Showing posts with label legal thriller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legal thriller. Show all posts

Friday, January 11, 2013

Book Review- David Ellis- The Hidden Man



David Ellis- The Hidden Man 3.25 Stars

Jason Kolarich’s neighbour and best friend’s little sister is abducted when he is a young boy. Everybody suspects a pedophile that lives in the area, but can never prove his guilt. Now years later Sammy Cutler, his estranged best friend, is accused of murdering the man suspected of abducting his sister. A shady man hires Jason, now a lawyer, to get an acquittal for Sammy, but he is not supposed to do anything except show up, they will handle everything else. Jason Kolarich doesn’t play by those kinds of rules though.

It was a pretty good start to this book. My attention was grabbed early on and it never really lost my attention at any point. It flowed smoothly and at a good pace. The plot was fairly good, but I had to keep wonder why Jason Kolarich, for such a smart man, did not think to record any of his conversations and go to the police. This kind of frustrated me and took away from the book. It had a few twists, but none of them were really shocking. The characters themselves were really well done, but Jason’s whole self pity thing got to be a little frustrating as well, although I understand that losing the two most important people in your life would be extremely traumatic. The flashbacks to better times in his life also got to be old, a few would have been good for background development, but the frequency of these flashbacks was driving me insane. Overall though it was a pretty good one time read.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Book Review- Michael Connelly- The Fifth Witness


Michael Connelly- The Fifth Witness 5 Stars

Mickey Haller has no criminal law clients left, now he must rely on foreclosure defence to support his office. Running his business from the back of his Lincoln, Haller has just about given up on criminal law. Now one of his clients has been accused of killing the man responsible for foreclosing on her home and he has been hired to get her set free. Mickey Haller is back as he attempts to get Lisa Trammel off of her possible life sentence.

I loved this book. The Fifth Witness is one of Connelly’s best books yet. With an introduction that gives you the impression that Mickey Haller is finished, I was captivated by the well written tale of Mickey Haller’s return. The plot was really well done, with great twists and turns; you just never knew what to expect next. It also had a surprise ending that you will never see coming. The characters were expertly crafted and seemed to jump off of every page. I really did love the ending it was a great way to conclude things. Overall I would certainly slap my recommendation on this book, a great addition to the Mickey Haller series.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

Monday, March 26, 2012

Book Review- Michael Connelly- The Reversal


Michael Connelly- The Reversal (Vision Books 2011) 4.25 Stars

Mickey Haller has been handed a case, only this time it is not on the defence side, it’s on the side of the prosecution. He has been asked to be an independent prosecutor, to keep things away from the DA’s office. He has only agreed to take the case as he truly believes that the man is guilty. Jessup has just been released from prison after DNA evidence has overturned his sentence in the murder of a young girl. Now the DA’s office wants him retried and they cannot be the ones in the driver’s seat. Mickey Haller has agreed as long as he can use his ex-wife Maggie and investigator Harry Bosch. Little does he realise just how dangerous things can get.

This one had a little bit of a slower start, but it was interesting to see Haller being presented with a case out of the norm for him. I love how Connelly brings in characters from his other series’ as it is always great to get an update on how they are doing and what they are up to. Connelly does such a great job with all of his characters. They are so full of depth and show emotion like I could imagine they would in real life. I love seeing Haller at work in the courtroom, even though I don’t normally like courtroom books. The plot was also pretty good and flowed smoothly. It had some good twists, but was not completely unpredictable. I must also say that I loved the ending, as it was not your average conclusion. Overall I enjoyed this book and thought it was a good instalment in both the Lincoln Lawyer series and the Harry Bosch series.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Book Review- Brian Haig- Private Sector

Brian Haig- Private Sector (Warner Books 2004) 4.25 Stars



Major Sean Drummond has been sent to a private law firm in a government program that allows JAG lawyers to be placed in a private firm for a year, which is supposed to help them understand more about law. Drummond knew he didn’t want to go, but he had no idea just what kind of trouble he was being sent into. His former girlfriend, the person who was part of the law firm and the exchange program before him, has been murdered. It appears to be a part of a serial killer spree, but is there more of a connection to the firm than first meets the eye?



The first few pages of this book were not the most gripping. I would have liked a better introduction. That being said I love the wit and sarcasm of Sean Drummond, it is very amusing and made me chuckle throughout the book, and I loved his lawyer jokes. The characters were really well done and I enjoyed learning about them. The plot was pretty good as well, with some intense scenes, and a few good twists. The setting was in a few different cities, but the action was still there, and the shift in setting assisted in keeping the book fresh and exciting. This was a pretty good read and I would recommend it to those who enjoy a good thriller.



For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com



Tony Peters


Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping


http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Book Review- James Patterson and Maxine Paetro- The 5th Horseman






James Patterson and Maxine Paetro- The 5th Horseman (Warner Books 2007) 3.25 Stars




When people start mysteriously dying at the Memorial Hospital, despite appearing to be quite healthy, Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club aim to get to the bottom of it. The hospital seems content to cover things up and save their reputation, but Lieutenant Boxer won’t let them get away with that. The hunt is on and they won’t back down until they find the killer responsible for these deaths.







This book had a rather interesting introduction. It makes you curious about just what is going on and how the Women’s Murder Club is going to get involved. It kind of went up and down in the interest level for me though; this may be due to the lack of focus. Different storylines intertwining kind of makes it hard to focus and get into any of the storylines. Each one on its own would have been fine, but together it just did not work. The plot was good, with a few twists, but for the most part it was pretty predictable. The characters were well done though; this was a redeeming quality of the book. Overall this is not the best instalment in this series.










For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.







Tony Peters




Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping




http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Book Review- David Ellis- Line of Vision



David Ellis- Line of Vision (Berkley Books 2002) 4 Stars



When Marty Kalish fell in love with a married woman, he never imagined that he would end up in court because of it. Accused of murdering the woman’s husband, he is in a fight for his life. Things are adding up against him, he was at the scene of the crime at the exact time of the murder, and made the mistake of confessing to the murder to the police. The question is what did he confess to, and can he work enough magic to get himself out of this mess?



I do not like very many legal thrillers, but David Ellis has a way of writing them so that I enjoy it. This book was written in a different way from all the other legal thrillers, and I found it refreshing. The characters are really well done, but you find out at several points that you really don’t know the characters all that well. I loved the way that Ellis threw in twists here and there that completely catch the reader of guard, and make you go “What?!” I found myself cheering for Marty in court, even though I knew that I should not be. I liked the introduction as it draws you in and makes you want to find out what is going on, however the ending I felt could have been a little stronger, though I did like the last sentence and it ties things up with a finality not normally seen. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes legal thrillers.



For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com



Tony Peters


Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping


http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Monday, May 10, 2010

Book Review- Brian Haig- Secret Sanction


Brian Haig- Secret Sanction (Warner Books 2002) 4.25 Stars



When a mass murder happens overseas and a group of green berets are being accused of the murder Major Sean Drummond is brought in to get to the bottom of the case. Right off the bat he is warned that he can’t win the case, but losing is not something Major Sean Drummond is accustomed to. He must team up with a couple of young lawyers at the peaks of their careers and work with them to find the truth, even if the truth may not be as cut and dry as one might think. He must fight a conspiracy reaching to the highest levels and deal with a shocking betrayal. Finding the truth might just be the hardest thing Drummond has ever done.



Right from page one the reader gets a taste of Major Sean Drummond. He is a brilliantly created character who is deep and yet so very shallow. I love his humour/sarcasm and how it quite often gets him into worse trouble then if he had just kept his mouth shut. The plot is one that is twisting and turning, surprising the reader at every junction. This draws the reader’s attention and keeps them interested in getting to the bottom of it; only a talented author knows how to do this with such skill. I found myself wondering if the introduction could have been cut, starting it at the actual case beginning, but I did enjoy the intro nonetheless. I loved how much this book kept my head spinning to figure out who was lying and who was telling truth, who was to be trusted and who was not to be trusted, it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat, so to speak. The ending was okay in my opinion, but I would have liked to see something different. I also did not like their final decision, but I am not sure what I would have done in the same situation. I did love the closing paragraph it made me laugh. I definitely want to read more by this author, although I have already read The Kingmaker and enjoyed it as well.



I recommend Secret Sanction to those who love legal thrillers.



For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com



Tony Peters


Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping