An edgy mix of wit, chills, and legal wrangling.
An offbeat legal thriller in which attorney Johnny Ocean becomes the target of a psychopathic killer.
Johnny Ocean, Upper East Side legal eagle and owner of a private investigation company, takes on a case handed to him by a colleague who presents it as a simple deposition assignment in a whopping $170,000,000 lawsuit between two sisters-in-law. In 1985, Babette Longwood, wealthy widow of the equally rich and powerful Edgar Longwood, either gave or loaned her brother Marcel Markham $170,000,000. Now it’s the late 1990s, and Marcel has died, leaving his entire estate to his widow, Pandora Markham. Babette wants her money. Pandora says the money was a gift to her husband and now belongs to her. Johnny will be representing the elusive Pandora. Within less than 48 hours, having not yet even spoken with his new client, Johnny receives some explicit threats of bodily harm from a man identifying himself as Bill Rogers. Then a sexually provocative videotape of Pandora is left outside his door, a package of documents from the client is delivered to him, and he’s shot in the shoulder by a gun-wielding home intruder. Other attorneys might give up—but not Golub’s gullibly captivated hero. Fortunately, Johnny’s obsessively loyal Sikh butler, Mr. K (doubling as an investigator), calls upon his sword-carrying Sikh community to provide protection for his employer. Golub’s complicated narrative plumbs the seedy underbelly of New York’s upper class as well as the corruption permeating the Surrogate’s Court. The author’s decades of experience as a celebrity civil litigator are reflected in his intricate courtroom scenes, which seem authentic despite an unlikely number of ex parte (that is, when not all parties are present in court) interactions between the judge and opposing counsel. The story also has a Chinese connection that begins back when Chiang Kai-shek was president of Taiwan; this adds a layer of intriguing history to the murder mystery/legal drama. The novel’s brisk pace slows only during the unnecessarily prolonged passages detailing Johnny’s erotic fantasies about Pandora. A mind-bending final twist will leave readers chuckling.
An edgy mix of wit, chills, and legal wrangling.Pub Date: April 20, 2022
ISBN: 9798806218798
Page Count: 379
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.
A woman accused of shooting her husband six times in the face refuses to speak.
"Alicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband. They had been married for seven years. They were both artists—Alicia was a painter, and Gabriel was a well-known fashion photographer." Michaelides' debut is narrated in the voice of psychotherapist Theo Faber, who applies for a job at the institution where Alicia is incarcerated because he's fascinated with her case and believes he will be able to get her to talk. The narration of the increasingly unrealistic events that follow is interwoven with excerpts from Alicia's diary. Ah, yes, the old interwoven diary trick. When you read Alicia's diary you'll conclude the woman could well have been a novelist instead of a painter because it contains page after page of detailed dialogue, scenes, and conversations quite unlike those in any journal you've ever seen. " 'What's the matter?' 'I can't talk about it on the phone, I need to see you.' 'It's just—I'm not sure I can make it up to Cambridge at the minute.' 'I'll come to you. This afternoon. Okay?' Something in Paul's voice made me agree without thinking about it. He sounded desperate. 'Okay. Are you sure you can't tell me about it now?' 'I'll see you later.' Paul hung up." Wouldn't all this appear in a diary as "Paul wouldn't tell me what was wrong"? An even more improbable entry is the one that pins the tail on the killer. While much of the book is clumsy, contrived, and silly, it is while reading passages of the diary that one may actually find oneself laughing out loud.
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-30169-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A standout in the series.
The sixth adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon explores the mysteries of human consciousness, the demonic projects of the CIA, and the city of Prague.
“Ladies and gentlemen...we are about to experience a sea change in our understanding of how the brain works, the nature of consciousness, and in fact…the very nature of reality itself.” But first—Langdon’s in love! Brown’s devoted readers first met brilliant noetic scientist Katherine Solomon in The Lost Symbol (2009); she’s back as a serious girlfriend, engaging the committed bachelor in a way not seen before. The book opens with the pair in a luxurious suite at the Four Seasons in Prague. It’s the night after Katherine has delivered the lecture quoted above, setting the theme for the novel, which features a plethora of real-life cases and anomalies that seem to support the notion that human consciousness is not localized inside the human skull. Brown’s talent for assembling research is also evident in this novel’s alter ego as a guidebook to Prague, whose history and attractions are described in great and glowing detail. Whether you appreciate or skim past the innumerable info dumps on these and other topics (Jewish folklore fans—the Golem is in the house!), it goes without saying that concision is not a goal in the Dan Brown editing process. Speaking of editing, the nearly 700-page book is dedicated to Brown’s editor, who seems to appear as a character—to put it in the italicized form used for Brownian insight, Jason Kaufman must be Jonas Faukman! A major subplot involves the theft of Katherine’s manuscript from the secure servers of Penguin Random House; the delightful Faukman continues to spout witty wisecracks even when blindfolded and hogtied. There’s no shortage of action, derring-do, explosions, high-tech torture machines, attempted and successful murders, and opportunities for split-second, last-minute escapes; good thing Langdon, this aging symbology wonk, never misses swimming his morning laps. Readers who are not already dyed-in-the-wool Langdonites may find themselves echoing the prof’s own conclusion regarding the credibility of all this paranormal hoo-ha: At some point, skepticism itself becomes irrational.
A standout in the series.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780385546898
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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