Injustice

June 1, 2015
At the start of Goodman's twisty second legal thriller featuring federal prosecutor Nick Davis (after 2014's Indefensible), Davis looks back on a more tranquil time, before "the very incarnation of evil and misery had burrowed its way into the heart of my job and family.â Months earlier, a Fourth of July picnic with his extended family didn't go as planned. A loved one was gunned down near the city park where the gathering was to take place, propelling Davis into a murder investigation. Initial indications that the killing was a random act of violence are soon supplanted by suspicions that the truth lies closer to home. Meanwhile, Davis is grappling with a major public corruption case involving a mining-services contractor accused of bribing politicians to defeat tax legislation that would threaten its business. Goodman does a fine job of setting up readers' expectations only to confound them, and he populates the story line with fully developed personalities. Agent: Janet Reid, FinePrint Literary Management.

September 1, 2015

Federal prosecutor Nick Davis is pursuing a complicated, wide-ranging case of political corruption, bribery, and extortion when almost immediately his preparations go off the rails. His relationship with his wife is on the skids, and Lydia, his sister-in-law, is murdered. The police suspect Henry Tatlock, Lydia's fiance and first chair in the corruption case for the U.S. Attorney's office. Nick believes Henry didn't commit the crime; however, evidence uncovered by the Innocence Project begins to mount and things get ugly. Who is Henry Tatlock, and where did he come from? VERDICT Goodman's second legal mystery (after the acclaimed Indefensible) is slowed down by complicated plotting and an overabundance of villains. Despite juggling one too many problems in his life, Nick is memorable and intriguing, if flawed. Readers who can't get enough of John Lescroart or John Grisham will want this title.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2015
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Davis (Indefensible, 2014) returns in another exciting legal thriller, and this time he's dealing with a murder that involves people close to him. The victim's fiance, Henry Tatlock, is a person of interest, despite his being a U.S. attorney and Nick's colleague and close friend. Henry has had a traumatic life, having been abandoned by his parents, barely surviving a fire that left him with disfiguring burns, and enduring an abusive foster family. Meanwhile, Nick's wife, Tina, an attorney with the Innocence Project, is working on an appeal for a convicted murderer who is severely intellectually and developmentally disabled. Nick is shocked when Tina announces she may not be in love with him, forcing Nick to confront the fact that he may be losing both his wife and his friend. The damaged lawyer is a staple in the legal-thriller genre, and Nick is a fine example; his introspection occasionally slows down the story, but there is courtroom intrigue galore, and the twists keep coming as the two cases start to intertwine. This should appeal to Steve Martini and Phillip Margolin fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)