NetGalley Top Reviewer

NetGalley Top Reviewer
NetGalley Top Reviewer

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan

A legal thriller that examines both sides of justice. "The law is all about analysis. About knowing the rules and, more important, how to use them." But when a determined prosecutor faces off against an equally adamant defense attorney, only one side can win.

What it's about: Rachel North is on her way to having it all. A former Chief of Staff for Senator Thomas Rafferty, she's now enrolled in law school and about to do an internship. She's married to a hotshot defense attorney, Jack Kirkland, and will one day be his partner, but she chooses to apprentice herself to Assistant District Attorney Martha Gardiner so she can surreptitiously get some inside information about how the prosecutor works, especially since Gardiner and Kirkland are often on opposite sides in murder cases. Rachel sees plenty of action while with the DA's office and, even though her husband is not happy about her summer experience, Rachel knows that she's finding out exactly how the DA wins her cases. Rachel is a crusader for justice, and she's going to go all in. NO SPOILERS.

Why you should read it: Well done Ms Ryan -- you caught me out on this one! The story builds slowly with the narrative shifting between different points of view and time periods. The writing is on point with vivid descriptions of what goes on in court, in the jury room, and behind closed doors. The passion for the purity of right and wrong despite the lawyers machinations and evasions -- is the person on trial guilty or not guilty? It's not always so simple. The 3 main characters were very well-drawn and I found myself often agreeing with one or identifying more with another depending on the circumstances of the events. I was totally sucked in and went willingly on my errant path. Loved the conclusion. I definitely want to read more books written by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forge/Macmillan Publishing Group for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre -- legal thriller

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