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Amanda Jaffe #1
Vahşi Adalet
Gece ıssız. Karanlığı bir çığlık yarıyor. İşkence gören bir kadının çığlığı.
Katil bulunmazsa vahşetin sesi daha da yükselecek.
Ormanın derinliklerine gizlenmiş bir dağ evinde, tüyler ürpertici bir manzara polis tarafından keşfedilmeyi beklemektedir. Sicili şiddet ve uyuşturucuyla dolu başarılı bir cerrah, çürütülmesi imkânsız gibi görünen kanıtlara karşı kendisini savunması için Portland’ın en iyi avukatlarından Frank Jaffe’yi tutar.
Jaffe’nin kızı, ceza hukukuyla henüz tanışmakta olan genç bir avukattır. Yeteneğini masum bir adamı savunmak için mi, yoksa bir canavarın serbest kalması için mi kullanmakta olduğundan emin değildir. Derken cerrah, ardında pek çok soru işareti bırakarak ortadan kaybolur.
Birkaç yıl sonra dehşet verici katliam tekrar başlar.
Genç avukatla polisler, katili başka bir kurban daha vermeden yakalayabilecekler mi?
Katil bulunmazsa vahşetin sesi daha da yükselecek.
Ormanın derinliklerine gizlenmiş bir dağ evinde, tüyler ürpertici bir manzara polis tarafından keşfedilmeyi beklemektedir. Sicili şiddet ve uyuşturucuyla dolu başarılı bir cerrah, çürütülmesi imkânsız gibi görünen kanıtlara karşı kendisini savunması için Portland’ın en iyi avukatlarından Frank Jaffe’yi tutar.
Jaffe’nin kızı, ceza hukukuyla henüz tanışmakta olan genç bir avukattır. Yeteneğini masum bir adamı savunmak için mi, yoksa bir canavarın serbest kalması için mi kullanmakta olduğundan emin değildir. Derken cerrah, ardında pek çok soru işareti bırakarak ortadan kaybolur.
Birkaç yıl sonra dehşet verici katliam tekrar başlar.
Genç avukatla polisler, katili başka bir kurban daha vermeden yakalayabilecekler mi?
382 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 391 reviews
February 6, 2022
Six years ago I saw a thriller with an intriguing cover and title Violent Crimes so without hesitation, I borrowed it from the library and started reading it. It was a pageturner and a four-star read. I waited and waited and the author hasn't written any follow-up since. I guess it was the last book? Ugh...
I know...I know... here I am starting at book one a series starter and Wild Justice took me by surprise. It's darker and more involved than any other book I read by Margolin including his new MC Robin Lockwood Series.
Serial killer, organ harvesting, and cabin in the woods. Eek! Amanda Jaffe is in the center of it all. She's a lawyer working for her father's firm in Portland, Oregon where he's a senior partner. Frank Jaffe is a top criminal defense lawyer. I really like the father-daughter dynamic! This has a good mystery with a twist I didn't see coming. A little out there in the end but still had me glued all the way.
Read for Book Across America BINGO - Snag A Read For Free Group
I know...I know... here I am starting at book one a series starter and Wild Justice took me by surprise. It's darker and more involved than any other book I read by Margolin including his new MC Robin Lockwood Series.
Serial killer, organ harvesting, and cabin in the woods. Eek! Amanda Jaffe is in the center of it all. She's a lawyer working for her father's firm in Portland, Oregon where he's a senior partner. Frank Jaffe is a top criminal defense lawyer. I really like the father-daughter dynamic! This has a good mystery with a twist I didn't see coming. A little out there in the end but still had me glued all the way.
Read for Book Across America BINGO - Snag A Read For Free Group
August 6, 2019
Really a great thriller! This had me questioning myself over and over again. At the last 10 pages, I had an inkling as to who the killer was, but I hadn't guessed it all! What a twisted ending!! Will be reading the entire series, I'm thinking!
January 12, 2009
How can you combine doctors, lawyers, local mafia, serial killers, abusive spouses, and harvested organs on the black market, into a psychological thriller set in the beautiful pacific northwest, and not succeed? I'll tell you how! Read Wild Justice.
Phillip Margolin lazily wrote Wild Justice, both in character development and from a plot standpoint. For example, we learn on page 160 that local mafia hitman Ed Gordon is an ex-marine who had been dishonorably discharged for assaulting an officer. An entire page later, in a chase scene in the woods, Margolin writes: "Gordon had hiked and camped in the army..." This sloppiness disproportionately bothered me and I wonder how it gets by both the author and the editor that the marines and the army are not the same.
The protagonist is a young hotty who graduated at the top of her law school class, completed a prestigious clerkship, has now gone on to work for Daddy doing criminal defense work in the private sector, and is of course eminently single. Her unbelievable character, who has set her love life aside to succeed as a professional, immediately is smitten with an old friend from childhood who is tall, dark and handsome (and a doctor, God love it!). When the impending relationship is consummated, of course, the protagonist is all a quiver. It is perhaps the worst gratuitous sex scene in fiction, ever.
The plot revolves around a serial killer and there are only 3 possible suspects: the coked-out doctor, his ex-wife he abused and who has a trail of dead husbands from whom she has collected life insurance proceeds, and the tall, dark and handsome love interest (did I mention he's a doctor?!). You'll never guess which one it is. Or, more likely, you'll guess who it is within the first hundred pages.
Setting aside that we are not concerned with the characters and the psychology is not interesting, the narrative does not have a credible inner logic. In three of the primary professions in this book, law enforcement, law practice, and medicine, we see unethical and unbelievable conduct throughout.
I debated giving this book 2 stars because it was interesting. But then I thought that train wrecks are interesting too, but that doesn't make them good.
On the plus side, this is a fast read and if you are given the book, like I was, then it is free!
Phillip Margolin lazily wrote Wild Justice, both in character development and from a plot standpoint. For example, we learn on page 160 that local mafia hitman Ed Gordon is an ex-marine who had been dishonorably discharged for assaulting an officer. An entire page later, in a chase scene in the woods, Margolin writes: "Gordon had hiked and camped in the army..." This sloppiness disproportionately bothered me and I wonder how it gets by both the author and the editor that the marines and the army are not the same.
The protagonist is a young hotty who graduated at the top of her law school class, completed a prestigious clerkship, has now gone on to work for Daddy doing criminal defense work in the private sector, and is of course eminently single. Her unbelievable character, who has set her love life aside to succeed as a professional, immediately is smitten with an old friend from childhood who is tall, dark and handsome (and a doctor, God love it!). When the impending relationship is consummated, of course, the protagonist is all a quiver. It is perhaps the worst gratuitous sex scene in fiction, ever.
The plot revolves around a serial killer and there are only 3 possible suspects: the coked-out doctor, his ex-wife he abused and who has a trail of dead husbands from whom she has collected life insurance proceeds, and the tall, dark and handsome love interest (did I mention he's a doctor?!). You'll never guess which one it is. Or, more likely, you'll guess who it is within the first hundred pages.
Setting aside that we are not concerned with the characters and the psychology is not interesting, the narrative does not have a credible inner logic. In three of the primary professions in this book, law enforcement, law practice, and medicine, we see unethical and unbelievable conduct throughout.
I debated giving this book 2 stars because it was interesting. But then I thought that train wrecks are interesting too, but that doesn't make them good.
On the plus side, this is a fast read and if you are given the book, like I was, then it is free!
