Reviews

Stranglehold by Robert Rotenberg

laurapk's review against another edition

3.0

While this novel is an improvement from the previous one in the series, it still fails to recapitulate the magic of the series opener. The novel was mostly well written, with a smattering of more adjectives than needed for drama and the action moved at a decent pace. The plot was fairly predictable, but still well laid out. The trial scenes were well constructed and the attention to detail in those scenes was fascinating. The character interaction, which was a highlight for me in the first two novels, was good, but character growth has plateaued. Where the novel had some major problems was in believability of some character's actions. After a few chapters I was willing to accept

Spoiler

that Detective Greene could be so unbelievably stupid to not inform the lead detective on the case that he was the one having an affair with the deceased and that he had been at the crime scene

, the rest of the contrivances that obscured the killer till the end weren't as good.

Spoiler

Why would Raglan's son NOT tell the police or his father immediately that he saw who murdered his mother? Why would he paint graffities accusing Mayor Chap that he is a murderer and not specifically said: "He murdered Jennifer Raglan." Why would the former chief of police murder Jennifer himself? He had so much clout and so many people in his pocket, how would he not hire someone to do it for him? And if he was trying to frame Ari, why didn't he immediately divulge to the prosecutors that Ari broke bail?

On top of everything some characters turned really nasty. Jo Summers was an interesting character who abruptly turned into a blood seeker as soon as Ari was accused of murder. She had reasons to be suspicious of him, but her attitude was hard to swallow. And because we didn't spend time in her mind, we didn't get a redeeming revelation such as, she was grieving for her friend. It was also a bit hard to stomach her outrage at Ari for 'breaking Raglan's marriage' while she kisses Kennicot and doesn't tell him she's in a serious relationship. If she never shows up again in the series I'm OK with it.
Overall, I feel like the series has stalled and while the trial aspect was definitely interesting, the characters are slowly turning into two-dimensional shadows.

henrismum's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Take away:  Judging innocence and a lucky escape.
Narration:  (Paul Hecht) Good as always.
Normal Speed - Accelerated Speed
New  - Second - Third - Committed
Series - Non Series - Non-Fiction - Author
Listening to this book was a chore.
I'm glad I listened to this book.
I didn't want this book to end.
I could not wait to be done with this book.

dlbcoen's review

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

pnewb's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

dompling's review

4.0

I blasted through the courtroom scenes, I felt like I was there!

PS this book is set in Toronto, a lot of major downtown areas/streets are mentioned!

jannie_mtl's review

5.0

This was a great read, not only because it is set in my city (Toronto), but because of its excellent plot and pacing. Detective Ari Greene becomes a defendant in a murder trial and Rotenberg keeps the suspense high as we move through the trial. I found myself both not wanting the novel to end and dying to get to the conclusion. His characters are well-developed and their humanity is clearly defined. I look forward to his fifth book with much anticipation.

Highly recommended to anyone who likes crime/police procedurals.

vaderbird's review

3.0

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish

maureenmccombs's review

4.0

Another excellent turn by Rotenberg. So happy his books are finally becoming available in the US and not just Cananda. I figured this one out a little earlier than most but his writing is so well done I really don't care.

amandat's review against another edition

3.0

3 1/2 stars.

The marketing department for this book made a special point of comparing the mayoral candiate to a certain former Toronto mayor. Kind of insulting considering what the newly elected mayor does in the book is nothing like what the captain of Ford Nation did (if you're Canadian, you'll know who that is).

Unfortunately, that statement on the back of the book ruined it for me - I figured out the mystery long before the somewhat lacklustre ending.

This is the second book I've read by Rotenberg and although I enjoyed it more than "Stray Bullets", there's just something about his plotting that bothers me. Don't get me wrong: I think he's a great writer. I just wish he would concentrate a little more on coming up with a good story without giving too much away.

canada_matt's review against another edition

5.0

Any book whose series begins with the Toronto Maple Leafs winning the Stanley Cup cannot be left unread. Any book that chooses a Canadian locale and not turning us into Inuit igloo-dwellers or maple syrup sucking folks who inflect our sentences with ‘eh’ ought to be applauded. A Canadian who steps forward to write about Toronto, the city he knows best, and about the law, a profession with which he has an intricate knowledge, deserves great praise. Rotenberg paints a wonderful legal thriller, using his cast of Torontonians whose lives and plots interweave as seamlessly and one could. A murder that splashes across the headlines and pushes things into the Canadian courts makes Rotenberg the ultimate writer. Add to that a strong list of ever-developing characters, storylines that arc from previous books in the series, and tie in from past books to help build on the current case makes for a stellar book that reads as easily as any the reader may wish to bring with them to the beach or onboard an overseas flight. Is the murderer sitting at the defense table? Is all as it seems? Never is, but how will the dots connect? A thrilling ending (a la Rotenberg) is a great jaw-dropper for sure.

Rotenberg’s books are a treat. A Canadian criminal lawyer, the reader is treated to wonderful books by “Canada’s John Grisham”, whose chapters are as as short as a James Patterson novel, but leave wonderful cliff hangers that leaves the reader making personal promises to ‘read one or two more’ as the clock soon reads 3 a.m. and the plot is as thick as molasses. The characters are realistic and so down to earth that one might wonder if their neighbour could be X or Y. The stories could be pulled from the headlines, and are, in a twisted way. Lawyers, cops, journalists, families. They all play a role in the multi-dimensional story and help push it forward with ease and grace.

Kudos Mr. Rotenberg for yet another stellar book. I cannot praise you or your work enough, eh! :-)