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Penitent
Meet Hector Lawless. As a brilliant Edinburgh lawyer, Hector has a reputation for untangling the cases that no other lawyer can handle. But the obsessive-compulsive behaviour that’s made him a master of the law has also left Hector a pariah amongst his peers - a social outcast with crippling anxiety. The man with the perfectly ordered desk, the pristine notebooks, the strictly regimented working day and rituals that make sense only to him. When Hector is approached by his boss, Lord Campbell, with a highly sensitive case that reaches from one of Edinburgh’s most exclusive private schools to 10 Downing Street, he relishes the chance to bring true evil to justice. Hector must call on every one of the skills he has cultivated over a lifetime of being an outsider to survive. Justice will be served. The Penitent must accept their penance. As Hector’s enemies are about to discover, it really is the quiet ones you have to worry about. PENITENT is a compelling, immersive thriller from Mark Leggatt, author of the acclaimed Connor Montrose series.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 7, 2023
‘Penitent’ is a tense and exciting thriller, set in Edinburgh where events could have major repercussions for the government. I devoured this book in a couple of days and really enjoyed it. This is the first book I have read by this author but I think I might be taking a peek into this back catalogue! This was a dark thriller dealing with child abuse, the imbalance of powers and much more. There are no explicit scenes though.
Hector Lawless is a brilliant lawyer. His life is ruled by rituals - a symptom of his OCD. He has patterns he needs to follow and has a certain way of doing things. He is meticulous in his work for the chambers. This doesn't make him friends though and most colleagues bully and undermine him. His boss Lord Campbell, calls him in early one morning and gives him a special task. To investigate a local MP who is believed to be abusing children from Hector’s old private school. This is an investigation that would rock parliament and soon Hector is playing a cat-and-mouse game with the police and MI5. But this is where his level of planning comes to the fore and will this allow to get away…
Hector Lawless has a brilliant name for being a lawyer - that made me chuckle. It took me a while to warm up to Hector. I loved that he was a quirky character and probably neurodivergent, but it took about 40% into the book when I started to root for him! But then I loved him! His sense of justice was prominent throughout and this was his main strength. Once he knew about the boys being abused he wasn't going to stop until the perpetrators were caught.
Edinburgh itself was a character in this book - it's a dark and damp entity that provides the perfect backdrop to this story. Edinburgh is this sense is moody, and dark, it has a way of hiding those who need to be hidden. It's clear the author loves this city and the writing reflects this. What is also clear is that Mark has also researched about Hector’s personality as it comes as being authentic and real. Hector was a complex character and is one I will think of for quite a while!
Let me know if you pick this one up!
Hector Lawless is a brilliant lawyer. His life is ruled by rituals - a symptom of his OCD. He has patterns he needs to follow and has a certain way of doing things. He is meticulous in his work for the chambers. This doesn't make him friends though and most colleagues bully and undermine him. His boss Lord Campbell, calls him in early one morning and gives him a special task. To investigate a local MP who is believed to be abusing children from Hector’s old private school. This is an investigation that would rock parliament and soon Hector is playing a cat-and-mouse game with the police and MI5. But this is where his level of planning comes to the fore and will this allow to get away…
Hector Lawless has a brilliant name for being a lawyer - that made me chuckle. It took me a while to warm up to Hector. I loved that he was a quirky character and probably neurodivergent, but it took about 40% into the book when I started to root for him! But then I loved him! His sense of justice was prominent throughout and this was his main strength. Once he knew about the boys being abused he wasn't going to stop until the perpetrators were caught.
Edinburgh itself was a character in this book - it's a dark and damp entity that provides the perfect backdrop to this story. Edinburgh is this sense is moody, and dark, it has a way of hiding those who need to be hidden. It's clear the author loves this city and the writing reflects this. What is also clear is that Mark has also researched about Hector’s personality as it comes as being authentic and real. Hector was a complex character and is one I will think of for quite a while!
Let me know if you pick this one up!
July 3, 2023
Hector Lawless is a fantastic Edinburgh lawyer who has a great reputation for interpreting cases and untangling them. He has an OCD behaviour, lining up pencils on his desk, he has spotless notebooks, and his workmates find this funny. He’s a loner, has no friends and stays away from the others at work as they are not his cup of tea.
