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Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez Mystery #3
Criminal Intent
You can pick your friends, they say, but you can't pick your family. And lately, Mike Daley's family has been keeping him very busy. An ex-priest, ex-public defender, and ex-corporate lawyer, Daley and his former wife, Rosie Fernandez, now run their own San Francisco criminal defense firm. Most of their cases are fairly small-time, which is why it would be surprising that the person accused of murdering movie director Richard (Big Dick) MacArthur is calling them-except that the accused is Rosie's own niece, Angelina. That case is bad enough, but the family problems don't end there: Rosie's brother, Tony, may be on the wrong end of a strong-arm graft proposal; the son of one of the firm's lawyers has just been busted on a drug charge; Mike is having a clandestine affair with a woman judge . . . and Rosie herself has a dark secret that may make all of it seem irrelevant.
An intricate plot, immensely likeable characters, powerful suspense, and more than a touch of humor-these have already become Siegel's hallmarks. Criminal Intent will keep you turning pages until its final, surprising end.
An intricate plot, immensely likeable characters, powerful suspense, and more than a touch of humor-these have already become Siegel's hallmarks. Criminal Intent will keep you turning pages until its final, surprising end.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
5275 people are currently reading
770 people want to read
About the author
Sheldon Siegel
82 books509 followersSheldon Siegel is a New York Times Bestselling novelist and author best known for his works of modern legal courtroom drama.
Siegel was born on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. He attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, and later went on to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an Accounting major. He graduated with a Juris Doctor from Boalt Hall at the University of California, Berkeley in 1983. He has been in private practice in San Francisco, California for over twenty years and specializes in corporate and securities law with the law firm Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP.
Series:
* Mike Daley Mystery
Siegel was born on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. He attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, and later went on to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an Accounting major. He graduated with a Juris Doctor from Boalt Hall at the University of California, Berkeley in 1983. He has been in private practice in San Francisco, California for over twenty years and specializes in corporate and securities law with the law firm Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP.
Series:
* Mike Daley Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews
September 25, 2021
This is the third novel in Siegel’s series about a boutique San Francisco criminal defense law firm. It takes place several years after the first two. It can be read as a stand-alone, but you would find that some references might be a bit obscure.
As in the previous two, we see everything from the perspective of Mike Daley, a former partner at a prestigious SF law firm who is now partnering with his ex-wife, Rosie Fernandez, in this venture. Mike and Rosie have been able to set aside their failed marriage in order to be “good parents” to their only child, Grace (who is about to enter her teen years).
Pardon the long introduction, but this one is all about family. Family charged with murder; family charged with possession with intent to sell; family accused of taking a bribe; family illness and so forth. On top of this (I guess pun intended), Mike is “dating” a judge…a situation just waiting for a conflict of interest, since neither party has gone public with this relationship.
If this seems to veer toward a soap opera, Siegel has to use all his procedural tricks to keep the real tension (Who really murdered the famous film-maker if not Rosie’s actress niece?) front and center.
One of the things, aside from courtroom drama, that Siegel does well is give us a good sense of life in SF. We get the venues, the cultures, the changing neighborhoods. Some of the observations are just “throwaways.” Such as: "A two-bedroom fixer-upper will set you back at least two million dollars." And this observation is a bit dated so I would guess that we are now upwards of three million dollars in that particular neighborhood.
The main attraction in Criminal Intent is the murder of a self-styled "master" in the world of commercial cinema whose future was leveraged on the performance of his wife in a comeback “blockbuster.” The wife is the chief suspect and she was found in his car in a parking lot at the Golden Gate Bridge with the alleged murder weapon in the trunk and a bag of “white powder” next to her.
This set of circumstances carries the action as more about the others attending the evening pre-screening of the movie all hopes were riding on was only a matter a few hours before the murder. Politics and the DA’s desire for higher office may affect choices by the prosecution. The mental stability of their client is also a big concern for Mike and Rosie.
I made my guess as to the actual perp and motive, but felt that it was just a guess. For me, this one had too heavy a helping of soap opera and not enough of the courtroom tactics and drama that made the first two books so compelling.
See below:
“We’ll need a lot of help from your mother and your brother. You’re going to have to look after Angel—and probably Theresa. You’re the only family they have.”