![Profile Image for Terence M [on a brief semi-hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1712357414i%2F6658001._UY200_CR4%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
July 25, 2018
2.5^ stars out of 5.0
I shouldn’t try to write a review on my iPhone! I did write a few succinct lines which have disappeared into the iPhone ether! It is after 2:00 am down here so I will try to recover my comment later in the day!
My recovery attempt was unsuccessful, so here are a few not so succinct comments:
I listened to the audiobook, a relatively short 8:25 hours, which was well narrated by Anna Fields whose variety of vocal characterisations of the male voice are probably the best I have heard by a female narrator. The storyline required high a level of suspension of belief and even with multiple gruesome murders and a handful of pretty gruesome suspects, the identity of the really bad baddie was never in doubt - well that's what I thought anyway.
I found it difficult to stay engaged with this novel and there were quite a few "wtf" exclamations along the way. Normally I would breeze through an eight+ hours audiobook in a day or so, but I must admit I was tempted to fling this one onto the "DNF" shelf about two thirds of the way through. This would have been too easy, but as I have another three Amanda Jaffe audiobooks in my collection, I persevered to give at least #2 "Ties That Bind" a chance. I am not holding my breath.
I shouldn’t try to write a review on my iPhone! I did write a few succinct lines which have disappeared into the iPhone ether! It is after 2:00 am down here so I will try to recover my comment later in the day!
My recovery attempt was unsuccessful, so here are a few not so succinct comments:
I listened to the audiobook, a relatively short 8:25 hours, which was well narrated by Anna Fields whose variety of vocal characterisations of the male voice are probably the best I have heard by a female narrator. The storyline required high a level of suspension of belief and even with multiple gruesome murders and a handful of pretty gruesome suspects, the identity of the really bad baddie was never in doubt - well that's what I thought anyway.
I found it difficult to stay engaged with this novel and there were quite a few "wtf" exclamations along the way. Normally I would breeze through an eight+ hours audiobook in a day or so, but I must admit I was tempted to fling this one onto the "DNF" shelf about two thirds of the way through. This would have been too easy, but as I have another three Amanda Jaffe audiobooks in my collection, I persevered to give at least #2 "Ties That Bind" a chance. I am not holding my breath.
December 1, 2012
I LOVED this book. It held my interest from the first few pages, and I was riveted to the end. I identified with all the characters. I rooted for the tender-footed attorney, Amanda, and liked her transition over the years into a strong willed woman and capable attorney. I enjoyed the various other doctors implicated in the brutal crimes (I am not going into detail so I won’t spoil the plot), and each one was a complete character that was well fleshed out. I even liked the various bit players, like Amada’s father, or the policemen investigating the crimes, including Vasquez, because even they were complete characters easily identified and kept distinct from one another.
The plot was fantastic, and it kept me guessing until about ¾ way through the book. Everything fit together wonderfully, and the obvious conclusions (given subsequent clues/facts) were spoken of/addressed by the characters, ALL of which were smart. They consequently made smart decisions, and then acted on those decisions, which kept me riveted to this book. There was no spot in the book where I didn’t wholeheartedly agree with something a character did (i.e., no characters went into dark rooms where they heard a noise, no character didn’t see a frame job for what it was, none went to meet suspicious characters unarmed, or without telling someone first, etc).
There was nothing I didn’t like. My only irritation was this wasn’t a series, because I wanted MORE as soon as I was done. But I’ll have to settle for the author’s next unrelated work.
The plot was fantastic, and it kept me guessing until about ¾ way through the book. Everything fit together wonderfully, and the obvious conclusions (given subsequent clues/facts) were spoken of/addressed by the characters, ALL of which were smart. They consequently made smart decisions, and then acted on those decisions, which kept me riveted to this book. There was no spot in the book where I didn’t wholeheartedly agree with something a character did (i.e., no characters went into dark rooms where they heard a noise, no character didn’t see a frame job for what it was, none went to meet suspicious characters unarmed, or without telling someone first, etc).
There was nothing I didn’t like. My only irritation was this wasn’t a series, because I wanted MORE as soon as I was done. But I’ll have to settle for the author’s next unrelated work.
December 23, 2011
Finished this book in one day. It was an entertaining read. The first half was pretty boring but I stuck with it to get to the real heart of the story. It was pretty obvious who the real killer was the whole time but it was still fun getting to the end.
May 2, 2019
Interesting, fast read about a serial killer - wait, maybe two - well, could be three killers. A doctor has been arrested and asks the law firm to represent him. Plenty of red herrings here, with some amoral human beings floating in society.
April 15, 2017
Love his books, and this one is no exception.
September 13, 2020
Definitely a little bit dated but once I got into it, it wasn’t a bad start to a series. I haven’t read the previous series about her dad, I don’t think I want to go that far back. I love legal thrillers and I seem to be running out of good ones to read. Hopefully this series will tide me over for awhile.
January 8, 2018
Personal response
I thought that Wild Justice was the best book I've ever read. I enjoyed the suspense throughout the book. I also enjoyed all the surprises and twists in the book. I loved the ending of the book most.
Plot
Grant was selling a heart to Breach but the airfield they were at was raided, and Grant drove off with the money before Breach’s henchman got the heart. Grant drove back to his partner’s place to hideout. The surgeon let Grant in and gave him a drink. The surgeon asked about the deal, and Grant explained what happened. As soon as Grant finished explaining, the surgeon killed him. Amanda was trying to help LaTricia with her prostitution charge but she wasn't a good lawyer. LaTricia was called to the witness stand and she gave a speech about falling in love with her arresting officer. Amanda talked with Frank about winning LaTricia’s case. Cadoni yelled at Mary for switching the cups and making him mess up on his patient. Castle made Cardoni leave and talked with Mary in private. Breach talked with Art about figuring out who Grant's partner was and where they went. Cardoni bought an eight ball of coke. Mary had woken up in a pitch black room bound by her wrists, ankles, and head. The surgeon gave her something to heighten her pain. Amanda ran into Tony and Castle at the Y. Bobby got an anonymous call and was told that Cardoni bought two kilos of coke and was storing it in a mountain cabin and was going to sell it to two men within the week and told him where the cabin was. Bobby talked with Art about the coke but Art didn't say anything. Bobby went to the cabin in the mountains and broke in. Bobby looked for the coke but didn't find it. Bobby went to the basement and found an operating table and a fridge. In the fridge, Bobby found two severed heads and a little cocaine. Bobby called in the local police and they found a mass grave containing seven other bodies including Grants. Amanda and Frank ate out for breakfast, and when they came back Cardoni was in their driveway. Cardoni told Frank about how there was police at his house going through it. Frank, Amanda, and Cardoni went to his house to talk with the police. The police showed them a tape they found that showed the surgeon cut off Mary’s nipple and a closeup of her screaming and passing out. Frank talked with Cardoni alone and told him just to go with the police and not to fight them. The next morning, Frank talked with Cardoni about the evidence against him before the bail hearing. Castle testified against Cardoni and said he had raped her when they were married and that Cardoni would flee if given parole. Bobby tried to find who owned the house but found nothing. Amanda and Cross interviewed Castle. Amanda had coffee with Tony and he told her about where he'd gone after he quit medical school and where he became a doctor. Cross learned that Castle had shot her first husband and the second died in an accident. Bobby testified that he had received an anonymous call and then verified it with an informant. Frank called Art to the stand and Art had an audio recording of his conversation with Bobby that proved he didn't tell him anything. Cardoni was set free because all the evidence was collected illegally. Scofield tried to convinced Brody to reopen the case against Cardoni. Two of Breach’s hitmen followed Cardoni into the woods. Cardoni beat both of them up and made them tell him who sent them. Breach sent Art after Cardoni. Amanda was woken up by the phone ringing. Cardoni asked for her father, but she told him he was out of town. Cardoni then asked her to come to the cabin because he knew who the real murder was. Amanda got her father's snubnose .38 and went to the cabin. On the way there, she saw Art. When she got to the cabin she found Cardoni’s hand on the operating table. It was four years after Cardoni’s hand was found and Amanda was trying to keep a client off of death row. Amanda lost the case but kept her client off of death row. Volkov stole a doctor's coffee mug. Two cops went to a farmhouse and found Castle running out the door. Inside they found a dead man, operating room, and a journal containing what had been done to the body. Amanda was woken up by the phone ringing. Castle was asking for Frank but Amanda told her that he was in California for a week. Amanda then asked Castle why she needed her father and castle explained. Amanda went to the justice center where Castle was being held and talked with her and Greene. The next day, Amanda went to the courthouse for Castle’s arraignment. Amanda went to the farmhouse and found Vasquez. They talked and Amanda found out that Vasquez had become a private detective. Vasquez wanted to be the investigator for Amanda’s case and Amanda told him she’d think about it. The next morning, Amanda found Frank had come home early from vacation to help with the case. Amanda talked with him about Vasquez and convinced him to let him help. Amanda went through her missed calls and found a call from Tony. Amanda called Tony back and thy set up a date. At the date, they talked about Amanda’s case and how Tony had become a plastic surgeon. Tony said he was going to look for Cardoni because there investigator wouldn't be able to spot someone who had plastic surgery. Bobby talked with Ann the lawyer who bought the house and found out that the transactions to purchase the farmhouse were the same as the ones used to purchase the cabin. Greene and McCarthy talked about the similarities in the two cases and how almost nothing connected to Castle. McCarthy told Greene about the two previous husbands Castle had, and how she shot one and the other died in an accident.Amanda talked with Castle about what Greene was doing. Amanda was at her office when Tony called. Tony told her that he already had a list and had eliminated a few by following them. Frank came in after Amand finished her call to tell her Art was willing to talk. Frank and Amanda went to Art’s strip club to talk to him. They talked about the case similarities and how it could mean Cardoni’s back and how they know that's something Breach would want to know. Art told them Breach sent him up to the cabin the night Cardoni disappeared for a truce. Art called Breach to tell him Cardoni might be back. Volkov was cleaning when he found Tony was following him. Volkov asked Tony why he was following him when Tony tries to stab him with a scalpel. Volkov beats Tony and runs off. Amanda told Bobby about how Tony was looking for Cardoni since he could recognize plastic surgery. Amand and Bobby talked about similar killing grounds Amanda had found over the world. Amanda got a call telling her about Volkov and Tony’s fight. Amanda had McCarthy arrest Volkov and take his prints. Roy called Greene to set up a meeting so Cardoni could talk with them without the threat of being arrested again. Cardoni talked with Greene and McCarthy about how he thought Castle was the murder and that she framed him. Amanda talked with Castle and told her later that afternoon she was gonna have another bail hearing. Castle asked about Cardoni because she was scared he would try to hurt her, so Amanda told her that Bobby could be her bodyguard. Bobby and Amanda talked and Bobby agreed be Castle’s bodyguard. Cardoni was in the courtroom waiting for Castle’s case. Castle was set free. Cardoni was angry that Castle was set free. Bobby took Castle home and they talked the whole way about Cardoni. Cardoni was in his hotel room and got an envelope that had a map to a rest area and a journal entry from the murder book. Cardoni got a handgun and a knife left for him by Roy. Greene got a call from McCarthy about how he had proof that Cardoni was the one who called 9-1-1 the night Castle was arrested. McCarthy told him to meet him at Judge Campbell’s to try and get a warrant. Bobby had paid a hotel employee to tell him when Cardoni leaves and what car was his. Bobby followed him to a rest area where he went into the restroom and didn’t come out. When he went in he was knocked out. Amanda got a call from Ann and she told her that it was Cardoni who was asking about the farmhouse. Amanda talked to Frank about how it didn't make sense for Cardoni to ask about a property that was supposedly his. She said she thought Castle was the murder. Frank pointed out that the coffee mug wasn’t made public and that is what appeared at the farmhouse. There conversation was interrupted because McCarthy had arrived and need to talk to Amanda. He told her that Bobby was found at a rest area with a severe head injury. Amanda went to Tony’s for dinner and to spend the night. Amanda went back the next night for dinner. After dinner when Tony was cleaning Amanda got a call from Castle asking for her help but she wouldn't respond to anything Amanda said. Amanda and Tony went to Castle’s house. Tony went inside and amanda staid in the car. There was two gunshots so Amanda went to check if Tony was ok. Amanda found Cardoni had been shot, there was a bullet hole next to Tony in the wall, and Castle cut and stabbed to death with a hunting knife beside her. Amanda and Greene talked about Cardoni’s case. Cardoni called and asked for Frank, but he was out of town so Amanda took the call. Cardoni told her to come down to the hospital because he needed to tell her something. AManda made Cardoni sign a form that stated that her ferm no longer represents him so anything he says can be used against him. Cardoni says that Tony is the murder and that he kidnaped him, tranquilized him, and shot him when he was still asleep. Amanda got angry and left. Amanda thought about the murders at ghost lake so she looked them up. Amanda looked up one of the deputies who worked on the case and talked with him. He said that they found two bodies buried in the woods and the cabin that burnt down with two people inside of it. The deputy said that the owner was dom and then she knew who committed the murders. Amanda talked to Frank about Dom and how he died. SHe found out that Tony was supposed to be in mexico but didn't respond to Franks call about his father being dead for two days. Two of Breach’s assassin's went to the hospital and threatened the orderly with silenced pistols. The two killed all the orderlies to and the cop in front of Cardoni’s room. One went inside to kill Cardoni while the other stood guard. When he got close enuff Cardoni stabbed him in the brain through the ear with a straitened bed spring. Cardonin took the pistol and shot the other assassin as he walked in. Cardoni took the one of the assassins close and escaped. McCarthy called Greene down to the hospital when it was found out that Cardoni escaped. McCarthy and Greene had a conference with Amanda were she tells them to test the blood they took from Cardoni for tranquilizers and that she thinks the murder is Tony. She told them about how Tony had left the room right before Castle called and how she didn't respond to anything she said. Amanda was wired and having dinner with Tony. Tony started talking about the case and said something that onthey the police, attorneys, and murder would know. Amanda said that it makes a compelling case that Cardoni was framed and that he was the murder since wherever he was there was a murder spree at the time he was there. Tony laughed and held out a bite of food for Amanda and punched her in the face when she went to bite it. Tony tied her up, blindfolded her and taped her mouth shut. He talked to her and looked for a wire but didn't find one. The cops became suspicious after ten minutes of only Tony talking. Tony went downstairs with Amanda and went into a secret tunnel just as the police broke into his house. The police didn't find where they went for a bit. Tony brought Amanda out of the tunnel and started walking her to a car. Amanda took off and ran into a tree. She sat there crying until the police found her. Cardoni was sitting in a warehouse with Tony talking to him about how it was luck he saw him trying to escape. Cardoni called Breach tom inform him he had Grant’s partner and wanted to be left alone. Breach agreed and so Cardoni told him were he was. Cardoni told Tony that one of Breach’s crooked cops gave him copies of his pain journals and he was looking forward to trying out the techniques he found most effective and left. Two weeks later Greene checked in on Amanda and asked her out on a date. Art, Marty and another one of Breach’s employees were playing cards in the warehouse with Tony. Breach came in and asked if they had gotten any more info from Tony. Art said no and that it had been a month of torture so they got everything they could. Breach told them to send the cops something so they know he was dead. Art recomended one of Tony’s hands to make it poetic, but breach said he wanted them to know he was dead. Breach wanted them to know because Frank had always done him right, and he didn't want Amanda to worry. After a little bit they decided to send the cops his head.