Lord Campbell calls Hector in early to work to speak to him privately so no one else is about. He has a case of child abuse that he wants him to investigate but it has to be kept quiet as its top secret. It involves Edinburgh’s most exclusive private school to 10 Downing Street, including the Secretary of State for Scotland. He admitted that one boy Alex had been killed but it was him that brought the case to his attention. He wanted Hector to take two weeks leave, only report to him early mornings and to take pictures on an old SLR camera. Hector had other ideas as he was good at planning so he went home and planned, shopped and his packages started to arrive. He even made himself a dark room that would convert to a hideaway if need be so he brought some little camera’s and set them up in his home too and linked them with his laptop so he could sit in the hideaway and watch the world outside.
Could he get pictures at the school? Could he get pictures at Hastings place?
This is a brilliant read and I really enjoyed reading it. It was exceptionally well written with great descriptive prose. It had a superb plot and the story line was fantastic. It must have taken a lot of time to research some of this story but the end result is well worth it. Well worth a read.
Lord Campbell calls Hector in early to work to speak to him privately so no one else is about. He has a case of child abuse that he wants him to investigate but it has to be kept quiet as its top secret. It involves Edinburgh’s most exclusive private school to 10 Downing Street, including the Secretary of State for Scotland. He admitted that one boy Alex had been killed but it was him that brought the case to his attention. He wanted Hector to take two weeks leave, only report to him early mornings and to take pictures on an old SLR camera. Hector had other ideas as he was good at planning so he went home and planned, shopped and his packages started to arrive. He even made himself a dark room that would convert to a hideaway if need be so he brought some little camera’s and set them up in his home too and linked them with his laptop so he could sit in the hideaway and watch the world outside.
Could he get pictures at the school? Could he get pictures at Hastings place?
This is a brilliant read and I really enjoyed reading it. It was exceptionally well written with great descriptive prose. It had a superb plot and the story line was fantastic. It must have taken a lot of time to research some of this story but the end result is well worth it. Well worth a read.
June 29, 2023
I love thrillers/crime books that are set in Scotland and as a parent of an neurodivergent adult child I also love it when there are neurodiverse characters in books, so I absolutely loved this book.
This is the first book that I have read by this author, but I don’t think it will be the last.
Hector, our lead character, was awesome. I thought the way that the author portrayed his neurodiversity was spot on, he felt real and believable and in this storyline he was the perfect man for the job.
I really liked the author’s writing style, and the excellent use of descriptive language gave me great images in my mind as the scenes unfolded, and kept me completely enthralled throughout the book.
The only downside for me, was the way that Hector is perceived at times and the lack of understanding he faced, but this is not a downside of the book or of the author’s writing, quite the contrary, it is the author’s accurate reflection of society as experienced by the neurodiverse community.
This is a great book, well thought out and well written and I highly recommend it.
My thanks to the author, the publisher and to LoveBooksTours for gifting me this book. I am leaving this review of my own volition.
This is the first book that I have read by this author, but I don’t think it will be the last.
Hector, our lead character, was awesome. I thought the way that the author portrayed his neurodiversity was spot on, he felt real and believable and in this storyline he was the perfect man for the job.
I really liked the author’s writing style, and the excellent use of descriptive language gave me great images in my mind as the scenes unfolded, and kept me completely enthralled throughout the book.
The only downside for me, was the way that Hector is perceived at times and the lack of understanding he faced, but this is not a downside of the book or of the author’s writing, quite the contrary, it is the author’s accurate reflection of society as experienced by the neurodiverse community.
This is a great book, well thought out and well written and I highly recommend it.
My thanks to the author, the publisher and to LoveBooksTours for gifting me this book. I am leaving this review of my own volition.
June 28, 2023
Having read the blurb, I was instantly intrigued by this book. I loved that the main character was neurodivergent yet was in a position of such importance.
I read a few reviews where people didn't get Hector, but I actually warmed to him straight away.
My son suffers from OCD and is bound by rituals and it was lovely to see a similar figure bringing about awareness.
However, it did also highlight the predjudice and fact that lots of people still don't accept or understand this behaviour.
I loved that Hector's manner made him the amazing lawyer that he is and allowed him to become "invisible" when needed.
But also gave him the impetus to keep going no matter what the cost - to bring about justice regardless of who or what the accused was.
I have read quite a few Scottish thrillers and dramas now and I honestly think that some of the best crime writing is coming from there.
The settings are gritty and honest and the writers write with such passion that it really shows their love of the cities.
This was a fast-paced and exciting read and I'd love to see more from this author.
I read a few reviews where people didn't get Hector, but I actually warmed to him straight away.
My son suffers from OCD and is bound by rituals and it was lovely to see a similar figure bringing about awareness.
