A bracing suspense tale with strong characters.
In this thriller set in California, a hunky hero and a lovely heroine deal with some bad guys—but things are truly not what they seem.
Christian Sterling—first in his class at Stanford Law—is already a legend and a celebrity, having never lost a case, first as a prosecutor and now as a defense attorney. He is known, in fact, as the “Svengali of the Courtroom.” But when young Kelly Wilde, accused of killing her billionaire parents, begs him to defend her, he takes the case with strict conditions. Kelly is a hot mess, deep into drugs and booze (and herself), so until the trial, she has to stay with him at his ranch in Big Sur and clean up her act. Christian is not only a Svengali, but also clearly a Pygmalion: After three months, Kelly is sober and vibrantly happy—and the two are falling in love. Kelly’s case looks hopeless, but this is the famous Christian Sterling. She is in fact cleared, although not by the jury. The trial, while dramatic enough, is hardly the end of the story. To say more will get readers into spoiler territory. Brandon is certainly experienced in this genre. He offers readers Christian’s romantic/tragic backstory and his beautiful ranch with the loyal Mexican retainers Miguel and Rosario Gomez. The transformation of Kelly from spoiled and angry rich kid to gorgeous, confident young woman is deftly handled. The audience will like both leads, Pygmalion and his Galatea, and the clever setup. As to whodunit, that reveal is also expertly presented as the clues fall into place and extra bodies are discovered. (Mike Bristol, a cynical San Francisco Police Department cop, figures prominently here.) The gripping story will keep readers guessing until the end. In fact, the very last sentence is a zinger. The audience will either cheer or boo the final twists. But that’s part of the fun.
A bracing suspense tale with strong characters.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-978245-52-5
Page Count: 254
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Better set aside several uninterrupted hours for this toxic rocket. You’ll be glad you did.
A successful Vermont podcaster who’s elicited confessions from dozens of criminals finds herself on the other side of the table, in the hottest of hot seats, over her own troubled past.
Poe Webb was only 13 when she saw her mother, Margaret McMillian, get stabbed to death by the man she’d picked up for a quickie. Poe had vowed revenge, but how could a kid find and avenge herself on a stranger who’d vanished as quickly as he appeared? In the long years since then, Poe’s made a name for herself as a top true-crime podcaster who routinely invites her guests to tell her audience exactly what they did. Now, she’s being pressed, and pressed hard, by Ian Hindley, whose fake name echoes those of England’s Moors Murderers, to join him in a livestream her fans will find riveting because, as Hindley tells her, he’s actually Leopold Hutchins, the pickup who stabbed her mother 14 times when she failed to use her safe word. Skeptical? Hindley knows endless details about the killing that were never released by the police. If Poe won’t do the broadcast, Hindley threatens to harm everyone she loves: her father; her producer and lover, Kip Nguyen; and her black Lab, Bailey. And there’s one more complication that makes the pressure on Poe even more unbearable. Seven years ago, against all odds, she succeeded in tracking Leopold Hutchins from Burlington to New York and killing him herself. In fact, it’s that murder that Hindley most wants her to talk about. Which bully is more fearsome, the man who’s threatening her or the man she killed?
Better set aside several uninterrupted hours for this toxic rocket. You’ll be glad you did.Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781464226229
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
Fine Grisham storytelling that his fans will enjoy.
A descendant of enslaved people fights a Florida developer over the future of a small island.
In 1760, the slave ship Venus breaks apart in a storm on its way to Savannah, and only a few survivors, all Africans, find their way safely to a tiny barrier island between Florida and Georgia. For two centuries, only formerly enslaved people and their descendants live there. A curse on white people hangs over the island, and none who ever set foot on it survive. Its last resident was Lovely Jackson, who departed as a teen in 1955. Today—well, in 2020—a developer called Tidal Breeze wants Florida’s permission to “develop” Dark Isle, which sits within bridge-building distance from the well-established Camino Island. The plot is an easy setup for Grisham, big people vs. little people. Lovely’s revered ancestors are buried on Dark Isle, which Hurricane Leo devastated from end to end. Lovely claims the islet’s ownership despite not having formal title, and she wants white folks to leave the place alone. But apparently Florida doesn’t have enough casinos and golf courses to suit some people. Surely developers can buy off that little old Black lady with a half million bucks. No? How about a million? “I wish they’d stop offering money,” Lovely complains. “I ain’t for sale.” Thus a non-jury court trial begins to establish ownership. The story has no legal fireworks, just ordinary maneuvering. The real fun is in the backstory, in the portrayal of the aptly named Lovely, and the skittishness of white people to step on the island as long as the ancient curse remains. Lovely has self-published a history of the island, and a sympathetic white woman named Mercer Mann decides to write a nonfiction account as well. When that book ultimately comes out, reviewers for Kirkus (and others) “raved on and on.” Don’t expect stunning twists, though early on Dark Isle gives four white guys a stark message. The tension ends with the judge’s verdict, but the remaining 30 pages bring the story to a satisfying conclusion.
Fine Grisham storytelling that his fans will enjoy.Pub Date: May 28, 2024
ISBN: 9780385545990
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
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