Characterization
Amanda is Frank’s daughter and the Lead counsel for Castles case. She is also Tony's “girlfriend” toward the middle of the book and hostage at the end.
Frank is Amanda’s father and lead counsel for Cardoni’s case and the second layer for Castle’s case.
Tony is the murder and Amanda’s and Castle’s “boyfriend.” He is also a surgeon at St. Francis, Grants partner, and the one who finds Cardoni.
Cardoni is a cokehead surgeon from St. Francis. Cardoni is also Castle’s ex-husband and the suspected murder.
Castle is a surgeon at St. Francis and Cardonis ex-wife. Castle was also Tony’s “Girlfriend” during the investigation of Cardoni and his last victim.
Greene is a criminal investigator who works for the police. He looked into murders at the cabin, and what happened to Cardoni when he disappeared. He is also Amanda’s date at the end.
Bobby is a cop who wanted to bring down Breach and took an anonymous call about Cardoni selling coke from Breach. He found the bodies at the cabin when he was looking for Cardoni. He becomes a private investigator after he’s fired for going into the cabin illegally and becomes Castle’s bodyguard.
Setting
This book is set in modern-day Portland, Oregon. The setting is not particularly important other than its America. The time is only important because there has to be planes, organ transplants, and video technology.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to high school boys and girls that like suspenseful and mystery books. I recommend this book to high school boys because it's about finding a murder. I recommend this to high school girls because, it's also kind of about a girl finding love and stepping out of her father’s shadow. I recommend this to people who like mystery and suspense full books because this book has plenty of twists to through them off.
I thought that Wild Justice was the best book I've ever read. I enjoyed the suspense throughout the book. I also enjoyed all the surprises and twists in the book. I loved the ending of the book most.
Plot
Grant was selling a heart to Breach but the airfield they were at was raided, and Grant drove off with the money before Breach’s henchman got the heart. Grant drove back to his partner’s place to hideout. The surgeon let Grant in and gave him a drink. The surgeon asked about the deal, and Grant explained what happened. As soon as Grant finished explaining, the surgeon killed him. Amanda was trying to help LaTricia with her prostitution charge but she wasn't a good lawyer. LaTricia was called to the witness stand and she gave a speech about falling in love with her arresting officer. Amanda talked with Frank about winning LaTricia’s case. Cadoni yelled at Mary for switching the cups and making him mess up on his patient. Castle made Cardoni leave and talked with Mary in private. Breach talked with Art about figuring out who Grant's partner was and where they went. Cardoni bought an eight ball of coke. Mary had woken up in a pitch black room bound by her wrists, ankles, and head. The surgeon gave her something to heighten her pain. Amanda ran into Tony and Castle at the Y. Bobby got an anonymous call and was told that Cardoni bought two kilos of coke and was storing it in a mountain cabin and was going to sell it to two men within the week and told him where the cabin was. Bobby talked with Art about the coke but Art didn't say anything. Bobby went to the cabin in the mountains and broke in. Bobby looked for the coke but didn't find it. Bobby went to the basement and found an operating table and a fridge. In the fridge, Bobby found two severed heads and a little cocaine. Bobby called in the local police and they found a mass grave containing seven other bodies including Grants. Amanda and Frank ate out for breakfast, and when they came back Cardoni was in their driveway. Cardoni told Frank about how there was police at his house going through it. Frank, Amanda, and Cardoni went to his house to talk with the police. The police showed them a tape they found that showed the surgeon cut off Mary’s nipple and a closeup of her screaming and passing out. Frank talked with Cardoni alone and told him just to go with the police and not to fight them. The next morning, Frank talked with Cardoni about the evidence against him before the bail hearing. Castle testified against Cardoni and said he had raped her when they were married and that Cardoni would flee if given parole. Bobby tried to find who owned the house but found nothing. Amanda and Cross interviewed Castle. Amanda had coffee with Tony and he told her about where he'd gone after he quit medical school and where he became a doctor. Cross learned that Castle had shot her first husband and the second died in an accident. Bobby testified that he had received an anonymous call and then verified it with an informant. Frank called Art to the stand and Art had an audio recording of his conversation with Bobby that proved he didn't tell him anything. Cardoni was set free because all the evidence was collected illegally. Scofield tried to convinced Brody to reopen the case against Cardoni. Two of Breach’s hitmen followed Cardoni into the woods. Cardoni beat both of them up and made them tell him who sent them. Breach sent Art after Cardoni. Amanda was woken up by the phone ringing. Cardoni asked for her father, but she told him he was out of town. Cardoni then asked her to come to the cabin because he knew who the real murder was. Amanda got her father's snubnose .38 and went to the cabin. On the way there, she saw Art. When she got to the cabin she found Cardoni’s hand on the operating table. It was four years after Cardoni’s hand was found and Amanda was trying to keep a client off of death row. Amanda lost the case but kept her client off of death row. Volkov stole a doctor's coffee mug. Two cops went to a farmhouse and found Castle running out the door. Inside they found a dead man, operating room, and a journal containing what had been done to the body. Amanda was woken up by the phone ringing. Castle was asking for Frank but Amanda told her that he was in California for a week. Amanda then asked Castle why she needed her father and castle explained. Amanda went to the justice center where Castle was being held and talked with her and Greene. The next day, Amanda went to the courthouse for Castle’s arraignment. Amanda went to the farmhouse and found Vasquez. They talked and Amanda found out that Vasquez had become a private detective. Vasquez wanted to be the investigator for Amanda’s case and Amanda told him she’d think about it. The next morning, Amanda found Frank had come home early from vacation to help with the case. Amanda talked with him about Vasquez and convinced him to let him help. Amanda went through her missed calls and found a call from Tony. Amanda called Tony back and thy set up a date. At the date, they talked about Amanda’s case and how Tony had become a plastic surgeon. Tony said he was going to look for Cardoni because there investigator wouldn't be able to spot someone who had plastic surgery. Bobby talked with Ann the lawyer who bought the house and found out that the transactions to purchase the farmhouse were the same as the ones used to purchase the cabin. Greene and McCarthy talked about the similarities in the two cases and how almost nothing connected to Castle. McCarthy told Greene about the two previous husbands Castle had, and how she shot one and the other died in an accident.Amanda talked with Castle about what Greene was doing. Amanda was at her office when Tony called. Tony told her that he already had a list and had eliminated a few by following them. Frank came in after Amand finished her call to tell her Art was willing to talk. Frank and Amanda went to Art’s strip club to talk to him. They talked about the case similarities and how it could mean Cardoni’s back and how they know that's something Breach would want to know. Art told them Breach sent him up to the cabin the night Cardoni disappeared for a truce. Art called Breach to tell him Cardoni might be back. Volkov was cleaning when he found Tony was following him. Volkov asked Tony why he was following him when Tony tries to stab him with a scalpel. Volkov beats Tony and runs off. Amanda told Bobby about how Tony was looking for Cardoni