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Final #1
Final Exam
Three strands of hair ... two drops of blood ... one thumbprint ... an embittered law professor ... a decade-old indiscretion … an autographed Louisville Slugger – mix these all together in a stew of secrets, lies and promises kept and broken and you have the “Law School Murder”, the next big media case of the moment, and the subject of Final Exam, the first of the Benjamin Lohmeier series of legal thrillers.
Shortly after New Years, the shattered body of Professor Daniel Greenfield is found on the floor of his office at the almost-deserted Chicago College of Law. The police question and ultimately charge one of Greenfield’s former students, Megan Rand, now living a quiet life as a mother and appellate court clerk. She calls her friend, Benjamin Lohmeier, a former Chicago prosecutor now stuck in a repetitive civil practice out in the suburbs, and begs for help. With the media circus swirling around him, Ben unravels old mysteries and confronts unseen enemies as he searches for Daniel Greenfield’s killer. Was it a spouse bent on revenge? A colleague harboring long-held resentments? Another of Greenfield’s students? Or could it even have been Megan herself, fueled by a secret of her own?
Shortly after New Years, the shattered body of Professor Daniel Greenfield is found on the floor of his office at the almost-deserted Chicago College of Law. The police question and ultimately charge one of Greenfield’s former students, Megan Rand, now living a quiet life as a mother and appellate court clerk. She calls her friend, Benjamin Lohmeier, a former Chicago prosecutor now stuck in a repetitive civil practice out in the suburbs, and begs for help. With the media circus swirling around him, Ben unravels old mysteries and confronts unseen enemies as he searches for Daniel Greenfield’s killer. Was it a spouse bent on revenge? A colleague harboring long-held resentments? Another of Greenfield’s students? Or could it even have been Megan herself, fueled by a secret of her own?
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 17, 2011
17 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 8, 2015
Is this the way to protect his family?
College and how to study and get the good degree. Professor and his students, and relationship between the colleagues. Parts gets boring, but overall good story.
College and how to study and get the good degree. Professor and his students, and relationship between the colleagues. Parts gets boring, but overall good story.
June 4, 2017
Benjamin Lohmeier is a Chicago lawyer who practices civil law in the suburbs. One day a friend of his calls and asks him to defend her. She under arrest for the murder of former professor of theirs. While looking into the murder old secrets pop up. This is the first of the series. I really enjoyed it, love the fact I live in Chicago so when I was reading it I knew exactly where they were talking about. It was an quick easy read so I got it done in a short time.
February 16, 2020
Mystery, suspense, unpredictable, surprise.
I am loving the characters.
The plot, narrative moves right along. Keeps me guessing.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Law school professor found dead.
Who did it? Lots of suspects.
No obvious connections.
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First in the series.
I am loving the characters.
The plot, narrative moves right along. Keeps me guessing.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Law school professor found dead.
Who did it? Lots of suspects.
No obvious connections.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
First in the series.
September 4, 2023
This debut novel was just ok for me. Some of the minute detail caused the story to drag in parts. The premise was good and I found the court scenes near the end to be the most entertaining.
April 3, 2015
If you can get through this book, I think it's worth it in the end. Why is it difficult to get through? Because there are so many detailed passages that have very little to do with the actual storyline and those details have nothing to do with the outcome of the book. By passages, it's actually pages and an entire chapter at one point. The only reason I stuck with the book was because I was intrigued to find out "who did it." When that was revealed, I had predicted correctly (yay?) so I guess that means it was a little obvious.
The beginning few chapters of the book include characters that have little to do with the rest of the book. Chapter 7 is the infamous chapter I mentioned earlier that just had nothing to do with anything. There are so many details about things and places, it's very difficult to connect with any characters. The author does not get very in depth into character development - rather he prefers to describe action and visual. Are you getting that it's a descriptive book? I do like descriptions as long as they tie into the plot and are meaningful. That doesn't happen in this book.
I don't really trust the main character, Ben, as a lawyer. This mistrust began when he took on his friend, Meg, as a client and never questioned her about the situation. Not one question. He just told her he would take her case. He literally waited for the prosecution to give him their evidence. Huh? Is that really what happens?
I also didn't trust the author as a storyteller. This mistrust was confirmed when Ben spoke with one of the professors, the author glossed over the time choosing not to reveal the entirety of the conversation to the reader, and then later dropped a bombshell that Ben had learned in this conversation. Annoying.
The last 25% of this book is way way better than the first 75% of the book. A very heavy hand in editing and recrafting is needed to make this a much better book. I really don't need all the details about a trip on a plane and driving around getting lost when it has nothing to do with the outcome. I'd much rather really get to know Ben. And Meg. I leave the book not really feeling anything toward either of them. But at least I guessed the murderer correctly! (Yay?)
The beginning few chapters of the book include characters that have little to do with the rest of the book. Chapter 7 is the infamous chapter I mentioned earlier that just had nothing to do with anything. There are so many details about things and places, it's very difficult to connect with any characters. The author does not get very in depth into character development - rather he prefers to describe action and visual. Are you getting that it's a descriptive book? I do like descriptions as long as they tie into the plot and are meaningful. That doesn't happen in this book.
I don't really trust the main character, Ben, as a lawyer. This mistrust began when he took on his friend, Meg, as a client and never questioned her about the situation. Not one question. He just told her he would take her case. He literally waited for the prosecution to give him their evidence. Huh? Is that really what happens?
I also didn't trust the author as a storyteller. This mistrust was confirmed when Ben spoke with one of the professors, the author glossed over the time choosing not to reveal the entirety of the conversation to the reader, and then later dropped a bombshell that Ben had learned in this conversation. Annoying.
The last 25% of this book is way way better than the first 75% of the book. A very heavy hand in editing and recrafting is needed to make this a much better book. I really don't need all the details about a trip on a plane and driving around getting lost when it has nothing to do with the outcome. I'd much rather really get to know Ben. And Meg. I leave the book not really feeling anything toward either of them. But at least I guessed the murderer correctly! (Yay?)
August 27, 2016
A law professor discovers a peer brutally murdered with a baseball bat in his office. Defense attorney Ben Lohmeier receives a call from a friend being questioned about their old law professor's murder. He takes her case. The evidense is produced and Megan Rand is charged with murder. What follows is a media event. Ben must unravel the secrets from the past to find the murderer and clear his client's name.
Final Exam is a well written, tightly crafted legal thriller. The story unfolds at a relentless pace, not too fast or too slow, just right to keep the reader's attention, and is written in realistic fashion right through the exciting climax. The author obviously knows her stuff.
I highly recommend this book and eagerly await the next one.
Final Exam is a well written, tightly crafted legal thriller. The story unfolds at a relentless pace, not too fast or too slow, just right to keep the reader's attention, and is written in realistic fashion right through the exciting climax. The author obviously knows her stuff.
I highly recommend this book and eagerly await the next one.
April 5, 2014
I almost gave up on this book in the early stages. So much unnecessary detail - it dragged and I found myself skimming descriptions of buildings, room layouts, travel routes. It is obvious that the author knows law and every step required to orchestrate a defence for someone charged with a crime, but this story could have been written in a much pacier style, sans a lot of the extraneous conversations and meetings that didn't add anything. However, I wanted to find out how the crime was resolved, and persevered. I'm glad I did. It picked up in pace somewhat by the time of the trial and I think the further one reads the more used to the style one becomes. I will be reading Huebner's other title in the series before I lose that connection.
April 5, 2014
This is a book with significant flaws, but it kept me turning the pages.
I had a quibble or two with the legal technicalities, but most of the problems had to do with the writing. The style is somewhat pedestrian, but more than that, there are a number of amateurish touches (masses of unnecessary detail, head-hopping, too-similar names, intrusive explanations, head-hopping). Still, the author develops sufficient suspense, and several of the characters were nicely fleshed out.
I had a quibble or two with the legal technicalities, but most of the problems had to do with the writing. The style is somewhat pedestrian, but more than that, there are a number of amateurish touches (masses of unnecessary detail, head-hopping, too-similar names, intrusive explanations, head-hopping). Still, the author develops sufficient suspense, and several of the characters were nicely fleshed out.
May 31, 2014
I gave it a 3 star, but it really was at least a 3.5 star. I enjoyed the book. My main criticism is that sometimes the author wasted a lot of time with minutia such as what a person was wearing, ordering for dinner, or the street route the character was driving. Otherwise, it was entertaining and a good plot line. The courtroom action was fairly realistic, but sparse. If you like legal thrillers, it is worth reading.
November 2, 2012
This was somewhat disappointing after all the glowing reviews. In my opinion, the characters were 1 dimensional and not very convincing. And the suspense didn't really hold up very well. An OK thriller/drama, but not great.
February 19, 2012
Engaging characters, witty dialogue and a plot that keeps you guessing until the end. Looking forward to the next one .......
April 25, 2014
Good
Good
the way collages protect their employees including profers.the evil that they can cause and what it take to reveal this.
Good
the way collages protect their employees including profers.the evil that they can cause and what it take to reveal this.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews