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A review by canada_matt
Stranglehold by Robert Rotenberg
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! :-)
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! :-)