“Carolyn and Pete and I will worry about the legal maneuvering and the investigation. Somehow, we’ll get through this.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“It’s the best we can do.”
As in the previous two, we see everything from the perspective of Mike Daley, a former partner at a prestigious SF law firm who is now partnering with his ex-wife, Rosie Fernandez, in this venture. Mike and Rosie have been able to set aside their failed marriage in order to be “good parents” to their only child, Grace (who is about to enter her teen years).
Pardon the long introduction, but this one is all about family. Family charged with murder; family charged with possession with intent to sell; family accused of taking a bribe; family illness and so forth. On top of this (I guess pun intended), Mike is “dating” a judge…a situation just waiting for a conflict of interest, since neither party has gone public with this relationship.
If this seems to veer toward a soap opera, Siegel has to use all his procedural tricks to keep the real tension (Who really murdered the famous film-maker if not Rosie’s actress niece?) front and center.
One of the things, aside from courtroom drama, that Siegel does well is give us a good sense of life in SF. We get the venues, the cultures, the changing neighborhoods. Some of the observations are just “throwaways.” Such as: "A two-bedroom fixer-upper will set you back at least two million dollars." And this observation is a bit dated so I would guess that we are now upwards of three million dollars in that particular neighborhood.
The main attraction in Criminal Intent is the murder of a self-styled "master" in the world of commercial cinema whose future was leveraged on the performance of his wife in a comeback “blockbuster.” The wife is the chief suspect and she was found in his car in a parking lot at the Golden Gate Bridge with the alleged murder weapon in the trunk and a bag of “white powder” next to her.
This set of circumstances carries the action as more about the others attending the evening pre-screening of the movie all hopes were riding on was only a matter a few hours before the murder. Politics and the DA’s desire for higher office may affect choices by the prosecution. The mental stability of their client is also a big concern for Mike and Rosie.
I made my guess as to the actual perp and motive, but felt that it was just a guess. For me, this one had too heavy a helping of soap opera and not enough of the courtroom tactics and drama that made the first two books so compelling.
See below:
“We’ll need a lot of help from your mother and your brother. You’re going to have to look after Angel—and probably Theresa. You’re the only family they have.”
“Carolyn and Pete and I will worry about the legal maneuvering and the investigation. Somehow, we’ll get through this.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“It’s the best we can do.”
February 11, 2016
This series is going downhill. I thought Special Circumstances was one of the best legal thrillers I'd ever read, and certainly the best one I'd read in years. Unfortunately, the second book was nowhere near as good and now we have Criminal Intent which is quite possibly the worst legal thriller I've read.
It started off with a decent premise, and the writing was strong throughout, though it could have been tightened up in a couple of places. The sense of mystery as to who really killed the victim was maintained right up until the end. It's too bad that was long past the point where I cared about who might have done it. And that's where the issues begin.
This book had one main problem: the protagonists were completely incidental to the plot. Everything would have unfolded in exactly the same way if they weren't there. Mike spent the entire book running from one place to the next, effectively doing nothing and finding no new information. He (and the reader since this is told in first-person) knows the same information in chapter 47 that he knew way back in chapter 1. Then everything's wrapped up off-camera by a minor character. The big reveal at the end was very much anti-climactic by that point. Very poorly done.
And did the victim really have to be called "Big Dick?" Seriously? That name alone nearly ruined the entire story. It's hard to take anyone seriously who calls themselves Big Dick. Was his son supposed to be Little Dick? Gee, I wonder why that nickname never caught on.... What makes this worse is that the author could have changed it. The nickname added nothing to the character, and if it was meant to give the reader insight into the victim's personality then it fell flat.
Next we have the subplots. The troubled teen who's a really good kid but just did something dumb, the corrupt political scheme that starts off with arson and threats and dissolves into a quiet chat amongst friends, and the doomed romance. Ugh. None of it mattered in the end. It all just ended. It was almost like the author had a convoluted, interwoven plot, and gave up on it halfway through the book.
As for the characters... Since we're told at least once every chapter in each of the first three books that Mike and Rosie are completely incompatible with each other, why don't we ever see it? Maybe because they're the two characters with the least depth to them. Mike's thoughts are often witty and sharp but his speech isn't. Rosie doesn't do much of anything. She's given cancer in this book, but even after three books I still don't care about her so it's hard to muster any sympathy. Leslie was the most well-rounded character in the book. The suspects were all interchangeable with each other.