However, it did also highlight the predjudice and fact that lots of people still don't accept or understand this behaviour.
I loved that Hector's manner made him the amazing lawyer that he is and allowed him to become "invisible" when needed.
But also gave him the impetus to keep going no matter what the cost - to bring about justice regardless of who or what the accused was.
I have read quite a few Scottish thrillers and dramas now and I honestly think that some of the best crime writing is coming from there.
The settings are gritty and honest and the writers write with such passion that it really shows their love of the cities.
This was a fast-paced and exciting read and I'd love to see more from this author.
June 21, 2023
Just finished this book after a frenzied read. I picked it up when I was in a bit of a mood, from work, and this book just hit the spot for taking me away. I found Hector to be a very interesting character.
His highly engaged and very addictive personality kind of hit home for me, as myself and my husband are very much the same. He really made this story into a unique read, as he is very unique in how he handles things. This made his time running exciting and like a puzzle.
I loved the pace of the read, which made it exciting, but also a great chance to take in all the important details. I was able to get to know Hector, whilst also finding out more about how to stump major government sectors. It was great.
I did feel for him, as he was taken advantage of, based on his quirky and unique personality and it led him down a rabbit hole of running and fighting back.
Overall a great read that brought out some interesting ideas and twists.
His highly engaged and very addictive personality kind of hit home for me, as myself and my husband are very much the same. He really made this story into a unique read, as he is very unique in how he handles things. This made his time running exciting and like a puzzle.
I loved the pace of the read, which made it exciting, but also a great chance to take in all the important details. I was able to get to know Hector, whilst also finding out more about how to stump major government sectors. It was great.
I did feel for him, as he was taken advantage of, based on his quirky and unique personality and it led him down a rabbit hole of running and fighting back.
Overall a great read that brought out some interesting ideas and twists.
June 27, 2023
I really enjoyed this read. It was gritty and raw and I couldn't put it down I read it in one sitting.
It is well written with a brutal yet compelling storyline and well developed characters. I loved Hector he was tenacious and unwavering and I really liked that quality in him especially with what he was investigating.
I loved the setting of the book as well which really added something to the storyline. I find that crime/thrillers that are set in Scotland can really get that gritty, mysterious and dark feel because of such a fantastic setting.
I loved it and cannot wait to read more by the author
It is well written with a brutal yet compelling storyline and well developed characters. I loved Hector he was tenacious and unwavering and I really liked that quality in him especially with what he was investigating.
I loved the setting of the book as well which really added something to the storyline. I find that crime/thrillers that are set in Scotland can really get that gritty, mysterious and dark feel because of such a fantastic setting.
I loved it and cannot wait to read more by the author
June 29, 2023
We all know how much I love a Scottish thriller and this one is no exception. It was instantly appealing to me on so many levels. I’m totally fascinated by legal settings. Lawyers, courtroom dramas, anything like that. I adore books set somewhere I know, even only slightly - in this case Edinburgh. And finally I love anything featuring a neurodiverse character. This one is the main player, Hector Lawless it’s often said that neurodiversity is a superpower and that definitely rings true for Hector. He is able to use the things that set him apart to his advantage both within and outwith the law. This is a really compelling read. I soaked it up and thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended
June 21, 2023
I really enjoyed this one and was gripped from the start. The story follows Hector Lawless, a lawyer who is investigating the alleged child abuse case from someone at his old private school and battles with the police and MI5 with his determination to catch the perpetrator.
The fact that it was set in the beautiful city of Edinburgh set the scene perfectly for this dark and mysterious crime thriller.
The fact that it was set in the beautiful city of Edinburgh set the scene perfectly for this dark and mysterious crime thriller.
June 22, 2023
Hector isn't like any other lawyer, he knows what's right and he'll stop at nothing to prove it. He is given a highly important assignment, something that could rock the government. Hector knows it's not going to be an easy job, but that's the sort of thing he likes. I enjoyed the storyline, it had me guessing what was next for Hector. I found it
June 1, 2024
I found this hard going as a read if honest. Good story line but incredibly confusing & over complicated for me. It was slow with excessive detail which at times seemed unnecessary & a little weird. Parts of it I enjoyed but overall, if brutally honest, it was a struggle to follow through and finish.
September 4, 2023
Brilliant. Loved the main character. Really different to the usual kind of hero you get.
May 10, 2024
Sorry to say DNF…very difficult to follow the narrative and gave up after 100 pages
October 25, 2023
clever and absorbing - loved it!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews