Violent Crimes
An Amanda Jaffe Novel
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4.2 • 148 Ratings
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
In this mesmerizing tale of suspense from New York Times bestselling author Phillip Margolin, attorney Amanda Jaffe—star of Wild Justice, Ties That Bind, Proof Positive, and Fugitive—becomes entangled in a murder case involving Big Oil, an estranged father and son, and the greatest ethical dilemma of her career .
Dale Masterson, senior partner in a large Portland, Oregon, law firm, has become wealthy and successful representing the interests of oil and coal companies. When his colleague, Christine Larson, is found dead, Masterson’s business practices are put under surveillance and a lower-level employee stands accused.
The controversy surrounding the firm is magnified tenfold when Dale is found beaten to death in his mansion. But this time Dale’s son, Brandon, is seen fleeing the scene. A dedicated eco-warrior obsessed with saving the planet, Brandon confesses to killing his father—for revenge, he claims—on behalf of all the people whose lives are being destroyed by his father’s questionable clients.
Veteran lawyer Amanda Jaffe is hired to represent Brandon, but what seems like an open-and-shut case quickly begins to unravel. If Brandon is really innocent—a radical activist determined to martyr himself for his cause—then who viciously murdered Dale Masterson? And what, if any, is the connection between his murder and the murder of Christine Larson? Smart, fierce, and unafraid of the truth even if it puts her in danger, Amanda begins to look deeper. What she finds will force the seasoned legal pro to make the hardest professional decision of her life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In bestseller Margolin's subpar fifth Amanda Jaffe novel (after 2009's Fugitive), the Portland, Ore., DA decides to defend paralegal Tom Beatty, a veteran with PTSD, after he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his boss, Christine Larson, whose battered body turned up in Beatty's bedroom. Then Dale Masterson, a senior partner at the prestigious law firm where Larson worked, is found dead in his home. This time, the assailant appears obvious: Masterson's 26-year-old son, Brandon, was seen running from his father's house, covered in blood. After Brandon's mother approaches Jaffe, she agrees to represent Brandon, an outspoken environmental activist who claims he killed his father to send a message to Big Oil. Unsettling connections between the Masterson and Larson murders put Jaffe in an ethical pickle as she tries to help both her clients without harming the other's case. Sympathetic characters compensate only in part for an overly complicated plot.
Customer Reviews
Great book
One of Margolin’s best novels. I would, however, have omitted the last chapter. It didn’t add anything to the book.
Interesting but far-fetched
The story moves right along and kept me interested, but the story itself is implausible.
The last chapter makes no sense at all. Without spoiling the ending, think about the timing of Tom finding the dead body in Masterson’s den and the timing of Brandon running out of the house with blood on his shirt.
Violent Crimes
EXCELLENT! It has some time since I read any of his books! Picked this one and was thrilled!!! Read it in a day! Sad now..... when is the next one coming out?!