The Final Judgment

by Richard North Patterson

The bestselling novel by one of today's great authors of legal thrillers, Richard North Patterson's The Final Judgment.A young man has been murdered. His girlfriend, twenty-two-year-old Brett Allen, is found at the scene of the crime. She claims she is innocent—even though she's dripping in blood, the murder weapon covered with her fingerprints. Enter attorney Caroline Masters, Brett's estranged aunt. She's been summoned back to her affluent New England hometown to help Brett out of this mess…and revisit the troubled family she left behind.Caroline learned a long time ago that the ties that bind can also be broken. Now that she's back home, she can't help but doubt her family's motives—and Brett's innocence. As the trial heats up, Caroline finds herself up against those who would kill to keep dark secrets hidden…and the state prosecutor, who happens to be her former lover and will do anything to expose the truth. Now, with her family's fate—and her own reputation—hanging in the balance, Caroline must assume the role of a lifetime as she fights to save her niece. Or destroy them both…"Compelling...very possibly Patterson's best." -USA Today

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

636 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Richard North Patterson is the author of fourteen previous bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, Patterson served as the SEC’s liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups dealing with gun violence, political reform, and women’s rights. He lives in San Francisco and on Martha’s Vineyard.
Macmillan.com Author Profile

Awards
Edgar Award, 1980, Best First Novel for The Lasko Tangent

Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, International Award, 1995 for Degree of Guilt

http://us.macmillan.com/author/richar...

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explosive read! excellent storytelling that involves the unexpredictable,suspenseful and thriller plot twists & turns with very good writing also (paperback!)

[Heidi (can’t retire soon enough) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but not particularly great... A little too predictable for my tastes. Did enjoy the New England settings.

(Reviewed 3/24/11)

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILERS

I read the large print of this book and I think some of the words were missing in some of sentences, because I had a hard time figuring out what some sentences meant.

This was difficult to read because of the subject matter and how it all played out in the end. I cannot understand how the grandfather could take someones life and then let his granddaughter take the blame for it. His smug reasoning was it was only 3 weeks in jail.

I have read other books by this author and the story moves along quickly and even though they are several hundred pages, it really doesn't take that long to read because of the action.

I loved the cross examination that Jackson and Caroline did towards the end of the book. I could definitely see this happening in real life.

I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I REALLY enjoyed this author! A very compelling story with intrigue from the start about a middle aged attorney on the cusp of receiving a Presidential nomination to a judgeship who is then thrust back unwittingly to her hometown and long estranged family. The writing is sharp, focused, not overly descriptive or bogged down with minutiae. The pace is very good flipping back to the past at just the right times to fill in pockets of history necessary to the murder mystery unfolding in the present. While I had correctly guessed rather early who the murderer is, I was pleasantly surprised at the twists and reveals that lead there. Very well done!

[Olutosin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Caroline Clark Masters left her dream of becoming a judge to attend to what she called a family emergency I was a bit curious to know exactly what that might be, and just when I thought I had been compelled enough to know what exactly that was, Richard North Patterson skillfully throw another wrench in my understand causing me to rethink what I thought I already know.
I am speechless by the time I turn and read the last page of this novel which I was unable to leave for other things until I finished. This is the best of Richard N. Patterson that I have read so far.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not half bad as these books go, with a well thought out plot line. I guess the problem is that as I get older and older I've seen so many stories develop that from the start I knew immediately both who would be guilty and who would temporarily appear to be the villian. You know how you've seen so many actors that catching sight of a character actor on Law and Order immediately tips you off that he's the criminal as they wouldn't pay extra just for a witness. This book had the same effect on the page, those paper characters I have seen before and I know the trajectory for each one.
I sort of think it should be filed in can-i-have-my-five-hours-back but it wasn't horrible or anything just somewhat easy to predict.

[Morgen · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the brink of her long awaited judgeship Caroline Masters is called to the family she has turned her back on to defend a niece charged with the vicious murder of her boyfriend. The story then covers both past, with the tragedies that drove her away, and present as she begins to believe in her niece's innocence and fight to prove it.

[Christine Mathieu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good crime novel about a female attorney who returns from San Francisco to her childhood town in New Hampshire to defend her niece who's accused of having killed her boyfriend.
I've read this book some 25 years ago and had forgotten the plot and found it very unpredictable.

