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A review by pandasbookshelf
The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan
5.0
The Murder Rule | Dervla McTiernan
Pub Date: 10/05/22
Genre: Mystery, psychological thriller, crime, legal,
The Murder Rule is the latest standalone psychological suspense by bestselling author of the Cormac Reilly series, Dervla McTiernan.
When I received an ARC for this one, I dropped everything I was reading to dive straight into this and I’m so glad I did. This one was unlike anything I’ve read before (and I read a lot of crime and mystery fiction).
The story follows Hannah, as she gets a position working with the Innocence Project, a legal team devoted to proving the innocence of wrongly convicted prisoners and setting them free. Hannah’s motivations are much more sinister. I don’t want to say much more as the plot itself is a masterpiece in mystery and suspense. It’s better that you go in blind.
Told from Hannah’s POV, the book also features diary excerpts written by Hannah’s mother Laura. These chapters are a different style and come across a bit juvenile and idealistic, a jarring contrast to Hannah who is methodical, calculated and determined. The mother-daughter relationship added an element to the story which made it more than a simple crime thriller, and gave real depth to these women. I didn’t know whether to love or hate them (or both at the same time).
The legal elements of the story were a nice touch and gave this book something different to set it apart. It reminded me of a cross between Karin Slaughter and John Grisham.
The pace was a little slow to start with but peppered with enough details to get you hooked and keep you hooked. About 65% of the way in though, it kicked up a few notches and didn’t let go until the final moment. There were plenty of twists and turns on offer. I didn’t guess the big plot twist or see it coming at all.
Overall this was an excellent, five star read. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book.
Pub Date: 10/05/22
Genre: Mystery, psychological thriller, crime, legal,
The Murder Rule is the latest standalone psychological suspense by bestselling author of the Cormac Reilly series, Dervla McTiernan.
When I received an ARC for this one, I dropped everything I was reading to dive straight into this and I’m so glad I did. This one was unlike anything I’ve read before (and I read a lot of crime and mystery fiction).
The story follows Hannah, as she gets a position working with the Innocence Project, a legal team devoted to proving the innocence of wrongly convicted prisoners and setting them free. Hannah’s motivations are much more sinister. I don’t want to say much more as the plot itself is a masterpiece in mystery and suspense. It’s better that you go in blind.
Told from Hannah’s POV, the book also features diary excerpts written by Hannah’s mother Laura. These chapters are a different style and come across a bit juvenile and idealistic, a jarring contrast to Hannah who is methodical, calculated and determined. The mother-daughter relationship added an element to the story which made it more than a simple crime thriller, and gave real depth to these women. I didn’t know whether to love or hate them (or both at the same time).
The legal elements of the story were a nice touch and gave this book something different to set it apart. It reminded me of a cross between Karin Slaughter and John Grisham.
The pace was a little slow to start with but peppered with enough details to get you hooked and keep you hooked. About 65% of the way in though, it kicked up a few notches and didn’t let go until the final moment. There were plenty of twists and turns on offer. I didn’t guess the big plot twist or see it coming at all.
Overall this was an excellent, five star read. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book.