Special Circumstances was a wonderful book. It's a shame that the quality hasn't carried through. I'll probably try the next book in the series but this one is worth skipping. As other reviewers have pointed out, there's no courtroom drama here. The book would have been infinitely better if there had been.
It started off with a decent premise, and the writing was strong throughout, though it could have been tightened up in a couple of places. The sense of mystery as to who really killed the victim was maintained right up until the end. It's too bad that was long past the point where I cared about who might have done it. And that's where the issues begin.
This book had one main problem: the protagonists were completely incidental to the plot. Everything would have unfolded in exactly the same way if they weren't there. Mike spent the entire book running from one place to the next, effectively doing nothing and finding no new information. He (and the reader since this is told in first-person) knows the same information in chapter 47 that he knew way back in chapter 1. Then everything's wrapped up off-camera by a minor character. The big reveal at the end was very much anti-climactic by that point. Very poorly done.
And did the victim really have to be called "Big Dick?" Seriously? That name alone nearly ruined the entire story. It's hard to take anyone seriously who calls themselves Big Dick. Was his son supposed to be Little Dick? Gee, I wonder why that nickname never caught on.... What makes this worse is that the author could have changed it. The nickname added nothing to the character, and if it was meant to give the reader insight into the victim's personality then it fell flat.
Next we have the subplots. The troubled teen who's a really good kid but just did something dumb, the corrupt political scheme that starts off with arson and threats and dissolves into a quiet chat amongst friends, and the doomed romance. Ugh. None of it mattered in the end. It all just ended. It was almost like the author had a convoluted, interwoven plot, and gave up on it halfway through the book.
As for the characters... Since we're told at least once every chapter in each of the first three books that Mike and Rosie are completely incompatible with each other, why don't we ever see it? Maybe because they're the two characters with the least depth to them. Mike's thoughts are often witty and sharp but his speech isn't. Rosie doesn't do much of anything. She's given cancer in this book, but even after three books I still don't care about her so it's hard to muster any sympathy. Leslie was the most well-rounded character in the book. The suspects were all interchangeable with each other.
Special Circumstances was a wonderful book. It's a shame that the quality hasn't carried through. I'll probably try the next book in the series but this one is worth skipping. As other reviewers have pointed out, there's no courtroom drama here. The book would have been infinitely better if there had been.
March 6, 2021
Siegel’s third offering in the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez legal thriller series may require the reader to take notes on the plot/characters to keep it all straight. And that is just for the main plot. Add in two more subplots and it starts becoming a mess.
In his first two novels of the series, Siegel’s strength was his talent in writing courtroom drama. In this offering, the courtroom is mostly missing. Instead, the focus is on the murder investigation and interrogation of witnesses/suspects as the duo perform their due diligence to defend Rosie’s niece, accused of murdering her movie mogul husband. The author portrays the Entertainment Industry as a cesspool of moneyed backers, shady deal-making, and adulterous relationships. There are plenty of potential suspects. Uncovering the truth is a slow, twisty business.
In his first two novels of the series, Siegel’s strength was his talent in writing courtroom drama. In this offering, the courtroom is mostly missing. Instead, the focus is on the murder investigation and interrogation of witnesses/suspects as the duo perform their due diligence to defend Rosie’s niece, accused of murdering her movie mogul husband. The author portrays the Entertainment Industry as a cesspool of moneyed backers, shady deal-making, and adulterous relationships. There are plenty of potential suspects. Uncovering the truth is a slow, twisty business.
October 8, 2015
Another enjoyable legal murder mystery from Sheldon Siegel. Mike Daley and his partner/ex wife Rosie Fernandez are called on to defend her niece Angel Chavez, charged with murdering Angel's much older husband, "Big Dick" MacArthur. She was found passed out in a car near the Golden Gate bridge. There was a bag of cocaine on the front seat and an Oscar statuette with blood on it in the trunk.
There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot and not until the end did I figure out who the killer was.
I enjoy the author's sense of humor: "My car is semi retired. I can take it up hills only twice a week."
A solid 4 stars out of 5.
There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot and not until the end did I figure out who the killer was.
I enjoy the author's sense of humor: "My car is semi retired. I can take it up hills only twice a week."