I enjoyed the descriptions of Martha's Vineyard.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good plot twist and suspense from what I recall. Read it years ago, I was on a hot streak for awhile with this author (maybe three books, but that's a streak for me.) Probably 3.5+ stars, rounding up.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A twisted thriller that combines law, mystery and a look behind the scenes.

[Ralph Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

wordy...too much back and forth

[Mandy Makarewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was gripping. I just did not like the flashbacks to the past the present then past that gets confusing

[Ahmed Dada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read and great twist

[Paul Gaya Ochieng Simeon Juma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I would read a book of this nature. Its really a new year. Comes with new things. I enjoyed! This book is never boring. Every page is interesting. The flashbacks were really good. The story was gripping. Caroline is a good lawyer, one who you can relate to. You know, there are some 'fictional' lawyers who appear to be creatures out of this world. They live on earth by day and go to heaven by night. One argument, and the case is finished. Stressful, those ones. Not inspiring even for a moment.

Of course, there is a murder here. Murder trials usually brings to the fore all the buried skeletons. Betsy, Caroline's niece is the accused. She is the main suspect in the death of her boyfriend James. The key witness is the jealous Megan who briefly had an affair with Betsy's father and boyfriend. She has 'daddy issues'. Then we have Caroline's family and a whole lot of grudges, hatred, anger, and blame. Caroline blames them for causing her to loose David Stern aka Scott. The only lucky man to have won Caroline's heart. Let me pen off there. Get the book! You will not regret. I have three books by Richard Patterson and I can't wait to start reading the rest.

[Mollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure, I think it was in Bag of Bones, Stephen King mentioned Richard North Patterson as some one who should be 'read' by a discerning reader. He mentioned a few other books by a few other authors and I read them as well but I fell into Richard North Patterson books in a big way. A few weeks ago I discovered this one. He knows whereof he speaks as far as lawyering is concerned,he's a former trial lawyer. Also he was the SEC liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor. But his fiction is riveting, not boring or dry like so much 'legal fiction' is. This book begins on Martha's Vineyard, Caroline Masters is on vacation and renting the house that used to belong to her family. She receives a desperate phone call from her father, with whom she has not communicated for 20+ years. The reason for that is revealed in the narrative. I'm not going to say much more because, like a carefully crafted building, one piece pulled out is likely to send the whole pile falling to pieces. It's not a book to read before bed - "I'll stop at the end of this chapter" turns into "OMY What happens next?" Excellent.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Caroline Masters is a lawyer. Her father is a retired judge & Caroline has high hopes of becoming a judge. She is being considered for an appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Just as everything she has worked so hard for & hoped for is about to happen, she receives a plea for help from a family member on the opposite coast where Caroline currently resides. There are several reasons for Caroline's decision to live as far away from her family as she could possibly get and yet she is drawn back to help them.
Page after page, the reader discovers what sent Caroline packing & what drew her back.
I enjoy courtroom drama, mystery and suspence. This book had all that and it held my attention long enough to make it to the end where everything becomes apparent. It was okay...better than some but not "a must read".

[ReBecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow read. An overall interesting story, especially because Caroline is in other books of Patterson's so it's nice to hear / learn the background of her life. There were a few twist and turns within the last 50 pages or so of the book that made you be like ooo snap! Overall, I gave this book a low score because it was such a slow read, nothing really exciting happened throughout the book that actually made me want to not put it down.

[Becca Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started out as something I would not recommend to people and quickly turned into a book I could not put down. I predicted the ending at the very beginning and, boy, was I wrong. The plot twists in this read are incredible and really make you gasp and re-read what it says because you are that shocked. Such a good book!

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good tale by Mr. Patterson. Caroline Masters is called back to her hometown in New England to defend her neice who has been unjustly accused for a murder. Recommended!

[John Vanek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite of his many novels.

[Lee Richie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely well-written page-turner. I enjoyed the characters and the backstory. Plenty of twists along the way. I'll definitely look up more of Patterson's work.

