Erin McCabe was born male, but throughout her whole life, she always felt that she should have been female. After a failed marriage, Ian finally decided it was time to have surgery and live her life the way she always wanted. So, in her mid-thirties, she finally had it done and now she is Erin McCabe, lawyer. Now along with her partner Duane, they are going to take on the toughest case they have ever had.  

Sharise is a trans woman in the process of getting the surgery she needs to make her happy in her life. The only problem is while working on the streets, she was picked up by Wm Townsend, Jr.  Wm had picked her up several times before this night, but this night he attacked her, and she had to stab him. Sharise has been picked up for murder and now Erin and Duane are going to do their best to get her cleared. They feel that Wm is a serial murderer and now, they have to try and prove it. The biggest obstacle in their way is his father Wm Townsend, Sr., who is a very important governor.   

Of course, Wm's father doesn’t want the truth to come out because he plans to run for office, hoping one day to run for president. Erin and Duane have contacted several police departments to try and get DNA from other cases. Whenever they think they are close to getting what they need another tragic incident occurs. Sharise is now in the hospital, supposedly having fallen down the steps, but after looking at the tapes, they find that she was pushed. Erin’s apartment has been broken into and someone has put a listening device on all her phones, along with the phones in the office. They both feel that they know who is behind all of this but now they have to find a way to prove it.   

Erin, while dealing with all this, has met a man, Mike. They have been on a few dates, but she is not sure how she feels about him, since she is usually attracted to women. Mike is also having a hard time as he learns more about Erin and her transition. Hopefully, everything works out for them. 

BY WAY OF SORROW by Robyn Gigl is a great mystery novel. Not only does Gigl write about a murder, but also, I feel handles what a woman goes through when she is transitioning. I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to live your whole life knowing you are in the wrong body and this author handles the topic respectfully and with nuance.  

Gigl also had me wondering about how far someone of importance would go to protect his son. Was it really to protect the son, or was it more because the dad wanted his political career? In this day and age, I feel it was more a political move than to protect his son. I truly enjoyed BY WAY OF SORROW from the first page to the last.