A solid 4 stars out of 5.
March 19, 2011
My first read of Sheldon Siegel’s murder mysteries and probably not my last. I’m as close to a native of San Francisco as one can be without being born there. There’ve been other novels that I’ve read that take place in San Francisco and besides my own novel, “The Skye in June”, Siegel does an excellent job of moving around the city and Bay Area. Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez. Daley and Fernandez are law partners and former spouses who get along better as colleagues than they do as husband and wife. They share her daughter, Grace and she keeps their relationship close. To the story: A big crisis arises when the police find Rosie's niece, Angelina, past out in her car near the Golden Gate Bridge in the wee hours of the morning after her husband, Richard “Big Dick” MacArthur, has been found dead, she claims to know nothing of it and that she had blacked out after party at their Sea Cliff mansion. It is soon known that Big Dick was bludgeoned to death with his own Academy Award. The police do not believe Angel's flimsy story and they arrest her for murder on the near-eve of her to-be-released move – a comeback to grace for her producer/director, now dead, husband and her debut as a leading lady. I mostly like Seigal’s writing style because it is easy to follow, a lot of dialogue (which I like), and moves along smoothly even with all the subplots. I had a hard time at the beginning of this book in a way that Siegel filled in all the necessary information about the characters. Quite frankly I found it boring and thought he could have done it in another way as the story progressed. But I know there’s a spot amongst authors to give as much information in the very beginning of the story as necessary, something I don’t always agree with the way it’s handled. All in all and by the time all of the plots have merged together, Siegel brings the mystery to a surprise conclusion and the happy ending for all those that deserve a happy ending. And for those villains that don’t, they get their just desserts. I recommend this book for those who enjoy figuring out killer. The Skye in June
March 3, 2018
Another entertaining book in the series. Even though I wouldn't rank this one up there with the previous two books in the series, which is because I didn't think the mystery end of it lived up to my "Whodunit" level, I still enjoyed the characters, the attention to detail and the way the author always adds what Mike Daley is thinking before he says anything. I think that is a definite plus for the story.
Also, aside from some of the glaring mistakes in grammar, I feel the books are really well written and I'm enjoying Mr. Siegel's books enough to, so far, plan on reading the whole series.
I don't mean to say readers should pass this one up, I still thought it was a page-turner, I'm just being brutally honest as I would expect from my readers. So another excellent courtroom mystery/thriller from a gifted storyteller and a must read for lovers of a good mystery.
Also, aside from some of the glaring mistakes in grammar, I feel the books are really well written and I'm enjoying Mr. Siegel's books enough to, so far, plan on reading the whole series.
I don't mean to say readers should pass this one up, I still thought it was a page-turner, I'm just being brutally honest as I would expect from my readers. So another excellent courtroom mystery/thriller from a gifted storyteller and a must read for lovers of a good mystery.
April 11, 2014
Ingenious
Siegel is an ingenious storyteller able capitalize on intrigue and suspense. The Daley and Fernandez are competent lawyers who you can't help but root for. You hope and wish that they work out their personal relationship because they seem to be so good together. The curiosity of the ending of "who done it" comes as a sad surprise because of the effect on the lawyers. Siegel hit another home run in the Daley and Fernandez series. I give it 5 stars. A must read. I can't wait to read the next book 4 in the series.
Siegel is an ingenious storyteller able capitalize on intrigue and suspense. The Daley and Fernandez are competent lawyers who you can't help but root for. You hope and wish that they work out their personal relationship because they seem to be so good together. The curiosity of the ending of "who done it" comes as a sad surprise because of the effect on the lawyers. Siegel hit another home run in the Daley and Fernandez series. I give it 5 stars. A must read. I can't wait to read the next book 4 in the series.
July 18, 2015
"Criminal Intent" is #3 in Sheldon Siegel's Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez legal thriller series. I liked the first two very much. This one, I liked, but not quite as much. The reason is that I was expecting plenty of courtroom maneuvering and drama. I was disappointed that there was very little of that in this book, in contrast to the previous books. The case was interesting, but the story was played out mostly in the investigation. A good story worthy of page turning, but not so much in the courtroom. I was entertained well, however, and will read the next book in the series.
January 19, 2018
I've been reading these in order. Unlike Grafton's characters, these people age a year or two between books with subtle changes in relationships, especially the one between the formerly married Mike and Rosie who can be best friends and soulmates, but not spouses under the same roof, despite their love for their daughter.
In this one, Rosie's movie-star niece is accused of murdering her philandering , movie-mogul husband. Of course, we know it will all turn out OK in the end. Or will it? No spoilers here~~~
In this one, Rosie's movie-star niece is accused of murdering her philandering , movie-mogul husband. Of course, we know it will all turn out OK in the end. Or will it? No spoilers here~~~
March 21, 2017
Great stories
I have read the first three novels and I am hooked! Not only are the accused in each story complicated, the twists and turns involving Mike and Rosie themselves are complicated also. I look forward to reading the next legal/love story in this series. Thanks for writing these books .
I have read the first three novels and I am hooked! Not only are the accused in each story complicated, the twists and turns involving Mike and Rosie themselves are complicated also. I look forward to reading the next legal/love story in this series. Thanks for writing these books .
January 4, 2022
This is the third installment of the Daley/Fernandez universe. In this one, many events are interlaced. Rosie’s niece, Angel, a top model married to a fading film director, is accused of beating her husband to death with his Oscar statuette, while Angel's father, Tony, a respected produce merchant, gets involved in a kickback scheme to build a movie studio in the China Basin area.
The charm and originality that marked Special Circumstances and Incriminating Evidence, Siegel's first two legal thrillers about former priest and ex-public defender Mike Daley, are wearing a bit thin in this third outing. Having read the 5th installment already (Yeah I know, weird), I know it gets better but this one is a weaker point on the storyline front.
But the relationships between the diverses protagonists make it for an interesting read. 2,5*
The charm and originality that marked Special Circumstances and Incriminating Evidence, Siegel's first two legal thrillers about former priest and ex-public defender Mike Daley, are wearing a bit thin in this third outing. Having read the 5th installment already (Yeah I know, weird), I know it gets better but this one is a weaker point on the storyline front.
But the relationships between the diverses protagonists make it for an interesting read. 2,5*
February 6, 2024
Am I loving this series...Indeed I am (you have to read it to understand the tongue in cheek.) So much so that I've read the first six books without updating my Goodreads.
This is a legal series where Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez take on hopeless cases and throw their all into them. With favourite characters appearing in each book, and aiding these two as much as they can, every story I've read so far, I've thoroughly enjoyed.
On to book seven!
This is a legal series where Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez take on hopeless cases and throw their all into them. With favourite characters appearing in each book, and aiding these two as much as they can, every story I've read so far, I've thoroughly enjoyed.
On to book seven!
May 14, 2020
This is the 3rd book in the series and I’ve already acquired book 4. I really enjoy the characters in this series and of course over time their personalities fill out until you feel like you know this bunch. The law practices are interesting and the cases are not always solved in the courtroom but the twists and turns do deliver the bad guys to justice… almost always. This time the crime was solved but justice was not served which makes these stories even more authentic.
April 5, 2023
Good prose, good characterization, good world building, good story, no theme.
A very good series. Start at the beginning.
Kindle Unlimited.
A very good series. Start at the beginning.
Kindle Unlimited.
April 8, 2020
Legal thriller
Criminal Intent is number three in the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez legal thriller series. I have enjoyed every book. Michael and Rosita are a divorced couple who simply can’t live together or apart. They love each, have a ten-year-old daughter and a law firm together. This is another terrific book in this series.
Criminal Intent is number three in the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez legal thriller series. I have enjoyed every book. Michael and Rosita are a divorced couple who simply can’t live together or apart. They love each, have a ten-year-old daughter and a law firm together. This is another terrific book in this series.
September 4, 2007
CRIMINAL INTENT (Legal Mystery-San Francisco-Cont.) – G+
Sheldon Siegel – 3rd in series
Putnam, 2002 – Hardcover
San Francisco attorneys Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez are partners in a law firm and ex-partners in marriage. When they take on the case of Rosie’s niece, actress Angel, who is accused of murdering her movie director husband, they discover there’s more involved than the silver screen.
*** One thing I like, and which makes Siegel’s books stand out for the normal legal thriller, is now little time is spent in the courtroom. Siegel, a practicing attorney himself, focuses on the characters involved and the investigation prior to the case going to court. And, living across the Bay from San Francisco, I always appreciate his very accurate descriptions of the City. While not terribly suspenseful, this is a very well done, enjoyable series and one I continue to follow and recommend.
