The Good Lawyer

Good Lawyer #1

by Thomas Benigno

A young, ambitious lawyer is eager to prove he is better than the father who abandoned him and worthy of the devoted mother who raised him beyond the siren call of the mobster dominated family he grew up in. Working as a Bronx Legal Aid Attorney he learns how to twist the system, how to become an unbeatable defense lawyer, and he his peacock proud of his perfect record-not a single conviction. But it's 1982. The Spiderman rapist is on the loose and New York City is a city in fear. When an outraged rape victim commits suicide right before his eyes, searching for absolution, he grabs the headline case of a teacher’s aide accused of molesting three students. Armed with a firm belief in his client’s innocence, he knocks the pegs out from under the prosecution’s case. When one of the children turns up dead, he discovers that his client may be strangely connected to the Spiderman. Digging deeper, horrifying revelations about his family's past collide with the true identity of the sadistic sociopath behind the Spiderman's rampage. In the process, this good lawyer comes face-to-face with his greatest conflict and deepest fear: to win, really win-save the city and even the woman he loves-must he sacrifice every principle he believes in and embrace his family's mafia past to become judge, jury, and executioner?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Legal Thriller, Crime, Legal, Ebooks

319 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Thomas Benigno is a practicing attorney in Long Island, N. Y. After graduating Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in Manhattan in 1979, at the behest of his Criminal Law Clinic Professor, Barry Scheck (who later obtained fame for representing O. J. Simpson) he was fast-tracked to a position as Associate Attorney with the New York City Legal Aid Society in the Bronx. While there he sought out and tackled the grittiest of cases, even representing the infamous Spiderman Rapist. If you ask him why he repeatedly took on the defense of child molesters and rapists, he'll sound off two reasons: 1) no other attorney would take these cases, and 2) he was young and out to prove himself. The year before he left Legal Aid to go into private practice he was featured in a two page spread in the New York City Legal Aid Society's Annual Report for his success in winning what seemed like an unwinnable case-a teacher's aide charged with molesting three of his students. At a party held in his honor he was handed a beautiful plaque commemorating his court victory-a plaque he never hung or put on display ever. Three years after he left Legal Aid, after never losing a trial, he left the practice of criminal law behind forever. He currently practices real estate and business law, enjoys acting in staged productions on Long Island, appeared as an actor in two movies, one an award winning short film, and even produced (along with others) a Broadway show (Burn the Floor and its U.S. tour). He is married to the same "beautiful woman" since shortly after graduating law school and has three adult children. His first novel, THE GOOD LAWYER, is inspired by real events while he was working as a Legal Aid Attorney in the South Bronx.

Reviews

[Joey R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars —-After deciding to read a legal thriller for the first time in a while, I stumbled upon “The Good Lawyer” by Thomas Benigno. It was available on Kindle Unlimited and had pretty good reviews so I decided to give this unknown (to me) author a chance. The story is written in the first person with all of the action being told from the perspective of young Legal Aid lawyer, Nick Manino, and claims to be based on a true story. The writing is very fast paced and enjoyable. I was very impressed with the story and felt the author did a great job of putting the reader in the shoes of the lawyer. There were a lot of characters, and I had to constantly flip back to earlier in the novel to clarify who was who. But the author did a great job of conveying the difficulties of working as a criminal defense lawyer and the dangers you or your family might be in if you anger the wrong client or get the wrong client off the hook. There were some problems with ridiculous ‘save the day’ plot twists and the typical mob connections that brought the book down a little for me but a good solid book nonetheless. I definitely will check out his other book “The Criminal Lawyer”. If it is as fast paced and easy to read as this one, I will definitely continue to be a fan.

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife, who is a lawyer, read this and called it terrific. Same with "The Criminal Lawyer" by the same author. Lots of good day to day legal material in the Bronx taken from real cases. Interesting characters, good plot, keeps the tension, no loose ends.

UPDATE 5/5/21 ... Now I read it and I 2nd my wife's opinion ... the early parts of the book display the everyday life of a young Legal Aid defense lawyer and then, as he gets in over his head in multiple ways, the story takes off.

[Kimberly Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it rubbed me the wrong way. For starters, the book was a bit slow for my tastes, as far as legal thrillers go. It heated up near the end, and that turned me off because I knew what was going to happen--there really wasn't any element of surprise. I figured the book out in the first few chapters.

One of the biggest problems I had with this book was the description of certain ethnic people--African-Americans for one. I've read many books about slavery and ethnic overtones, and if the author handles the subject well, I usually won't be offended by it, but I found with this book, the black people were either ugly, fat, gross, and just downright not appealing and it was mentioned, literally, each time an African-American character was introduced and that bothered me because I felt it was too, too much. Other ethnic groups were described as beautiful and gorgeous, whereas my people just didn't have much going on, and that got on my last damn nerve! I don't have a problem with the way authors describe their characters, but when you focus heavily on it throughout every characterization, it becomes excessive and I did not like that at all.

As for the story itself, it was okay, but again, didn't do much to satisfy my thirst for a great legal thriller. I was surprised to learn this book was loosely based off of cases the author dealt with while in the Legal Aide organization. If he had put more twists in the storyline, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was inspired to read this book after reading my Goodreads’ friend, Lewis Weinstein’s, review. This is the first book by a new author. The author is a practicing attorney.

The story is fiction but is based on a real- life story. A young ambitious lawyer, Nick Manino, is attempting to make a name for himself outside of the constraints of his family’s long mob history.

It is 1982 and the Spiderman rapist is all over the media. Manino takes on the case of a teacher’s aide being accused of raping three young children. Manino believes this client is innocent and gets his client off. Later one of the children ends up dead. Manino investigates and finds there might be a relationship with the Spiderman rapist. As he continues to investigate, he finds himself facing a personal crisis regarding his uncle and the mob and his desire to be free of their influence.

The book is well written. The story is compellingly told. The story is a bit slow in the beginning but picks up pace about midway through. The characters are interesting and believable. The book is a good legal thriller read. I am looking forward to reading Thomas Benigno’s next book.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is nine and a half hours long. Dan Triandiflou does a good job reading the book. Triandiflou is an actor and audiobook narrator. This is my first experience with this author and narrator.

[J.W. Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Once I got started with it, I found by chapter two that I could not put it down. I finally stopped reading at 80% (on Kindle) at 2am! There's a little bit of the old Grisham with his spirited legal thrillers and that's a good thing. The story is loosely based on a true event apparently and it makes you wonder what sort of hell on earth NYC was in the late 1970's & 1980's. I was utterly fascinated by the characters of Uncle Rocco and Sallie throughout the entire book. The author did a fine job of making you feel the utter evil of the bad guys and why they were so horrible. Great read!

[Dolores Ayotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and to the point....I loved this book! When I write a review, I usually compare an author's latest work to his/her previous books. However, I am unable to do so in this particular instance because "The Good Lawyer" is the first book I've read by Thomas Benigno. Three of my favorite authors in this genre are John Grisham, Ken Follett, and Robert Ludlum. By the way this booked grabbed me right at the onset, I would have to say that Thomas Benigno fits right in there with the best of them. I hope Benigno takes is as the compliment I intend it to be!

I was intrigued by the main character, legal aid attorney Nick Mannino, and the role he played in this legal suspense/mystery novel based on both fact and fiction. It was impossible to predict the many twists and turns that took place as the story unfolded. Murder, rape, mysterious motives, and a dash of romance added to the plot of this incredible story. It is very apparent that Benigno has much experience with the law as he is a practicing attorney in Long Island, N.Y. He draws from his wealth of knowledge and exposure to real-life crime in his previous capacity as a young lawyer with Bronx Legal Aid as the foundation for this book. Therefore, his inspiration for this well-written novel is based on realistic events to give "The Good Lawyer" the authenticity it needs to make it such a great read! I hope Benigno has written more than one book because I want to read more of his works!

[Monnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't pay a cent for this book. Rather, I found it through Lendle.me, through which members can list ebooks they own for borrowing by other members. More important to me, though, are the emails that offer books from Amazon.com for free (usually for that day only); find one you want, go to Amazon, double-check that it's free, and download to read on your Kindle, PC or Mac or other Kindle-compatible device.

The Good Lawyer, for the record, is the No. 2 best Kindle legal thriller of 2012 and one of Amazon's top 50 best e-books of 2012 (before I download any book, I check it's pedigree; with such excellent ratings on this one, I figured I had little to lose).

The story begins with introduction of Nick Manino, a young, ambitious lawyer (who happens to be related to a top New York mobster) who's working at a Bronx legal aid office and catches a case in which three young boys claim sexual abuse by a school employee. The employee swears his innocence, and all his co-workers and friends swear it as well - even going so far as raising the funds for his bail.

Woven into the plot early on is the search for a serial rapist known as "Spiderman," Manino's very wealthy girlfriend who knows nothing of his mob connections, and a beautiful blonde who desperately tried to connect with Manino before being tossed over a high-rise balcony to her death. Not long thereafter, Spiderman is caught but insists he's innocent and passes a lie detector test. When he's murdered in prison, it leads Manino to even more seriously question his guilt.

I suppose saying, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave" is appropriate for a story that involves Spiderman, and the author - a practicing attorney on Long Island - weaves his plot so well that the book is nearly impossible to put down. In fact, once I reached the 54th chapter, I read nonstop until I came to the end several chapters later - it's just that good. Although you may not be able to get it free through Lendle anymore, the Kindle version sells for a very reasonable $2.99 - and I assure you I'd have been totally satisfied had I paid the $12.55 for the hardback.

Or to put it more simply, WOW!

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Move over John Grisham

This author of this story is a practicing attorney and this is a fast action story with four sub-plots, which intertwine, leaving it a page turner. The protagonist was Nick Mannino, an American Italian and a Legal Aid Attorney who practiced in the Bronx Criminal Court. Each day the Legal Aids took so many cases to defend and Nick had been given the case of Peter Guevara charged with sexual abuse of three young boys under the age of ten. Because of the nature of the charge, the newspapers followed it closely and although Peter claimed loud and long that he was innocent, Nick knew he would have a struggle to win. So far he had had seven trials and seven wins and he didn’t want his record broken.

Nick had an uncle Rocco who was top dog under a ruling Mafia of New York. He had earned the right to be that in that when he was a young boy, he killed a man who was abusing a female relative, ended up in the worse juvenile detention center in New York where the juvenile gangs ruled the roost. When they tried to attack Rocco, he defended himself with such violence, that he won the battle and the respect of the boys. Soon boy were joining him like a gang and as he became stronger, he set down rules of fairness and enforced them and for the first time, the detention center worked as it should. When he was released at age eighteen, he became a member of this mafia and soon was his first in command. Rocco’s first and only love was murdered by a rival suitor and thereafter the only person Rocco could love was his nephew, Nick, for whom he would do anything.

During the time Nick was working to defend Peter, he met a female attorney, Eleanor, whom he fell in love with, but felt inadequate because she came from a famous southern family in Atlanta and he was a poor nobody.

During this same time, there was a rapist who had raped four women and was called Spiderman because he entered apartments through the window after repelling down from the roof. None of the women had ever seen his face because he attacked when they were asleep, flipped them over, bound their hands and assaulted them. During these times, Nick was given a man by the name of Johnson to defend, whom the police believed to be the Spiderman because he was found with the locket of a baby who, along with its mother and father, were found murdered. The father was a policeman and the policemen had on the side judged Johnson to be guilty and although Nick believed him to be innocent, before he could get him into protection, John was found murdered in the jail.

These subplots twist and wind around each other and it isn’t until well in the story that Nick begins to discover new angles. This author writes with the freshness of Grisham’s first novels and this story is extremely entertaining, has several mysteries to solve and the depth of character is truly dramatic and vivid. I highly recommend this novel.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well crafted legal thriller!

[Luke Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably closer to 3.5 than 3 but I couldn’t give this book 4 stars. I’ve had this book on my Kindle “shelf” for a while and am glad I decided to read it. Overall, the story is good and kept my interest. I did find that I had trouble following the story at times, which I why I gave it 3 stars.

[Harold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally speaking I avoid what I would categorize as "contemporary pop fiction" and I guess this book would fit that genre, but I enjoyed this one. It was interesting from the beginning, no slow spots for me, and NO product plugs. (A major turn off in much of today's pop fiction. I can't stand them. I see them and I will write off all future books by an author.) Again, I seem to have a predilection for books taking place in familiar terrain and this is definitely a New York book. I did foresee the "twist" at the end very early in the book, however. Not sure if I'm getting better at this but I like it better when I am wrong. The blurb tells you more than enough as far as getting a more specific idea of what the book is about. It seems lately more and more people here on Goodreads give a plot summary and that is something I don't do, don't want and don't need. In fact I stop reading the review if I see it is going into a plot summary. The blurb is sufficient for that. Sometime too sufficient.

[Beverlee Couillard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. I would like to give it 4.5 stars. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars, is I tend, now, to judge all lawyer stories with Mark Giminez, "The Perk." That aside, Mr. Benigno writes one heck of a good story. I am a FAN of legal stories, and this rates as one of the better around. I like his lawyer, his interesting background, the amazing members of his family, and the battles he fights as a Bronx Legal Aid attorney are worth his efforts. He is not a seasoned lawyer and is learning. He has found a newspaper reporter he can trust to help with his efforts in defending his clients. He has relatives that can help, but because of mafia ties, can help or hurt. The main thing is this author tells a story that captures you and keeps you with him all the way. There are no dead places in the writing. I am going to be reading more of this writers books.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio version...

I enjoyed this audiobook very much, though at times I was a little confused about what was going on and felt like I was missing something. I don't know if it was the writing or if it was because I was listening as opposed to actual reading. At about the 70% mark the story took off and I couldn't put it down.

[Brandon McGuire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t mind the book and read it in a few days, so normally that would mean it would get 4 stars at the least solely because it held my attention and dominated my thoughts. However, the plot had several issues.

My own expectations definitely clouded my judgment. I expected a great trial from an inexperienced lawyer that ends up being a prodigy who helps save the life of a wrongly accused. I, instead, got a plot about a sociopathic pedophile with very little trial action. The ending was rushed and the epilogue cleaning everything up was just kind of silly. I would have enjoyed it being left a little open instead of giving a conclusion for everyone and everything.

It’s not bad, but I’m disappointed in the ending and I’ll most likely never read it again. My tbr list is too long to come back to anything that’s not absolutely astounding and sadly this doesn’t fit the bill.

[Donna ~ The Romance Cover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another crime thriller audible picked up because of loving The Eddie Flynn series by Steve Cavanagh.

I did enjoy this story and I will be reading the next one, but for me this lacked courtroom drama and was more about the lawyer himself and the life that he was born into. With a touch of mobster, Italian families and the Bronx, this was an enjoyable read that covered the beginning of Nick Manino's career as a Bronx legal aid attorney. Tough cases where the lawyer can literally put his life on the line if you anger the wrong person. Nick Manino has a bit of a hero complex and goes above and beyond trying to save his clients while trying to find the real perpetrators. Putting himself into some untenable situations Nick Manino is a lovable character even if a bit jaded.

[Lamis · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the 30% mark, I thought, why is it that all legal thrillers I tried to read to date tend to have a writing style that it too simple, and feels like it’s almost directed to teenagers?

Luckily from that point on, the writing took a turn for the better.

It’s so apparent throughout the book that the author knows what he’s talking about, the fact that the book is inspired by true events is a major compelling add on.

There are a couple of incidents that I couldn’t understand, like why was Oscar “ the innocent janitor mistaken for the spider rapist” murdered?

I also really hated that Rocco died so unceremoniously, why invest so much in a character build up then just mention let them die with a stroke after all is said and done?

[Vicki Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great read. This had been on my list for a long time, but I am so glad I finally got to it. It had excellent characters. They seemed like real people. I also liked the storyline. It was engaging and exciting with a few surprises in there! The book was well researched to me about the legal stuff without being bogged down. A recommended read!

[BigJohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Good Lawyer is an exciting tale of what seems to be a mundane and thankless job. As a non-profit public defender, the main character has to earn his lawyering chops by serving the needs of criminals who are entitled to a defense. But when a series of crimes push him in the direction of a few clients that deserve better than a public defender, his skills come to the fore and he attacks the case with fervor and all the resources his limited means can muster.

Based on events that happened when the author was himself in the position in which he places his main character, Benigno shows a very intimate knowledge of the public defense system in New York. A lot of the goings-on that are portrayed reminded me of a long take through a newsroom, with the camera following a reporter through an office filled with busy, productive, overworked and dedicated personnel. His personal experience in this venue allows Benigno to write casually about something quite complex and intricate, yet still keep the terminology down to an explainable level for the rest of us.

There are some distracting grammatical and simple copyediting errors throughout the book, which can be distracting. And a lot of reviews criticize the large number of characters that contribute to the story and need to be tracked. For some strange reason, there are countless highlights in the Kindle book of each introduction of a new character. I'm not sure what point these highlights are trying to make, but I didn't find the number of character to be too unwieldy. Especially as regards the intricacies of the judicial system, it's astounding how many different people and organizations are involved. I don't doubt that it is like that in real life as well.

Benigno writes with a smooth, fluid style, which is peppered with very poetic descriptions of scenery and character. Unfortunately, every so often, a real confused sentence rears its head and I found I had to read it over and over again to try to understand what he was trying to say. Those sentence misconstructions and the incomplete copyediting kept the last star from what would otherwise be a wonderful book. I found myself having a hard time putting the book down.

I'm looking forward to his next book.

[Urenna Sander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Mannino appears as an outgoing, kind, open-minded, not easily intimidated, young lawyer. He works for Bronx Legal Aid, and has strong family ties, which includes an uncle involved with the underworld.
In love with a wealthy, ADA, Nick is likeable and believable, as he internalizes fears of acceptance, and future social situations with her affluent family. Because of this, he keeps secret his lovable, but felonious uncle.
Nick decides to defend a Teachers Aid, Peter Guevara, accused of abusing three young boys.
Guevara is respected and well-liked by his peers, teachers and parents. A man who puts effort in his appearance, Guevara is charming, exaggeratedly masculine, articulate and compelling.
Nick has aggressively defended and won seven cases in the judicial system, and lost none. So he throws down the gauntlet to defend a man probably wrongfully accused of child molestation.
Nick becomes entangled in another case involving the Spiderman rapist, which leads to murders, a web of lies and deception. He also discovers he has a reprisal murderer in his midst.
Although intuitive, Nick doubts his gut hunch of being deceived.
I liked the author placing twists and turns that kept you on edge toward the end.
I found the description of scenes too detailed.
I didn’t like the author’s description of black skin color concerning his secretary, Brenda; suspect Raymond Jackson, and Brenda’s pastor. However, maybe growing up in Nick’s world, preoccupation with the color of a person’s skin could be the norm.
To me, the skin descriptions sounded more like a standup comic at a segregationists’ picnic.
Otherwise, I enjoyed reading The Good Lawyer.

[Toni Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut legal thriller is about a young lawyer’s crisis of conscience and is by far more than just courtroom scenes peppered with legalese jargon hard to understand. This book is a fractionized account of some of the grittiest cases Mr. Benigno dealt with during his time practicing as a Legal Aid Attorney in the South Bronx.

In a nutshell:

Told from the main character’s perspective, Nick Mannino, a young legal Aid attorney tells how he is given the opportunity to defend a teacher’s assistant accused of child molestation. Zigzagging is the hunt and apprehension of “Spiderman” a rapist and the excitement begins when Nick pieces together all the parts and a connection is made with other cases. This is only a very broad outline of a complex and believable plot that includes a mob connections and a necessary tad of romance.

I like the depiction of the main player, you can feel Nick’s ethical dilemma when he uncovers several more heinous crimes and is unable to reveal that his client’s is behind them. The author slowly introduces his co-conspirators in a crafty manner developing each one and weaving them into the main story till everything is neatly tied up in the end. We do have audacious twists some are easily guessable while others less but all add excitement to a very captivating story. This is a story that keeps a steady pace throughout and is written in a clear and dynamic narrative.

I zipped through this thriller in no time and enjoyed every single moment I spent with it. Well done.

[Debbie "Buried in Her TBR Pile" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick is a Legal Aid lawyer. He is an American of Italian descent with mob ties on his mother's side. His father died when he was young and he formed a close relationship with his mother's brother - Rocco. Nick is not wealthy. He forms a relationship with Eleanor - she is from a wealthy family, attended a prestigious school, and is a lawyer as well. The story centers on 2 of Nick's clients - one who is thought to be innocent and is truly evil. The other is thought to be guilty and is murdered before trial.

At times, I felt like I was reading a derivation of a journal. I wanted to read to the end, but style changes threw me a little while reading.

Also, I disliked Eleanor (Nick's girlfriend.) Although, their relationship was not the main point of the story, I could not understand the connection. I just couldn't figure out why Nick loved her so much.

I'm rating this one as 2.5 rounded stars.

[Esmeralda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an engrossing story of a Legal Aid lawyer who wants to make a name for himself. He believes that most of his clients are guilty so he is pleased to find one that appears to be innocent. Nick has become a lawyer because he was helped financially by his stepfather. His girlfriend Eleanor is quite wealthy and he is afraid that he wont fit into her world, especially if she discovers that his uncle is involved in organized crime. But when Nick finds himself in trouble, his uncle is the only one who can help him. The author has been a Legal Aid lawyer himself and the story is based on a real case.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was entertaining, and I recommend it to fellow readers. The author's writing mechanics were good except for having too many throwaway characters.
The main character, a Legal Aid lawyer in NYC, has gained a 'killer' reputation in the courtroom. A serial rapist and a serial killer are on the loose, and our lawyer wants to try the rape case when and if the perpetrator is caught. Through the twists and turns of both cases, the mob's vigilante justice settles both cases out of court.

Thank you, Mr. Benigno, for a good read.

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 5 out of 5]

So well written that it wasn't until just before the end that the realisation of what was happening slapped me in the face. The characters, storyline, everything moved along at a good, steady pace for this book.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seemed promising at the beginning. It's about an idealistic criminal defense lawyer in the Bronx. (My mother was a criminal defense lawyer in the Bronx in the 40's to the 60's, so I have a kind of personal connection.) His client is accused of sexually molesting three young boys, which he vehemently denies. (My mother used to say that defendants were all guilty of something, just not usually what they were being charged with.) Then the story totally flips from the lawyer doing his job, which is to provide the best defense he can, within the limits of the law, to taking the law into his own hands. Implausible and infuriating. I won't be reading the second one in the series, "The Criminal Lawyer: A Serial Killer." Plus Benigno is a pretty terrible writer, as the two examples I give in the notes show.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I sat up until 4:00 am finishing this book I have to give it 5 stars. Needless to say, I really enjoyed it, the whole story. I liked Nick the "good lawyer" and everyone should have an Uncle Rocco. I liked that the story had more than one interesting case and I loved reading about the legal procedures. The only thing I would have liked is to know more about Eleanor, but I expect that will be in the next book which I am planning on reading.

[Frank Roberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book!!!

This book was a really good book. I know that it was based on a true story, but I couldn't remember the case. However, since some of it takes place on Long Island I knew every location that was mentioned in the book. I enjoyed reading this book so much and can't wait to read the next book in the series as well as other books from Thomas Benigno.

[LeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

I enjoyed The Good Lawyer. The characters became friends. It is one of those books where you know what and who but are still left guessing the ending. I would recommend this book to those who like legal thrillers

[Andrew Burchfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story full of thrills

This was a very enjoyable read. It includes enough twists to surprise you. Some of the story is predictable, but certainly not enough to ruin any of it. This book was hard to out down. I can't wait to read the second book in this series!