Marguerite Gavin
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Considered "one of the masters of psychological fiction in America" (San Francisco Chronicle), Kate Wilhelm serves up a chilling puzzle that will keep listeners captivated until the very end.
-
-
Too Dramatic...
- By Dl on 03-17-05
By: Kate Wilhelm
-
Absolute Power
- By: David Baldacci
- Narrated by: David Baldacci, Scott Brick
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller, a burglar, Luther Whitney, breaks into a Virginia mansion, and witnesses a brutal crime involving the president—a man who believes he can get away with anything.
-
-
The best David Baldacci novel ever!
- By Wayne on 11-23-15
By: David Baldacci
-
My Sister's Grave
- Tracy Crosswhite, Book 1
- By: Robert Dugoni
- Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tracy Crosswhite has spent 20 years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. She doesn’t believe that Edmund House - a convicted rapist and the man condemned for Sarah’s murder - is the guilty party. Motivated by the opportunity to obtain real justice, Tracy became a homicide detective with the Seattle PD and dedicated her life to tracking down killers.
-
-
Story not for me--but that's just my taste
- By Kathi on 01-30-17
By: Robert Dugoni
-
Friction
- By: Sandra Brown
- Narrated by: Stephen Lang
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Crawford Hunt wants his daughter back. Following the death of his wife four years ago, Crawford, a Texas Ranger, fell into a downward spiral that left him relegated to deskwork and with his five-year-old daughter, Georgia, in the custody of her grandparents. But Crawford has cleaned up his act and met all the court-imposed requirements, and now the fate of his family lies with Judge Holly Spencer.
-
-
great story line, can we lay off the sex?
- By LJP on 07-16-16
By: Sandra Brown
-
Justice Redeemed
- Darren Street, Book 1
- By: Scott Pratt
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two years ago, Darren Street made a name for himself as the man who rooted out corruption in the district attorney's office. Now the hotheaded young lawyer is in the public eye yet again - this time, accused of murder. Jalen Jordan retained Street for what seemed to be a minor traffic violation, but when evidence turned up linking Jordan to the death of two boys, Street wanted out of the case.
-
-
Power In The Hands of Dishonest Prosecutors
- By R. Pontiflet on 04-01-16
By: Scott Pratt
-
Death Qualified
- A Barbara Holloway Novel
- By: Kate Wilhelm
- Narrated by: Anna Fields
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five years ago Barbara Holloway gave up practicing law, disillusioned with a profession that put politics before justice. Then she receives a phone call, with a simple message: "I need you."
-
-
My, Oh My!
- By Kay M on 04-25-04
By: Kate Wilhelm
-
The Deepest Water
- By: Kate Wilhelm
- Narrated by: Marguerite Gavin
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Considered "one of the masters of psychological fiction in America" (San Francisco Chronicle), Kate Wilhelm serves up a chilling puzzle that will keep listeners captivated until the very end.
-
-
Too Dramatic...
- By Dl on 03-17-05
By: Kate Wilhelm
-
Absolute Power
- By: David Baldacci
- Narrated by: David Baldacci, Scott Brick
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller, a burglar, Luther Whitney, breaks into a Virginia mansion, and witnesses a brutal crime involving the president—a man who believes he can get away with anything.
-
-
The best David Baldacci novel ever!
- By Wayne on 11-23-15
By: David Baldacci
-
My Sister's Grave
- Tracy Crosswhite, Book 1
- By: Robert Dugoni
- Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tracy Crosswhite has spent 20 years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. She doesn’t believe that Edmund House - a convicted rapist and the man condemned for Sarah’s murder - is the guilty party. Motivated by the opportunity to obtain real justice, Tracy became a homicide detective with the Seattle PD and dedicated her life to tracking down killers.
-
-
Story not for me--but that's just my taste
- By Kathi on 01-30-17
By: Robert Dugoni
-
Friction
- By: Sandra Brown
- Narrated by: Stephen Lang
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Crawford Hunt wants his daughter back. Following the death of his wife four years ago, Crawford, a Texas Ranger, fell into a downward spiral that left him relegated to deskwork and with his five-year-old daughter, Georgia, in the custody of her grandparents. But Crawford has cleaned up his act and met all the court-imposed requirements, and now the fate of his family lies with Judge Holly Spencer.
-
-
great story line, can we lay off the sex?
- By LJP on 07-16-16
By: Sandra Brown
-
Justice Redeemed
- Darren Street, Book 1
- By: Scott Pratt
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two years ago, Darren Street made a name for himself as the man who rooted out corruption in the district attorney's office. Now the hotheaded young lawyer is in the public eye yet again - this time, accused of murder. Jalen Jordan retained Street for what seemed to be a minor traffic violation, but when evidence turned up linking Jordan to the death of two boys, Street wanted out of the case.
-
-
Power In The Hands of Dishonest Prosecutors
- By R. Pontiflet on 04-01-16
By: Scott Pratt
-
The Guardians
- A Novel
- By: John Grisham
- Narrated by: Michael Beck
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the small Florida town of Seabrook, a young lawyer named Keith Russo was shot dead at his desk as he worked late one night. The killer left no clues. There were no witnesses, no one with a motive. But the police soon came to suspect Quincy Miller, a young Black man who was once a client of Russo’s.
-
-
Is Grisham getting serious about writing again?
- By Wayne on 10-17-19
By: John Grisham
-
Jury Master
- By: Robert Dugoni
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Sloane is the best wrongful death attorney in San Francisco. He's a lawyer who can make juries do anything. But despite his professional success, he's plagued by a nightmare of a childhood he cannot consciously remember. When he receives a package from a White House confidant who then turns up dead by apparent suicide, the contents reveal a history he never could have imagined.
-
-
Action! Action! Action!
- By Nancy on 04-03-07
By: Robert Dugoni
-
The Black Echo: Special Edition
- Harry Bosch, Book 1
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: Titus Welliver
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For maverick LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal...because the murdered man was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who had fought side by side with him in a hellish underground war. Now Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit.
-
-
Titus Welliver has really stepped in it!
- By George Moneo on 04-08-20
By: Michael Connelly
-
A Time to Kill
- By: John Grisham
- Narrated by: Michael Beck
- Length: 16 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clanton, Mississippi. The life of a 10-year-old black girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young men. The mostly white town reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. Until her father acquires an assault rifle - and takes justice into his own outraged hands. For 10 days, with burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spreading through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client's life...and then his own....
-
-
Nobody will read this review
- By Alicia on 08-18-16
By: John Grisham
-
The Third Victim
- A Novel
- By: Phillip Margolin
- Narrated by: Thérèse Plummer
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A woman stumbles onto a dark road in rural Oregon - tortured, battered, and bound. She tells a horrific story about being kidnapped, then tortured, until she finally managed to escape. She was the lucky one - two other women, with similar burns and bruises, were found dead. The surviving victim identifies the house where she was held captive, and the owner, Alex Mason - a prominent local attorney - is arrested.
-
-
Kept my attention...
- By shelley on 03-22-18
By: Phillip Margolin
-
The Confession
- A Novel
- By: John Grisham
- Narrated by: Scott Sowers
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An innocent man is about to be executed. Only a guilty man can save him. Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high-school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row.
-
-
Not Your Mother's Grisham
- By Pamela Harvey on 10-30-10
By: John Grisham
-
Partners
- A Rogue Lawyer Short Story
- By: John Grisham
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 1 hr and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sebastian Rudd, rogue lawyer, defends people other lawyers won't go near. It's controversial and dangerous work, which is why Sebastian needs his bodyguard/assistant/sidekick: Partner. So if Sebastian is just about the most unpopular lawyer in town, why is Partner so loyal to him? How did they meet? And what's the real story of this man of few words who's as good with a gun as he is with the law? The surprising answers are all in PARTNERS, John Grisham's first exclusively digital short story.
-
-
I wrote a 2 star review to Rogue Lawyer...
- By Wayne on 04-14-16
By: John Grisham
-
The Joe Dillard Series Box Set, Part 1: Books 1-4
- The Joe Dillard Box Sets
- By: Scott Pratt
- Narrated by: Tim Campbell
- Length: 31 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Books one through four in Scott Pratt's iconic Joe Dillard series are offered in a bundle. An Innocent Client, In Good Faith, Injustice For All, and Reasonable Fear.
-
-
in all truth, I only read a couple chapters.
- By Julie Lattimer on 10-14-22
By: Scott Pratt
-
A Killer's Wife
- Desert Plains, Book 1
- By: Victor Methos
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fourteen years ago, prosecutor Jessica Yardley's husband went to prison for a series of brutal murders. She's finally created a life with her daughter and is a well-respected attorney. She's moving on. But when a new rash of homicides has her ex-husband, Eddie, written all over them - the nightmares of her past come back to life.
-
-
Finally, a thriller worthy of being called that!!
- By cindy on 03-09-20
By: Victor Methos
-
The Quiet Game
- By: Greg Iles
- Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 20 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When former prosecutor Penn Cage returns to his hometown of Natchez, Mississippi, he doesn't find the peace he desperately craves. He finds that his own father is being blackmailed by a corrupt ex-cop. And when Penn investigates, he uncovers a murderous secret - and the small town's violent past.
-
-
Complex and Good Courtroom Drama!
- By R. Pontiflet on 02-09-15
By: Greg Iles
-
A Case of Redemption
- By: Adam Mitzner
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A high-profile attorney in the middle of a leave of absence following a personal tragedy is drawn back into the legal arena amidst a media firestorm when he agrees to represent a popular rap artist accused of brutally murdering his pop star girlfriend. With its powerful voice, pause-resisting tension, and strong cast of characters, Adam Mitzner’s novels are reminiscent of such best-selling authors as Scott Turow and John Grisham.
-
-
I Don't Agree With the Reviews
- By Elizabeth on 05-30-13
By: Adam Mitzner
-
Redemption Road
- A Novel
- By: John Hart
- Narrated by: Scott Shepherd
- Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imagine: A boy with a gun waits for the man who killed his mother. A troubled detective confronts her past in the aftermath of a brutal shooting. After 13 years in prison, a good cop walks free as deep in the forest, on the altar of an abandoned church, a body cools in pale linen.... This is a town on the brink. This is Redemption Road.
-
-
Stunning, Gripping, Remarkable
- By Chip Atkinson on 05-13-16
By: John Hart
What listeners say about The Best Defense
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Karen
- 06-17-04
Wilhelm books do not disappoint
Because it was a recent release, I got it thinking it was next in the series. It is actually an earlier novel, and that is the only thing I regretted. The book kept my interest and the narration brings the characters alive. I recommend.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 09-11-21
A most satisfying series.
Kate Wilhelm continues to amaze and satisfy my love for courtroom drama. Her character Barbara Holloway proves to be an amazing protagonist and force. Even reading her series out of order, they are almost independent. The varied narrators that I've listened to in the series have all done a great job, though I do have my favorite, sorry, no spoiler.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Barbara
- 10-04-21
Awesome Story
Kept restarting; Needing to make sure that l had Every word right. Captivating non-stop
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Debbie Zea
- 07-22-22
Great read
Smart thoughtful witty storyline. Narration raises the bar. I love how this narrator captures so much with her tone and emphasis. So many narrators fall into a routine of using the same tone and pitch in the beginning or at the end of their sentences. Or is monotonous. It drives me crazy and does an injustice to what might have been a great audible book. Not this one though. Very engaging.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Liz S.
- 05-15-23
Good reading
Grabs your attention and keeps you wanting to get to know more about the story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Nadine
- 07-11-10
Love the author, love the reader
I first downloaded this book in 2006. I really like Barbara Holloway and her dad and Bailey - Just relistening for the 3rd time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Kate+Mitchell Powell
- 06-22-11
Excellent -- and a great narrator!
The first Wilhelm novel heard, and excellent story. She took a tough topic and wrote it brilliantly. Loved this narrator, and was disappointed by some of the others. WHY does an author use many different readers?
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Coby
- 06-02-23
Hard to "put down"
This story was so gripping and intriguing I listened to it driving, walking, shopping and cleaning. The narrator does an outstanding job. I am looking forward to the next one.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mickey and Robin Crawford
- 12-29-24
Enjoyed
The characters - father and daughter. Wanted to have a bit more suspense and the many characters were a bit hard to follow. Overall good story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Timothy Choate
- 06-29-21
Great Detective book!!
I highly recommend this audiobook. Great story and reader of the story does a fantastic job too!! This book should be made into a movie!! Maybe it already has - I’ll have to look.
There are more books in the series and I intend to listen to them all!!
Many Thanks to Kate Wilhelm and Anna Fields!!
Tim C.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!