Sheldon Siegel – 3rd in series
Putnam, 2002 – Hardcover
San Francisco attorneys Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez are partners in a law firm and ex-partners in marriage. When they take on the case of Rosie’s niece, actress Angel, who is accused of murdering her movie director husband, they discover there’s more involved than the silver screen.
*** One thing I like, and which makes Siegel’s books stand out for the normal legal thriller, is now little time is spent in the courtroom. Siegel, a practicing attorney himself, focuses on the characters involved and the investigation prior to the case going to court. And, living across the Bay from San Francisco, I always appreciate his very accurate descriptions of the City. While not terribly suspenseful, this is a very well done, enjoyable series and one I continue to follow and recommend.
July 20, 2018
+++ I was really surprised by the ending. Talk about cold. Did not see that coming. There was a lot of pointless running around and subplots in this book. All the other suspects just seemed to lie for their own benefit. Just chasing whispers. There is no actual courtroom drama in this book which is what attracted me to the series in the first place so I was disappointed by that.
Rosie and Mike - I don't know what to think about them anymore. They are told by everyone they should be together but yet they rarely seem to be apart. I guess I don't really care much either so that is a bad sign. The series like the books are uneven and not gripping enough for me.
Rosie and Mike - I don't know what to think about them anymore. They are told by everyone they should be together but yet they rarely seem to be apart. I guess I don't really care much either so that is a bad sign. The series like the books are uneven and not gripping enough for me.
August 30, 2019
Who murdered the Hollywood producer, "Big Dick" MacArthur, on his own deck, with his own Academy Award? Was his his young starlet wife, Angelina, who also happens to be Rosie's niece? Richard MacArthur, Junior, who didn't get along with his father? Hollywood insider Martin Kent, who committed suicide shortly after the body was found? Carl Ellis, from Vegas, who has mucho moolah tied up in the China Basin development project? The "cast" (pun intended) of characters is large, but the question remains: WHO DID IT?
December 24, 2019
Good third book!
I enjoyed the book but it didn't grab me the same way as the first two did. I missed the court room scenes and the suspense of who done it. I guess the subject matter with the other people involved just didn't do it for me or I didn't understand their business. The guilty person seemed to be a convenient way to end the story in a hurry. Also, reading about Rosie's medical problem hit home with me and made me relive my own nightmares with a similar problem. Still a good book.
I enjoyed the book but it didn't grab me the same way as the first two did. I missed the court room scenes and the suspense of who done it. I guess the subject matter with the other people involved just didn't do it for me or I didn't understand their business. The guilty person seemed to be a convenient way to end the story in a hurry. Also, reading about Rosie's medical problem hit home with me and made me relive my own nightmares with a similar problem. Still a good book.
May 17, 2017
I thought it was another good novel in the series, I will read the next one. This one was a little different in the fact that there was really no court room scene but more investigative instead. That does not mean it was bad just different. I feel that the novel had a good ending to it. I also enjoy the direction the main character. are going . I would say read it
May 21, 2017
Fair-to-Good (again!)
The main (title) characters in this series are believable people. The rest of the folks in this particular book? I don't know; I'd have to say they stretch the credibility factor. But, I'm (mostly) an East-coast guy, and perhaps I really know nothing about Hollywood-types? Could they all really be THAT strange and conniving?
The main (title) characters in this series are believable people. The rest of the folks in this particular book? I don't know; I'd have to say they stretch the credibility factor. But, I'm (mostly) an East-coast guy, and perhaps I really know nothing about Hollywood-types? Could they all really be THAT strange and conniving?
January 16, 2020
A solid four stars plus. I am a big fan of this series, I read #4 in the series earlier and am now backtracking to catch up. Terrific dynamic characters, plots that make sense, fully engaging stories. I am particularly enjoying these as audiobooks, but the series is worth following in any format. I am on to #5!
May 23, 2017
Did she murder her husband?
Sheldon Siegel presents an excellent choice in legal thrillers. This case starts out in the first pages and builds to an interesting climax. It's a who done it love story I think it's going to be enjoyed by most people.
