Grave Danger
A Jack Swyteck Novel
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- €14.99
Publisher Description
“Spectacular. . . . Swyteck continues to be one of the more compelling legal-thriller protagonists, and Grippando continues to be one of the genre’s best craftsmen. Another winner in this consistently excellent series.”—Booklist
Bestselling author James Grippando’s legendary criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck is back to defend a single mother accused of kidnapping her own child in a perilous case involving politics and international diplomacy that will test his legal expertise and his marriage.
Jack Swyteck’s new client fled Iran to Miami with her daughter, and has been accused of kidnapping by her husband. The seasoned attorney must not only plan a winning defense. To stop the father from taking the girl back to Tehran, Jack must build a case under international law and prove that returning the child would put her at risk.
But everything in this case isn’t what it seems, and Jack quickly learns that his client is really the child’s aunt and that the biological mother may have been killed by Iran’s morality police. But what role did the father play in his wife’s death, and why is Jack’s wife, FBI Agent Andie Henning, being pressured by her bosses to persuade Jack to drop the case?
Plunging into an investigation unlike any other, Jack must discover who is behind the legal maneuvering and what their interest is. As politics threatens to derail the case and compromise the best interests of the child, Jack and Andie find themselves on opposite sides—with their marriage hanging in the balance. For their relationship to survive, the couple must navigate a treacherous web of deceit that extends from a Miami courthouse to the highest echelons of Washington DC, and spells grave danger at every turn.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Defence lawyer extraordinaire Jack Swyteck takes on a case with international diplomatic implications in this legal thriller. Jack represents an Iranian woman battling for custody of her adopted daughter while being accused of kidnapping by the girl’s father. However, power players on both sides want the case to fall apart since the verdict could damage Iranian–U.S. diplomatic relations. Author James Grippando crafts another courtroom stunner, with each turn of the page fully loaded with twists. As always, Grippando’s characters—especially Jack and his close-knit family—are at the heart of the book. Defendant Zahra Bazzi steals the spotlight, though, as she fights against incredible odds to protect little Yasmin. The case also tests the cracks in Jack’s marriage, as his wife’s FBI superiors push her to scuttle it. Hang onto your torts for this wild, litigious ride filled with global secrets, clever legal moves, and dangerous political games.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Grippando stretches plausibility to the breaking point in the goofy 19th adventure for Miami attorney Jack Swyteck (after Goodbye Girl). Swyteck's marriage to FBI agent Andie Henning is on the rocks, but at their therapist's suggestion, the couple agrees to abandon a self-imposed rule not to discuss work. They wind up at odds, however, when Avi Zarid, an Iranian woman who disappeared after she was arrested for protesting the country's hijab mandate two years earlier, resurfaces with her daughter in Florida and hires Swyteck to represent her in a custody battle with her husband, Farid. Farid claims—along with the Iranian government—that Avi kidnapped their daughter. Soon, "Avi" reveals to Swyteck that she's actually the woman's sister, Zahra, and alleges that Iranian officials killed Avi and are backing Farid's lawsuit to conceal the crime. Andie gets involved when her boss at the FBI asks her to steer Swyteck away from the case. The fizzy Mr. and Mrs. Smith–style antics are plenty enjoyable, and Grippando knows how to keep the stakes high, but even the most casual reader will raise an eyebrow at the contrived plot twists and laughable foreign policy details. It's pure popcorn.