[bersabea giudice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una giovane coppia decide di passare la serata sulla riva del lago. Bevono vino, fumano erba, fanno l'amore. Lui inebetito da quello che ha assunto si addormenta, mentre lei decide di farsi una nuotata.
Dopo qualche minuto che è in acqua ed essersi allontanata un pò dalla riva Brett si gira verso la radura dove ha lasciato James a dormire e vede un ombra. Urla il nome del suo ragazzo e si affretta a tornare a riva, trova James morente, cerca di soccorrerlo, ma il ragazzo muore.
Presa dal panico afferra vestiti, portafoglio e il coltello che il ragazzo ha ancora piantato nel petto e fugge.
La ritroverà alcune ore dopo un poliziotto, sotto shock, nuda, coperta di sangue, col portafoglio di un uomo morto e con un coltello sporco di sangue.
Brett verrà accusata dell'assassinio del suo ragazzo e lei e la sua famiglia non potranno far altro che chiedere aiuto a Caroline Master, famoso avvocato e zia della ragazza.
Caroline non torna in famiglia da oltre 20 anni, in effetti non ha mai conosciuto Brett e la ragione le dice di non difendere la ragazza perché è troppo coinvolta e perché c'è in ballo la sua candidatura a giudice federale. Ma nonostante la ragione quando vedrà Brett e conoscerà i particolari del caso non potrà far altro che cercare in ogni modo di scagionare sua nipote.

Questa per sommi capi è la trama del libro o meglio ancora il punto di partenza, perché in questo libro c'è tanto di più.
Oltre al caso in sè, che è ovviamente la trama principale, ripercorriamo con dei lunghi flashback dei fatti salienti della vita di Caroline Master che l'hanno portata a voltare le spalle alla sua famiglia e non tornare più.

Non so se riesco ad esprimere adeguatamente quanto io apprezzi questo scrittore, non solo riesce a creare dei casi intricati ma la fase processuale è sempre spettacolare. Questo è tutto quello che si potrebbe desiderare quando si legge un legal thriller.
In più riesce sempre ad inserire delle sotto trame che parlano di rapporti familiari, di amicizia, di amore. La storia di Caroline Master ad esempio è stata molto toccante, l'ho trovata un' ottima protagonista, ed è un pò buffo perché nel libro dove invece lei era l' antagonista mi era piuttosto antipatica.

Dovendo dare un voto però devo ammettere che non raggiunge il punteggio pieno, non per qualche mancanza nel libro, ma perché Il silenzio del testimone, sempre di questo autore l'ho trovato ancora più bello, ed è tutto dire!

Per concludere io consiglio questo libro e qualsiasi thriller di J.N. Patterson perché è uno scrittore eccezionale, veramente bravissimo.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty years ago, Caroline Masters abandoned her New England father over a betrayal of trust, and went to San Francisco where she has built a satisfying life as an attorney. As she awaits word about whether she will be nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals, a long-held goal, she gets a summons from her father to come back home.

Caroline's father, a powerful, wealthy, and influential retired judge, puts her in an uncomfortable spot, both professionally and personally, when he uses emotional blackmail to lure her back to the New England town of Resolve, to defend her 22 year-old niece, Brett Allen, against charges of murdering her boy friend. She does so against her better judgment, knowing her father is once again controlling her life when this very manipulation is why she left.

Caroline faces a three-fold problem. In addition to having to face her father, sister and brother-in-law from whom she's long been estranged, she will have to appear in court opposite a childhood friend and former lover, Jackson Watts, who is the reluctant prosecutor. The President of the United States is worried that if she gets involved in a sticky trial just as confirmation hearings are coming up, she will jeopardize her Court appointment. As if that situation isn't nightmare-producing enough, the evidence against Brett is so daunting that even Caroline has doubts about her innocence.

Parker weaves a compelling story among these relationships that become only more tangled as the case progresses when all involved are forced to relive their individual pasts. I always enjoy his fully-developed characters and I enjoyed this back story set against the fervor of civil rights and the Vietnam War in Martha's Vineyard in 1964.

[Arda Alkkåskøgen · Rating 3 out of 5]

the silent witness'tan hemen sonra bu romanı okudum ve bu sayede yazarının tarzı ile ilgili karşılaştırmalı bilgilerimin çok taze olduğunu söyleyebilirim. bu kitap bir mahkeme polisiyesi olmasından ziyade (elbette bu ögeyi önemli ölçüde barındırıyor) belki de psikanalitik bir kitap. richard n. patterson'un okuduğum ilk kitabında da karakterlerinin psikolojik tepkileri ile ilgili kısa ancak detaylı anlatımlara şahit olmuştum ancak bu kitap özelinde hikayenin polisiye kısmının görece ikinci planda kaldığını düşünmemem için herhangi bir neden yok.

işbu kitap başlangıcından son sayfasına kadar, bir aileyi oluşturan neredeyse her bir ferdin geçmişle yüzleşmelerine, birbirleriyle olan yarım kalmış hesaplaşmalarına ve kendileriyle olan psikolojik mücadelelerine yer ayırıyor ve yine görece çok az yer kaplayan polisiye unsuru ile merakınızı diri tutmaya çalışıyor. böyle anlatıldığında pek ilgi çekici olduğu söylenemez elbette ama sürprizli bir şekilde bunu başarıyor da. bu kitap sizi, normal şartlarda benzeri herhangi bir kitap için yapacağınız tahmine nazaran daha az sıkacak.

yine de the silent witness ile kıyaslayacak olursam ondaki çarpıcılığın bu kitapta eksik olduğunu söyleyebilirim. richard n. patterson'un iyi bir polisiye yazarı olduğuna da bu arada karar vermiş bulunuyorum.

bu kitabı da oğlak yayıncılık, maceraperest kitaplar seçkisi altında "son karar" adıyla yayınladı. tavsiye ederim.

[John P · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery starts off rather graphically for this reviewer's taste but reading on I found the storyline intriguing and characters interesting enough to continue. Indeed the novel held my interest right up until the ending.

Previous experience with literary mysteries had prepared me to be disappointed, expecting blatantly contrived scenarios using all manner of red herrings, hidden character flaws, and tortured logic in the plot and denouement.

Well, The Final Judgement does contain some of each of the above, but, after all, how can it not? It is fiction (one hopes!) and therefore deliberately created to be mysterious and misleading, challenging the reader to assess myriad clues and guess the perpetrator(s).

The good news is, even though the final resolution is disappointing, character development is excellent and the plot well-constructed. Actions and dialog are believable almost to the very end. I enjoyed this work and consider it a good example of the genre.

[Mark Mindel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first RICHARD Patterson book; I picked it up thinking it was another JAMES Patterson book! This one from 1995 and you can tell because they use LAND lines instead of cell phones! Intriguing judicial procedural about an aunt defending her niece on a murder charge (her boyfriend was found mude and stabbed to death at a remote lake in New Hampshire on land owned by her family and her DNA was found on him as well as his on her). She admitted to having sex with him by the lake but can't remember much of the details because they shared a bottle of wine and dope. Her aunt is up for a Presidential appointment as a Federal Judge which is a stepping stone to an eventual Supreme Court nomination and by defending her niece (she is normally a prosecutor in Northern California) she puts it all in jeopardy. Many twists and turns with the family she left behind in New England, and especially with her niece. Good find!

[Andrew Langert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about Caroline Masters, a lawyer for about 20 years on the verge of being appointed an appeals judge by the President of the United States. As this is about to happen, she feels called back from her current home of San Francisco to her childhood home in New England to help her niece, who is suspected of murdering her boyfriend.
I am very fond of RNP's writing style. He develops interesting characters and creates plots that are suspenseful and intriguing. This book is a perfect example of all of his great attributes as an author.
Lots of surprises at the end! Another 5 stars for Richard North Patterson.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read from a condensed version. Patterson writes a very enthralling story that tears into one's heart and emotions. Caroline Masters is a strong contender for judgeship into the appellate court when her niece Brett Allen was arrested for killing her boyfriend (at Brett's secluded lakefront property) when under the influence of booze and weed. Why Caroline left her hometown and finished her law degree as well as practiced law elsewhere is what this book is all about. The secrets of her past are all tied up into this present case involving Brett.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

While going through some old books this was book 1 of 4 in a Reader's Digest condensed book. Didn't take me long to read it all ( 3 days maybe ) page 9-184 even in small print. Now I'm gonna research more of this author's books. The character in this one was awesome: Caroline Masters was in one of his others....also in another Reader's Digest condensed book "Eyes of a Child" (1994)

I've been really glad to have this website....found some really interesting reading....other reviews from other authors. Happy Reading everyone !!!!

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have rated this higher, but the fact that the grandfather murdered the kid made this book a "three star". The grandfather was a retired attorney/judge, and, yet, he had no idea how to commit a crime! He was so obviously the murderer! Using his own knife? How stupid! And, then leaving it at the crime scene! He said he didn't think his granddaughter would be held for the crime. Oh, really? Who else did he think would be?