Sheldon Siegel presents an excellent choice in legal thrillers. This case starts out in the first pages and builds to an interesting climax. It's a who done it love story I think it's going to be enjoyed by most people.
May 18, 2019
Justice Relationships and Irony
I just love this author. His novels are so full of genuine e feelings, interesting tidbits, and ironic twists. While not the best "Who_done_it" mystery, this is an excellent read!
I just love this author. His novels are so full of genuine e feelings, interesting tidbits, and ironic twists. While not the best "Who_done_it" mystery, this is an excellent read!
June 10, 2019
Don't hold your breath, you need to breathe
Excellent court procedural. I was on the edge of my seat hoping they would get their client off. There are so many others that could have been the murderer but how can they prove it?
Excellent court procedural. I was on the edge of my seat hoping they would get their client off. There are so many others that could have been the murderer but how can they prove it?
August 18, 2012
Nancy 3 stars; Ron 3 stars
November 1, 2017
Great Book
Love reading about Mike and Rosie. So glad there are still so many books in the series. Three first 3 were terrific.
Love reading about Mike and Rosie. So glad there are still so many books in the series. Three first 3 were terrific.
May 11, 2025
The book was good, but it had much less courtroom drama than the first two books in the series. It came off as a more conventional whodunit.
The strength of the book was the way Siegel sets up the story line.
The protagonists are, of course, lawyer partners/ex-spouses Mike Daly and Rosie Fernandez. The “client” is Rosie’s niece Angelina.
She married a big time movie producer who put her into a major film he produced as a comeback vehicle. There’s a big screening at his super house. And the, he turns up dead lying dead after having been hit on the head with an Oscar statue he won. Angelina is found unconscious in his car parked under the Golden Gate Bridge with a bag of cocaine next to her on the front seat and the bloody Oscar statue in the trunk of the car. And by the way, had hubby nor died, he was about to divorce her, which means she’d lose out on getting any money,
Obviously, Angelina killed him. And equally obviously, Mike and Rosie are going to work darn hard to get her acquitted, or better still, try to uncover enough evidence to get the case dismissed… no easy task since alternative suspects are well alibied.
This is a hard puzzle to unravel, even among those who think they’re good at anticipating the outcome.
The strength of the book was the way Siegel sets up the story line.
The protagonists are, of course, lawyer partners/ex-spouses Mike Daly and Rosie Fernandez. The “client” is Rosie’s niece Angelina.
She married a big time movie producer who put her into a major film he produced as a comeback vehicle. There’s a big screening at his super house. And the, he turns up dead lying dead after having been hit on the head with an Oscar statue he won. Angelina is found unconscious in his car parked under the Golden Gate Bridge with a bag of cocaine next to her on the front seat and the bloody Oscar statue in the trunk of the car. And by the way, had hubby nor died, he was about to divorce her, which means she’d lose out on getting any money,
Obviously, Angelina killed him. And equally obviously, Mike and Rosie are going to work darn hard to get her acquitted, or better still, try to uncover enough evidence to get the case dismissed… no easy task since alternative suspects are well alibied.
This is a hard puzzle to unravel, even among those who think they’re good at anticipating the outcome.
October 28, 2017
Mike Daley, a former priest and public defender, now runs his own defense firm with his ex-wife, Rosie. his life is very busy as he is now having a relationship with a woman judge, a dangerous situation that may involve conflict of interests. This new case involves Rosie's niece, charged with murdering her film producer tycoon husband. Things do not look good and every finger points at her guilt. This murder appears to be related to the approval of a millionaire development plan in which several very important businesspeople have invested or are at risk of losing millions of dollars. What I most like about this author is his case development in trials, but when compared with the previous two books, I felt somewhat disappointed with this one. Too much discussion about the millionaire project and family issues.
January 9, 2022
I got much more into this book than I did the last one and I’m much more invested in the series. I really like Mike and Rosie a lot and seeing what this next chapter in their story will look like out to be interesting. I think the one thing about these novels that is hard for me is the corporate parts where they make deals and corporations and try to get investors and things like that… When they start talking about stuff like that and tying it in I kind of get lost. But I’m totally invested in the main area of the case and this one sure was complex. I have to admit that I didn’t really care for Angela very much I thought she was too whiny but then again I have never been accused of murder so maybe I would be whiny too.
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