John Grisham’s novels usually involve legal thrillers, and the attorneys who star in them are usually heroes. They are out for justice and righting wrongs. In his latest novel, “The Widow,” Grisham presents an attorney who is neither hero nor fighter for justice.
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The latest Robert Dugoni novel is the third in the Keera Duggan series, and in “Her Cold Justice,” Keera Duggan faces another murder trial in which she must defend the accused. This time Michael, the accused, is a young man who also happens to be her private investigator, J.P. Harrison’s nephew. Michael insists he didn’t do it.
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David Rosenfelt’s 31st (!) entry in the Andy Carpenter Mystery series is “Dogged Pursuit.” But this one is significantly different from the earlier entries in one important way: it’s a prequel featuring Andy as a rookie in the defense attorney business. He’s approaching thirty years of age and has decided that it’s time to help those who are essentially victims of the system. He wants to give the wrongly accused a real chance in court. And though he’s relatively young, and all his previous work has been on the prosecution side, he has an inner confidence that whispers, “Help people. You can do it.”
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Robert Dugoni has a new series out; it’s the Keera Duggan series, and the second mystery, “Beyond Reasonable Doubt” is a good one. In fact, it’s so good that if you read it and haven’t read the first book in the series, “Her Deadly Game,” you might want to go back and read that one. Main character Keera Duggan is a criminal defense attorney, and she works with her father in the family law firm. The first book tells us more about her backstory, but we know she began her law career as a prosecutor, then left after a misguided relationship with her superior went south.
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In this, the thirtieth entry in David Rosenfelt’s “Andy Carpenter Mystery” series, “The More the Terrier,” the dog, we are happy to report, actually plays an important role in the unfolding of the plot. Murphy, apparently a Yorkie mix, shows up out of nowhere at Andy’s house and is soon recognized as a little guy whom Andy and his family and friends had rescued sometime before his new appearance at their doorstep. They remember the family who had adopted him, and they return him to the Bremers’ home. Mrs. Bremer is thrilled to have him back, yet she is terribly sad. Her son, BJ, has been arrested for murder.
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In his latest “Jack Swyteck Novel,” “Goodbye Girl,” James Grippando uses his firsthand knowledge of the legal system to create a gripping novel that includes a look into the world of music, music piracy, and how new artists often are cheated out of their recording rights by unscrupulous record labels. New artists don’t have the clout to demand more. In this novel, Jack is asked to defend a recording star, Imani, when her ex-husband sues her. Imani feels cheated out of her royalties because of her early contract with her former husband’s recording company, and she is urging people to pirate her songs. While that means that Imani doesn’t get her tiny share of the royalties, she’s wealthy from other work and contracts, so she’d rather her husband’s company gets nothing.
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In spite of the clever title, “‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas,” David Rosenfelt’s newest Andy Carpenter mystery does not feature any dogs who bite, especially not the adorable Dalmatian on the cover. What this holiday-themed novel does have, and what almost all of Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter mysteries have, are clever plots, lots of bad guys, one very innocent guy who is being framed, more twists than even Santa’s most challenging routes, and many sweet rescue dogs. Add in one curmudgeonly, reluctant attorney who loves rescuing dogs and hates practicing law, and the plot is set.
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This twenty-seventh entry in David Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter Mystery series, “Flop Dead Gorgeous,” offers us some different views and angles than those to which we are accustomed in the earlier novels. But the factors that make Rosenfelt unique are every bit as much in evidence here as they are in every novel in the series. His uniqueness is clear and easily explained: no other mystery writer demonstrates Rosenfelt’s uncanny knack for providing us real suspense and difficult-to-solve legal issues while all the while also providing laugh-out-loud (or at the very least broad-smile-inducing) page-after-page light-hearted insult humor and self-deprecating dialogue and first-person narration.
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With her latest twisty thriller, “Reckless Girls,” author Rachel Hawkins presents us with four young women who end up together on what would appear to be a tropical paradise. A deserted island near Hawaii where the beaches are golden, the water is warm, and the sunsets stunning. With plenty of good food, wine, and charming male companionship, what more could anyone ask for?
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In the Andy Carpenter mysteries, author David Rosenfelt has created an irascible yet lovable attorney and dog lover who only agrees to represent accused murderers after much kicking and screaming. He’s inherited a lot of money from his father, so he doesn’t need to work, and he certainly doesn’t need the stress of having someone’s life in his hands. But in each novel, there is a reason that Andy is compelled to once again dust off his briefcase, call his employees into the office, and use their combined talents to save someone by solving another mystery. Reluctantly.
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In “Defending Britta Stein” by Ronald H. Balson, attorney Catherine Lockhart and her husband, private investigator Liam Taggert, are the actors whose actions bring about justice in an unlikely manner. Through these two characters, both well known to Balson fans, we are privy to the history of a family of Danish Jews during WWII. As is standard in Balson’s novels, there is a story-within-a-story, and Lockhart and Taggert are the vehicles through which the Holocaust story is told. The storytelling is gripping, and this courtroom drama showcases the unity and bravery of the Danish people in saving most of their population of Jews during WWII when the Germans decided to implement their final solution on the Jews of Denmark.
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In “Twenty,” the newest Jack Swyteck mystery by James Grippando, there are important questions that arise at the very start of this gripping mystery/thriller. Who was the shooter who killed students at the tony private school in Miami? Whoever it was was covered from head to toe: goggles, face mask, tactical vest, even booties covering the shoes. But when one of the students, Xavier Khoury, confesses to the shooting after the gun used was discovered to belong to his father, the community closes ranks against him and his family. Continue reading