since he could recognize plastic surgery. Amand and Bobby talked about similar killing grounds Amanda had found over the world. Amanda got a call telling her about Volkov and Tony’s fight. Amanda had McCarthy arrest Volkov and take his prints. Roy called Greene to set up a meeting so Cardoni could talk with them without the threat of being arrested again. Cardoni talked with Greene and McCarthy about how he thought Castle was the murder and that she framed him. Amanda talked with Castle and told her later that afternoon she was gonna have another bail hearing. Castle asked about Cardoni because she was scared he would try to hurt her, so Amanda told her that Bobby could be her bodyguard. Bobby and Amanda talked and Bobby agreed be Castle’s bodyguard. Cardoni was in the courtroom waiting for Castle’s case. Castle was set free. Cardoni was angry that Castle was set free. Bobby took Castle home and they talked the whole way about Cardoni. Cardoni was in his hotel room and got an envelope that had a map to a rest area and a journal entry from the murder book. Cardoni got a handgun and a knife left for him by Roy. Greene got a call from McCarthy about how he had proof that Cardoni was the one who called 9-1-1 the night Castle was arrested. McCarthy told him to meet him at Judge Campbell’s to try and get a warrant. Bobby had paid a hotel employee to tell him when Cardoni leaves and what car was his. Bobby followed him to a rest area where he went into the restroom and didn’t come out. When he went in he was knocked out. Amanda got a call from Ann and she told her that it was Cardoni who was asking about the farmhouse. Amanda talked to Frank about how it didn't make sense for Cardoni to ask about a property that was supposedly his. She said she thought Castle was the murder. Frank pointed out that the coffee mug wasn’t made public and that is what appeared at the farmhouse. There conversation was interrupted because McCarthy had arrived and need to talk to Amanda. He told her that Bobby was found at a rest area with a severe head injury. Amanda went to Tony’s for dinner and to spend the night. Amanda went back the next night for dinner. After dinner when Tony was cleaning Amanda got a call from Castle asking for her help but she wouldn't respond to anything Amanda said. Amanda and Tony went to Castle’s house. Tony went inside and amanda staid in the car. There was two gunshots so Amanda went to check if Tony was ok. Amanda found Cardoni had been shot, there was a bullet hole next to Tony in the wall, and Castle cut and stabbed to death with a hunting knife beside her. Amanda and Greene talked about Cardoni’s case. Cardoni called and asked for Frank, but he was out of town so Amanda took the call. Cardoni told her to come down to the hospital because he needed to tell her something. AManda made Cardoni sign a form that stated that her ferm no longer represents him so anything he says can be used against him. Cardoni says that Tony is the murder and that he kidnaped him, tranquilized him, and shot him when he was still asleep. Amanda got angry and left. Amanda thought about the murders at ghost lake so she looked them up. Amanda looked up one of the deputies who worked on the case and talked with him. He said that they found two bodies buried in the woods and the cabin that burnt down with two people inside of it. The deputy said that the owner was dom and then she knew who committed the murders. Amanda talked to Frank about Dom and how he died. SHe found out that Tony was supposed to be in mexico but didn't respond to Franks call about his father being dead for two days. Two of Breach’s assassin's went to the hospital and threatened the orderly with silenced pistols. The two killed all the orderlies to and the cop in front of Cardoni’s room. One went inside to kill Cardoni while the other stood guard. When he got close enuff Cardoni stabbed him in the brain through the ear with a straitened bed spring. Cardonin took the pistol and shot the other assassin as he walked in. Cardoni took the one of the assassins close and escaped. McCarthy called Greene down to the hospital when it was found out that Cardoni escaped. McCarthy and Greene had a conference with Amanda were she tells them to test the blood they took from Cardoni for tranquilizers and that she thinks the murder is Tony. She told them about how Tony had left the room right before Castle called and how she didn't respond to anything she said. Amanda was wired and having dinner with Tony. Tony started talking about the case and said something that onthey the police, attorneys, and murder would know. Amanda said that it makes a compelling case that Cardoni was framed and that he was the murder since wherever he was there was a murder spree at the time he was there. Tony laughed and held out a bite of food for Amanda and punched her in the face when she went to bite it. Tony tied her up, blindfolded her and taped her mouth shut. He talked to her and looked for a wire but didn't find one. The cops became suspicious after ten minutes of only Tony talking. Tony went downstairs with Amanda and went into a secret tunnel just as the police broke into his house. The police didn't find where they went for a bit. Tony brought Amanda out of the tunnel and started walking her to a car. Amanda took off and ran into a tree. She sat there crying until the police found her. Cardoni was sitting in a warehouse with Tony talking to him about how it was luck he saw him trying to escape. Cardoni called Breach tom inform him he had Grant’s partner and wanted to be left alone. Breach agreed and so Cardoni told him were he was. Cardoni told Tony that one of Breach’s crooked cops gave him copies of his pain journals and he was looking forward to trying out the techniques he found most effective and left. Two weeks later Greene checked in on Amanda and asked her out on a date. Art, Marty and another one of Breach’s employees were playing cards in the warehouse with Tony. Breach came in and asked if they had gotten any more info from Tony. Art said no and that it had been a month of torture so they got everything they could. Breach told them to send the cops something so they know he was dead. Art recomended one of Tony’s hands to make it poetic, but breach said he wanted them to know he was dead. Breach wanted them to know because Frank had always done him right, and he didn't want Amanda to worry. After a little bit they decided to send the cops his head.
Characterization
Amanda is Frank’s daughter and the Lead counsel for Castles case. She is also Tony's “girlfriend” toward the middle of the book and hostage at the end.
Frank is Amanda’s father and lead counsel for Cardoni’s case and the second layer for Castle’s case.
Tony is the murder and Amanda’s and Castle’s “boyfriend.” He is also a surgeon at St. Francis, Grants partner, and the one who finds Cardoni.
Cardoni is a cokehead surgeon from St. Francis. Cardoni is also Castle’s ex-husband and the suspected murder.
Castle is a surgeon at St. Francis and Cardonis ex-wife. Castle was also Tony’s “Girlfriend” during the investigation of Cardoni and his last victim.
Greene is a criminal investigator who works for the police. He looked into murders at the cabin, and what happened to Cardoni when he disappeared. He is also Amanda’s date at the end.
Bobby is a cop who wanted to bring down Breach and took an anonymous call about Cardoni selling coke from Breach. He found the bodies at the cabin when he was looking for Cardoni. He becomes a private investigator after he’s fired for going into the cabin illegally and becomes Castle’s bodyguard.
Setting
This book is set in modern-day Portland, Oregon. The setting is not particularly important other than its America. The time is only important because there has to be planes, organ transplants, and video technology.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to high school boys and girls that like suspenseful and mystery books. I recommend this book to high school boys because it's about finding a murder. I recommend this to high school girls because, it's also kind of about a girl finding love and stepping out of her father’s shadow. I recommend this to people who like mystery and suspense full books because this book has plenty of twists to through them off.
July 19, 2011
This is sort of a legal thriller. Not much courtroom action, so if that's what you are looking for here you might be disappointed. But, this book was a real twisty thriller. I didn't have it figured out for a good while, and even though I started to have my suspicions, I was never really sure. Even when it's all been figured out, there is a nice little spin at the end everyone will like. I highly recommend this one!
March 19, 2019
New Arthur for me and a 5 book series, with Amanda Jaffe, so onto the 2nd book. It's all based in Portland, Oregon as well. The Author also lives in Portland... Great Great Read!!!
November 19, 2025
Ra mắt ở thời điểm cách đây hơn 20 năm, chủ đề của cuốn sách có lẽ đủ “wow” đối với phần đông độc giả. Xuyên suốt cuốn sách là hành trình đi tìm công lý của 3 nhân vật đan xen vào nhau, hồi hộp, gay cấn. Mình thích cách tác giả đẩy tình tiết lên cao trào và xây dựng nhân vật có quá trình phát triển tâm lý, tháo gỡ nút thắt về tinh thần rất hợp lý.
October 13, 2021
I don’t really know why I continued reading this book- I had decided who the serial murderer was the moment he was introduced. It did live up to its published cruelty and gruesomeness but that said it was so horrid it was ridiculous. It was also very American so not my favourite style of writing. I will not read more by this author.
April 4, 2017
In Philip Margolin's Wild Justice, the first installment in the Amanda Jaffe legal thriller series, this thriller will give you chills and make you shudder. When Amanda Jaffe joined her father's law firm as an associate, he helped him take the case against Vincent Cardoni. A prominent doctor who's been arrested for series crimes, who had run into some trouble with the law and with the mafia. He claims he's innocent and that Justine Castle, his soon-to-be ex-wife had framed him. During his trial, they hit a snafu with Detective Vasquez's testimony who had a hard-on Castle and to nail him for the crimes. From there, they motioned to suppress the evidence against him. That's when he disappeared and his hand is missing. Fast-forward to four years later, Amanda's moved up in his father's law firm, and a new farmhouse became the killing ground for another set of serial murders. And Justine Castle calls Amanda and asks her for her help, when she believes she didn't do it and she was framed from Cardoni. During this case, she began to have a heated relationship with Toni Fiori, someone she used to date back in high school. While the suspicion was on Castle, she hired Vasquez as a PI to protect her and with help with the case. Cardoni's discovered in a new guise to watch Justine; but when Vasquez's attacked and then Justine's later found dead, she discovered who's the culprit, someone who's real close to her with newfound truth, she fights for her life when the danger came near her in a shocking ending.
October 16, 2023
I have a solid appreciation for paperback thrillers from the nineties. They're mostly inspired by Silence of the Lambs. They have an unpretentious quaintness about them. Easy to read, acceptable twists and turns. However, I knew the killer immediately but got into the game by doubting my own intuition so that was enjoyable. I traded TV for these and I honestly don't think I'd go back to the boob tube full time since it has the same easily digestible entertainment as like a CSI, but feels more mentally simulating somehow. Anyway, I will probably read more from him.
February 21, 2021
Sürükleyici bir roman tavsiye ederim..Çok heyecanlanarak okudum..
January 16, 2022
Okuduğum ilk anda katilin kim olduğunu anladım maalesef.
August 12, 2021
It started off fairly strong but then just got ridiculous and predictable.
May 31, 2012
Phillip Margolin / Vahşi Adalet
Vahşi Adalet kitabı okundu bitti. Bitmese olacaktı, biraz daha okusaydım keşke. :) Ama işte kitap güzel olunca anında, soluksuz okunuyor.
Kitabı çok beğendim ! Tam benim tarzımdı ve çok zekice kurgulanmıştı. Cinayetler tüylerimi ürpertir, ağzım açık okurken vay be dedim ne canavarlar var. Bir de okurken etraf karanlık falan işte tek gece lambası açık, gaipten sesler duymaya da başladım. Sonra aman sen kenidini öldürülenlerin yerine değil öldürenin yerine koy dedim. :) Ne ? Evet caniyim tamam mı, ne var ? :)):)
Şaka maka süper kitaptı he ! İyiki okumuşum diyorum. Yalnız en başta beni kitaba çeken konusu değil kapağı olmuştu. Kapak mükemmel !
Kitabın konusu ise kısaca; ormanın derinliklerinde bir evde berbat bir halde ki cesetler bulunuyor. Ve bu cinayetleri bir doktor işlemiş gibi görünüyor. Fakat ortaya mafya da çıkıyor. Bu noktadan sonra işin aslı organ ticareti gibi görünse de kimi cinayetler sırf katilin eğlencesi olmuş. Hatta onları bir nevi denek olarak kullanmış.
Bana göre kitabın asıl çarpıcı kısmı; katil işte o derken, aslında o olmayabilir de diyorsun. Katil olarak tutuklanan doktorun mahkemeye çıkarılışını, beraat edişini, ortadan kayboluşunu okuyorsun.
Tam artık herşey bitti, cinayetler kesildi derken aradan geçen dört yıl sonra herşey tekrardan başlıyor. olaylar aynı. Karakterler aynı. Sadece oynadıkları rol farklı.
Aslında kitapta tek bir gerçek var; katliamların dehşet verici olması...
Adaletin vahşi olması...
Herkesin bir geçmişinin olması...
Vahşi Adalet tüyler ürpertici bir öyküydü. Yazarı çok başarılı buldum.
KİTABI HERKESE TAVSİYE EDERİM.
June 4, 2021
Nothing spectacular.
May 22, 2023
I was pleasantly surprised with Wild Justice. I had previously read a random Amanda Jaffe novel and wasn’t the biggest fan, but I did thoroughly enjoy this one. The ending was pretty obvious to me though and I think that’s my only real problem with the book. It’s hard to write from a lawyer’s perspective because the person there defending is obviously not guilty, or that would make for a boring book. It also was very convenient that Tony was in the area both times, so as soon as that happened I was sure it was him. I thought the tension was well written and I overall liked the character of Amanda Jaffe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2023
Wild Justice is everything I love in a crime fiction story. The only downside to this one, for me anyway, is I knew who the killer was as early as the first coffee "date". It was very interesting to see how the killer is finally caught though and I was definitely never bored. I already have book 2 and will be reading that one soon.
October 20, 2023
Niesamowicie dużo nazwisk, które do połowy książki zmuszały mnie do cofania się w tył żeby przypomnieć sobie kto jest kim. Niestety łatwo było się domyślić kto jest prawdziwym zabójcą, opis książki niekoniecznie adekwatny i bez niego definitywnie dłużej zajęłoby mi domyślnie się kto stoi za morderstwami.
Pomimo tego wszystkiego książka warta przeczytania, pisana w łatwy i ciekawy sposób, lektura idealna do ciepłej herbatki;)
Pomimo tego wszystkiego książka warta przeczytania, pisana w łatwy i ciekawy sposób, lektura idealna do ciepłej herbatki;)
December 7, 2023
Margolin is a stellar writer and I have enjoyed his books for years. It was a thrill to find one of his earlier works that I had missed. I appreciate his passion for the law and the justice system; it makes his storylines so compelling. While there were too many red herrings thrown into this one (ironically, that made me guess who the real baddie was early on), it was still a suspenseful read with great characters.
July 2, 2024
really liked this book!! my cup of tea, a bit (lot) of crime, a bit medical and lots of plot twists.
I did guess the killer by about 60 pages in but then gaslit myself until they were actually revealed
I did guess the killer by about 60 pages in but then gaslit myself until they were actually revealed
October 15, 2020
It was obvious to me from the beginning who the killer was, but I still liked the little twist at the end.
December 20, 2022
Reminds me a bit of the Ro in Lockwood series, but did a good job of keeping me guessing until the end.
August 10, 2020
A great plot - the number of potential "baddies" keeps you guessing. HOwever not a fan of the serial murder cum torture surroundings for the plot. And I have to admit I was not totally surprised by the ending. Definitely an entertaining read.
August 28, 2022
WILD JUSTICE [2009] By Phillip Margolin
My Review 4.5 Stars****
I just finished reading this introductory novel to the author’s lucrative Amanda Jaffe Series [Book 1 of 5], which was published just about a decade and a half ago. I had succumbed to a discount price on Book 4 of his successful Robin Lockwood series [A Matter Of Life And Death], and in one way or another I found myself reading the customer reviews on Wild Justice. The next thing I knew I was reading the opening quote by Francis Bacon:
“Revenge is a kind of wild justice”
In the spirit of full disclose I have been a fan of Phillip Margolin’s works since the late ‘90s early 2000’s, and much like readers all over the globe GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN (1993) knocked my socks off. In later years I must confess that I would more accurately be classified as a “fickle” fan as opposed to a “faithful” one. That said, I have not read anything by Margolin for the past couple of years.
I was enthusiastic about THE THIRD VICTIM [2018], the novel that effectively launched his popular new series featuring attorney Robin Lockwood. The reading experience was as puzzling as it was disappointing. I read the book in 2019, and my feelings about it did not prompt me to forge ahead with following the new series. Rather, it created an almost “need to know” enthusiasm to ferret out the reason for the stark contrast between his new work in 2018 when measured against the masterpiece that was GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN (applicable in every sense of the book’s title) from the author in 1993. That led me to obsessively read his two prior books before the 1993 masterpiece and additionally the standalone novel that followed it in 1995 [AFTER DARK]. All three were standalones, and the two earlier novels were abysmal disappointments. The book published in 1995 was a surprise in its introduction of a host of richly developed and colorful characters, an intriguing and emotionally charged mind field of explosive action, and an underlying story of passion, devotion, and unrequited self-sacrificing love. I allotted 5-Stars which I felt were well deserved despite ethics and professional integrity winning the day. Full disclosures from me should have also included that I am a reader who does not criticize vigilante justice, this latter bit of insight certainly more on target with the outstanding thriller WILD JUSTICE [2009], which I know I have digressed shamelessly in the task of reviewing it. So, let us correct that right now.
Margolin returns to his bread and butter “big time” in this one. 26-year-old former female attorney Amanda Jaffe returns to Oregon to accept a position in her father’s law firm even though her intelligence and experience since law school could have opened a door to more esteemed law firms and coveted positions anywhere in the country. Frank Jaffe, the senior partner in Jaffe, Katz, Lehane and Brindisi in Portland is ecstatic to have his little girl back with him and working at his firm specializing in criminal defense work.
The author does not waste any time and a loud, condescending brute of a surgeon named Vincent Cardoni soon finds himself in a predicament straight from the bowels of hell. He is arrested on multiple counts of murder after a kill house is littered with his prints and a bloodied makeshift “operating room” with leather restraints used for both torture and the harvesting of human organs is found. Police also find buried corpses near the cabin which are practically beyond recognition. Frank and daughter Amanda accept the deplorable Cardoni as a client. The courtroom scenes are riveting and vest the novel with a bit of hocus pocus courtesy of the author’s background as an experienced criminal defense attorney.
Cardoni’s initial astonishing release from custody is going to be challenged by the legal system and he is facing being returned to jail without bail and going to trial facing murder with special circumstances that result in the Death Penalty. Conversely, the most powerful crime boss in the city has him in the cross-hairs for his perceived participation in the scheme to sell body parts on the black market and stealing a quarter of a million dollars in a double-cross.
Forensic evidence is discovered that is quite persuasive that Cardoni has been murdered, namely the surgeon’s severed right hand. The investigation into potential other killing fields, and other leads at the time of his disappearance are halted by the police department, and the case unofficially considered essentially close.
The novel is written in two parts four years apart. Cardoni has returned, but as a chameleon who is not recognizable and spends his time in the shadows and under the police radar. Vincent Cardoni is ostensibly back in Portland to elicit scorched earth revenge against the party who “set him up.” He is so unlikable, vicious, and violent that it is quite a stretch to see him as an innocent victim who was framed. His initial target is ex-wife Justine who had means, motive, and opportunity. Justine is beautiful and smart, a talented surgeon, but her history reads like a “Black Widow” with a string of dead husbands followed by insurance policies, wills, trust funds and impressive financial gains after each of three husbands met an untimely death. That is not counting the despicable hubby, Vincent Cardoni. But then not for the adroit moves made by Frank Jaffe to suppress the incriminating evidence discovered during the police search of the isolated cabin and grounds Vincent would have been sitting on Death Row or tortured and killed by the ruthless and relentless Martin Beach.
It is apparent in the first half of the book that the police are hunting for a serial killer who is a sadistic sexual psychopathic who is highly intelligent and knowledgeable about police forensics. The serial predator is additionally suspected to have engaged in a little highly profitable sideline with the lethal crime lord Martin Beach, unforgiving and unrelenting in his position as the head of organized crime in Portland. Beach sent a quarter of a million dollars to exchange for a heart and due to a police raid, the criminal lost the heart and the money. That paints the picture of a remorseless sociopath who kills for the sheer thrill of it, tortures helpless victims for days, and even chronicles his pain experiments in journals replete with photos of the victims on his makeshift operating table. It solidifies for everyone later that they have a far worse monster on their hands, a sadistic serial killer who has been torturing and killing for literally years with identified killing fields in different states and jurisdictions, and even out of the United States. The data gathered matches the unique MO and Signature in Portland four years earlier. The author succeeded in creating a human monster who was just as evil as the Rose Killer depicted in GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.
The lethality of the sinister surgeon Vincent Cardoni, was an intriguing part of the novel. There were several good suspects, and it was genuinely a lot of fun to record the clues and clever bread crumbs that were dropped by the author along the winding path of the narrative. WILD JUSTICE was loved by Margolin’s readers in general and there was an abundance of five stars allotted. Approximately 80% into the plot line I was reasonably sure that I had identified the intellectually gifted monster who had tortured and murdered his way across states and even countries meticulously logging the results of his experiments delivering pain, hunger, and sensory deprivations to dozens of victims. I had fortunately dismissed a couple of strong contenders because I felt they were both too obvious (and in one those cases, the personality did not match the profile). I had it narrowed down to two primary characters and made my choice going into the final exciting if not breathtaking final stretch. I was thrilled to be right. However, I told my partner lying beside me that this was a solid 4 Stars, but I could not see how the author could ramp up the complicated plot and the raw terror to shoot the rating up to a five in the last 15% or so of the novel.
It turned out I was short-sighted. Margolin had been smoothly cruising along at 90 MPH, then simply stomped the pedal to 120 MPH racing through and beyond all my highest expectations. I LOVED the climax and the Epilogue was the proverbial icing on the cake. I rated this a “knock it all of the ball park” home run at 4.5 Stars Rounded Up. I distinguished it in that small way from the Gold Standard of GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. I am a far less “fickle” fan after reading WILD JUSTICE. I have already ordered Book 2 in the Amanda Jaffe series. I will not wait another two years before I read his works again.
MARGOLIN KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE BALL PARK WITH DEBUT OF AMANDA JAFFE SERIES
My Review 4.5 Stars****
I just finished reading this introductory novel to the author’s lucrative Amanda Jaffe Series [Book 1 of 5], which was published just about a decade and a half ago. I had succumbed to a discount price on Book 4 of his successful Robin Lockwood series [A Matter Of Life And Death], and in one way or another I found myself reading the customer reviews on Wild Justice. The next thing I knew I was reading the opening quote by Francis Bacon:
“Revenge is a kind of wild justice”
In the spirit of full disclose I have been a fan of Phillip Margolin’s works since the late ‘90s early 2000’s, and much like readers all over the globe GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN (1993) knocked my socks off. In later years I must confess that I would more accurately be classified as a “fickle” fan as opposed to a “faithful” one. That said, I have not read anything by Margolin for the past couple of years.
I was enthusiastic about THE THIRD VICTIM [2018], the novel that effectively launched his popular new series featuring attorney Robin Lockwood. The reading experience was as puzzling as it was disappointing. I read the book in 2019, and my feelings about it did not prompt me to forge ahead with following the new series. Rather, it created an almost “need to know” enthusiasm to ferret out the reason for the stark contrast between his new work in 2018 when measured against the masterpiece that was GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN (applicable in every sense of the book’s title) from the author in 1993. That led me to obsessively read his two prior books before the 1993 masterpiece and additionally the standalone novel that followed it in 1995 [AFTER DARK]. All three were standalones, and the two earlier novels were abysmal disappointments. The book published in 1995 was a surprise in its introduction of a host of richly developed and colorful characters, an intriguing and emotionally charged mind field of explosive action, and an underlying story of passion, devotion, and unrequited self-sacrificing love. I allotted 5-Stars which I felt were well deserved despite ethics and professional integrity winning the day. Full disclosures from me should have also included that I am a reader who does not criticize vigilante justice, this latter bit of insight certainly more on target with the outstanding thriller WILD JUSTICE [2009], which I know I have digressed shamelessly in the task of reviewing it. So, let us correct that right now.
Margolin returns to his bread and butter “big time” in this one. 26-year-old former female attorney Amanda Jaffe returns to Oregon to accept a position in her father’s law firm even though her intelligence and experience since law school could have opened a door to more esteemed law firms and coveted positions anywhere in the country. Frank Jaffe, the senior partner in Jaffe, Katz, Lehane and Brindisi in Portland is ecstatic to have his little girl back with him and working at his firm specializing in criminal defense work.
The author does not waste any time and a loud, condescending brute of a surgeon named Vincent Cardoni soon finds himself in a predicament straight from the bowels of hell. He is arrested on multiple counts of murder after a kill house is littered with his prints and a bloodied makeshift “operating room” with leather restraints used for both torture and the harvesting of human organs is found. Police also find buried corpses near the cabin which are practically beyond recognition. Frank and daughter Amanda accept the deplorable Cardoni as a client. The courtroom scenes are riveting and vest the novel with a bit of hocus pocus courtesy of the author’s background as an experienced criminal defense attorney.
Cardoni’s initial astonishing release from custody is going to be challenged by the legal system and he is facing being returned to jail without bail and going to trial facing murder with special circumstances that result in the Death Penalty. Conversely, the most powerful crime boss in the city has him in the cross-hairs for his perceived participation in the scheme to sell body parts on the black market and stealing a quarter of a million dollars in a double-cross.
Forensic evidence is discovered that is quite persuasive that Cardoni has been murdered, namely the surgeon’s severed right hand. The investigation into potential other killing fields, and other leads at the time of his disappearance are halted by the police department, and the case unofficially considered essentially close.
The novel is written in two parts four years apart. Cardoni has returned, but as a chameleon who is not recognizable and spends his time in the shadows and under the police radar. Vincent Cardoni is ostensibly back in Portland to elicit scorched earth revenge against the party who “set him up.” He is so unlikable, vicious, and violent that it is quite a stretch to see him as an innocent victim who was framed. His initial target is ex-wife Justine who had means, motive, and opportunity. Justine is beautiful and smart, a talented surgeon, but her history reads like a “Black Widow” with a string of dead husbands followed by insurance policies, wills, trust funds and impressive financial gains after each of three husbands met an untimely death. That is not counting the despicable hubby, Vincent Cardoni. But then not for the adroit moves made by Frank Jaffe to suppress the incriminating evidence discovered during the police search of the isolated cabin and grounds Vincent would have been sitting on Death Row or tortured and killed by the ruthless and relentless Martin Beach.
It is apparent in the first half of the book that the police are hunting for a serial killer who is a sadistic sexual psychopathic who is highly intelligent and knowledgeable about police forensics. The serial predator is additionally suspected to have engaged in a little highly profitable sideline with the lethal crime lord Martin Beach, unforgiving and unrelenting in his position as the head of organized crime in Portland. Beach sent a quarter of a million dollars to exchange for a heart and due to a police raid, the criminal lost the heart and the money. That paints the picture of a remorseless sociopath who kills for the sheer thrill of it, tortures helpless victims for days, and even chronicles his pain experiments in journals replete with photos of the victims on his makeshift operating table. It solidifies for everyone later that they have a far worse monster on their hands, a sadistic serial killer who has been torturing and killing for literally years with identified killing fields in different states and jurisdictions, and even out of the United States. The data gathered matches the unique MO and Signature in Portland four years earlier. The author succeeded in creating a human monster who was just as evil as the Rose Killer depicted in GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.
The lethality of the sinister surgeon Vincent Cardoni, was an intriguing part of the novel. There were several good suspects, and it was genuinely a lot of fun to record the clues and clever bread crumbs that were dropped by the author along the winding path of the narrative. WILD JUSTICE was loved by Margolin’s readers in general and there was an abundance of five stars allotted. Approximately 80% into the plot line I was reasonably sure that I had identified the intellectually gifted monster who had tortured and murdered his way across states and even countries meticulously logging the results of his experiments delivering pain, hunger, and sensory deprivations to dozens of victims. I had fortunately dismissed a couple of strong contenders because I felt they were both too obvious (and in one those cases, the personality did not match the profile). I had it narrowed down to two primary characters and made my choice going into the final exciting if not breathtaking final stretch. I was thrilled to be right. However, I told my partner lying beside me that this was a solid 4 Stars, but I could not see how the author could ramp up the complicated plot and the raw terror to shoot the rating up to a five in the last 15% or so of the novel.
It turned out I was short-sighted. Margolin had been smoothly cruising along at 90 MPH, then simply stomped the pedal to 120 MPH racing through and beyond all my highest expectations. I LOVED the climax and the Epilogue was the proverbial icing on the cake. I rated this a “knock it all of the ball park” home run at 4.5 Stars Rounded Up. I distinguished it in that small way from the Gold Standard of GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. I am a far less “fickle” fan after reading WILD JUSTICE. I have already ordered Book 2 in the Amanda Jaffe series. I will not wait another two years before I read his works again.
MARGOLIN KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE BALL PARK WITH DEBUT OF AMANDA JAFFE SERIES
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