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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Good Crime Suspense
I loved a good crime novel and this has all the elements!!!! I was totally thrown off with the who done it in this one!!!! A great read!!!!
I loved a good crime novel and this has all the elements!!!! I was totally thrown off with the who done it in this one!!!! A great read!!!!
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
I have read several of Dugoni's thrillers and enjoyed them. This is a legal thriller, which should remind you of some of the best of Grisham's novels. Well-paced with characters that you will either be cheering on or hoping for their downfall. Kept me reading all day.
I have read several of Dugoni's thrillers and enjoyed them. This is a legal thriller, which should remind you of some of the best of Grisham's novels. Well-paced with characters that you will either be cheering on or hoping for their downfall. Kept me reading all day.
I'm really torn on how I felt about this book, hence the 3 stars. Robert Dugoni is undoubtedly a great author, and this book was well done for sure, I just think it wasn't quite my normal style. I tend to go for more present day stories, and I think that's what may have thrown me off about this one. I really love his Tracy Crosswhite series, so I was excited to read this one too and while I enjoyed it, I'm sticking at a 3.5 stars.
* Thanks for NetGalley for the ARC! *
* Thanks for NetGalley for the ARC! *
Legal thriller. Young lawyer tries a murder case re: boy killed in youth homeless shelter.
This is an exciting, tightly plotted, fast-paced thrill ride of a book.
At first, I was reminded of a Grisham novel, and since I’m not a fan, I wasn’t expecting much. But while the main character, Peter Donley, a third-year lawyer who is smart and will fight for the underdog like a character from a Grisham book, he’s likeable and unique—he reminded me of Will Hunting from Good Will Hunting.
Peter works for his uncle Lou, and when Lou is sidelined with a heart attack just before the Christmas holiday, it’s up to Peter to get started with what he thinks will just be postponing a plea for a priest accused of murdering a boy at the shelter he runs.
The novel is set in 1987. It turns out the reason for that is because the author wrote the book two decades ago, when car phones were an exotic luxury and cell phones were not yet a thing. While the world is a very different place when you can’t immediately call or text or Google someone or something, the one problem I had with this book is that it was considered common knowledge that there was a cover up about pedophile priests. That’s anachronistic because that didn’t become common knowledge until 2002 when the Boston Globe (and subsequently many other papers and magazines) wrote about it.
Ignoring that, everything else about this book was page-turning and terrific. Peter Donley is smart and brave and a caring husband and father to a three-year-old. He makes a wonderful protagonist.
The priest accused of murder was once a juvenile delinquent, so after turning his life around, he’s taken it upon himself to help the boys of the Tenderloin district in San Francisco who often turn to selling their bodies to obtain drugs. They are runaways because they are running from bad homes or because of their addiction—Father Martin doesn’t care, he just wants to be there to help if/when they are ready for help. If not, he’ll just ensure they have a warm, dry bed for the night.
On the rainy night that opens the novel, he happens upon a dead body of a runaway, and the cops rush in and arrest him. Some of the evidence is collected improperly, without a warrant, which works to Peter’s favor—he hopes he can get that evidence thrown out. Then more evidence comes to light that implicates Father Martin and Peter can’t get it thrown out.
Between Peter and a private investigator, Frank Ross, their best chance of freeing Father Martin is finding the real murderer themselves. In that way, the story is much less of a legal thriller than it is a PI-whodunit-and-how-do-you-prove-it story.
The 7th Canon, by the way, means, (according to Peter in the book) "A lawyer should represent a client zealously within the bounds of the law."
This is a fun, fast-paced book. I highly recommend.
At first, I was reminded of a Grisham novel, and since I’m not a fan, I wasn’t expecting much. But while the main character, Peter Donley, a third-year lawyer who is smart and will fight for the underdog like a character from a Grisham book, he’s likeable and unique—he reminded me of Will Hunting from Good Will Hunting.
Peter works for his uncle Lou, and when Lou is sidelined with a heart attack just before the Christmas holiday, it’s up to Peter to get started with what he thinks will just be postponing a plea for a priest accused of murdering a boy at the shelter he runs.
The novel is set in 1987. It turns out the reason for that is because the author wrote the book two decades ago, when car phones were an exotic luxury and cell phones were not yet a thing. While the world is a very different place when you can’t immediately call or text or Google someone or something, the one problem I had with this book is that it was considered common knowledge that there was a cover up about pedophile priests. That’s anachronistic because that didn’t become common knowledge until 2002 when the Boston Globe (and subsequently many other papers and magazines) wrote about it.
Ignoring that, everything else about this book was page-turning and terrific. Peter Donley is smart and brave and a caring husband and father to a three-year-old. He makes a wonderful protagonist.
The priest accused of murder was once a juvenile delinquent, so after turning his life around, he’s taken it upon himself to help the boys of the Tenderloin district in San Francisco who often turn to selling their bodies to obtain drugs. They are runaways because they are running from bad homes or because of their addiction—Father Martin doesn’t care, he just wants to be there to help if/when they are ready for help. If not, he’ll just ensure they have a warm, dry bed for the night.
On the rainy night that opens the novel, he happens upon a dead body of a runaway, and the cops rush in and arrest him. Some of the evidence is collected improperly, without a warrant, which works to Peter’s favor—he hopes he can get that evidence thrown out. Then more evidence comes to light that implicates Father Martin and Peter can’t get it thrown out.
Between Peter and a private investigator, Frank Ross, their best chance of freeing Father Martin is finding the real murderer themselves. In that way, the story is much less of a legal thriller than it is a PI-whodunit-and-how-do-you-prove-it story.
The 7th Canon, by the way, means, (according to Peter in the book) "A lawyer should represent a client zealously within the bounds of the law."
This is a fun, fast-paced book. I highly recommend.
Typically, I do not read legal thrillers but sometimes one needs a change and the plot line of The 7th Canon sounded interesting. Peter Donley, a fairly new attorney who works in his uncle's law firm, finds himself involved in a capital murder case. Father Tom Martin has been accused of murdering a street child. Father Tom insists he is innocent and being framed.
The story line is well written, keeping the reader interested. The characters are credible with just enough past history to supply necessary history. Enjoyable read.
The story line is well written, keeping the reader interested. The characters are credible with just enough past history to supply necessary history. Enjoyable read.
After the murder of a young street boy, a local priest who found him is accused of his murder. A local lawyer, Donley who works for the people, not the money, is given the case after the untimely hospitalization of his uncle. Donley knows the father is innocent, but the evidence is missing and there are a lot of people who would like to put the case away. Definitely a fun and exciting read! I look forward to reading more by this author.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes