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Keeping Counsel
New Mexico attorney Tara Linley has always believed in the power and fairness of the law. All that changes when she takes on her best friend's lover as a client. It is only after she has reluctantly agreed to represent him that Tara discovers the real reason Bill Hamilton has sought her out--and the shocking crime he has committed.
412 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 14, 2021
I am one sick sucker. I’m so good sometimes, then sometimes I feel… “ he sighed “... nothing.”
Keeping Counsel
by Rebecca Forster
My review:
2021 is starting off with many a book that I seem to either rate quite high or quite low.
Sadly, this is one I rated low.
Before I go into the weeds, I do want to say some will like this book. It was one I added to my TBR list with GLEE. It looked so.....me.....I was really looking forward to it.
Sometimes one chooses a book from one's never ending TBR list with qualms..a sort of doubt on whether the book will be for you.
No such issues here. This is a legal thriller and that's a genre I have not read in awhile and I really was craving one.
An attorney, Tara is asked to represent the boyfriend of one of her best friends. This man, Bill, has some issues...you see he is a nutter.
No exaggeration.
And he confesses stuff to Tara. Bad, bad stuff he has done. Nutter stuff.
But Tara is bound by the attorney/client confidentiality...and cannot tell anybody what he has told her.
Even as his behavior escalates and he gets seemingly more and more unstable.
Sounds great so far....right?...right?...right.....(insert sad face).
So a few things but we will start with the one that all my GR friends know infuriates me.
TRIGGER ALERT:
What do you think? Of coarse! ANIMAL ABUSE!
OK...feel like a broken record here....calling all authors..there are whole lists DEDICATED TO BOOKS WITH THESE TRIGGERS. THESE LISTS ARE THERE SO PEOPLE KNOW NOT TO READ THE BOOKS ON THEM.
Animal abuse is upsetting. Not only to me. There are THOUSANDS on here who hate this. We have asked. We have begged. Oh wow..if I can change the mind of just ONE author who is about to murder off a cat...or dog..or horse....or zebra...or..I don't know...any living breathing animal....I will feel like my work is done.
We don't like this and it will cause many of us to rate the book lower than if you had not done that. I do not care if the book is Shakespeare or Orwell or Kafka. I ALWAYS take one point off for that, sometimes two. And I know so many on here who do the same.
Please stop book murdering animals....mammels, amphibians, ANY animals.
OK...So now moving on....this book was scary to be sure and the main character....Bill...is a basket case but is gifted..as many a sociopath are...with incredible charisma so that any woman he touches is usually his for the taking.
He's a cowboy, our Bill.
So the second thing I did not like...was the plot. The characters..with the exception of Ben whom I want to marry..are not likable but sometimes that is OK. Not with these characters though. The protagonist Tara....is almost as crazy as the client she represents.
Tara could end this game anytime she wants but for some crazy reason she insists on being loyal to her client even though he is terrorizing her, flirting with her as well...breaking into her home....staging creepy scenes of ripping mattresses and cooking things I do not want to discuss, and other no good very bad things.
I do not know how many times Tara says "I have to fight for my client". Maybe not those words exactly but variations. It gets really irritating. At times I really felt like Tara sort of just wanted him free.
Nearly the whole book is devoted to Tara and her quarrels with various people in her life including a sleazy politician and his sterotypical icy wife. And her friend Donna.
Arguments with Donna are all over. There is so much focus on the girls arguing that I really became convinced the book should have been called "The Cat fights". These "friends" do not let up and every argument is the same and goes something like this:
He's crazy Donna! You have to get away from him!
Donna..Tara, why?
Tara..I can't tell you.
Needless to say....I sorta lost interest., And you know it's going bad for Tara when I take the side of the Nutter's girlfriend.
Anyway..so far..the biggest let down of the year which wont last because we are not a month INTO The year.
I want to stress there is some good too and this book does have an audience. Bill is genuinely scary and written chillingly. His charm comes through along with his antisocial personality. I really wish the focus had been on the interplay between Tara and Bill and cut out these squabbles and violence.
It isn't to long and can be read in one sitting. The ending does not wrap things up in a pretty bow and I was surprised..in fact the ending was incredibly well written and very believable. And the portrait of Donna is heartbreaking. As someone with an interest in the human mind, THAT is the book's strength. The author gives us characters who really are fascinating. But the petty squabbles and the animal violence brought the book down to much for me.
Keeping Counsel
by Rebecca Forster
My review:
2021 is starting off with many a book that I seem to either rate quite high or quite low.
Sadly, this is one I rated low.
Before I go into the weeds, I do want to say some will like this book. It was one I added to my TBR list with GLEE. It looked so.....me.....I was really looking forward to it.
Sometimes one chooses a book from one's never ending TBR list with qualms..a sort of doubt on whether the book will be for you.
No such issues here. This is a legal thriller and that's a genre I have not read in awhile and I really was craving one.
An attorney, Tara is asked to represent the boyfriend of one of her best friends. This man, Bill, has some issues...you see he is a nutter.
No exaggeration.
And he confesses stuff to Tara. Bad, bad stuff he has done. Nutter stuff.
But Tara is bound by the attorney/client confidentiality...and cannot tell anybody what he has told her.
Even as his behavior escalates and he gets seemingly more and more unstable.
Sounds great so far....right?...right?...right.....(insert sad face).
So a few things but we will start with the one that all my GR friends know infuriates me.
TRIGGER ALERT:
What do you think? Of coarse! ANIMAL ABUSE!
OK...feel like a broken record here....calling all authors..there are whole lists DEDICATED TO BOOKS WITH THESE TRIGGERS. THESE LISTS ARE THERE SO PEOPLE KNOW NOT TO READ THE BOOKS ON THEM.
Animal abuse is upsetting. Not only to me. There are THOUSANDS on here who hate this. We have asked. We have begged. Oh wow..if I can change the mind of just ONE author who is about to murder off a cat...or dog..or horse....or zebra...or..I don't know...any living breathing animal....I will feel like my work is done.
We don't like this and it will cause many of us to rate the book lower than if you had not done that. I do not care if the book is Shakespeare or Orwell or Kafka. I ALWAYS take one point off for that, sometimes two. And I know so many on here who do the same.
Please stop book murdering animals....mammels, amphibians, ANY animals.
OK...So now moving on....this book was scary to be sure and the main character....Bill...is a basket case but is gifted..as many a sociopath are...with incredible charisma so that any woman he touches is usually his for the taking.
He's a cowboy, our Bill.
So the second thing I did not like...was the plot. The characters..with the exception of Ben whom I want to marry..are not likable but sometimes that is OK. Not with these characters though. The protagonist Tara....is almost as crazy as the client she represents.
Tara could end this game anytime she wants but for some crazy reason she insists on being loyal to her client even though he is terrorizing her, flirting with her as well...breaking into her home....staging creepy scenes of ripping mattresses and cooking things I do not want to discuss, and other no good very bad things.
I do not know how many times Tara says "I have to fight for my client". Maybe not those words exactly but variations. It gets really irritating. At times I really felt like Tara sort of just wanted him free.
Nearly the whole book is devoted to Tara and her quarrels with various people in her life including a sleazy politician and his sterotypical icy wife. And her friend Donna.
Arguments with Donna are all over. There is so much focus on the girls arguing that I really became convinced the book should have been called "The Cat fights". These "friends" do not let up and every argument is the same and goes something like this:
He's crazy Donna! You have to get away from him!
Donna..Tara, why?
Tara..I can't tell you.
Needless to say....I sorta lost interest., And you know it's going bad for Tara when I take the side of the Nutter's girlfriend.
Anyway..so far..the biggest let down of the year which wont last because we are not a month INTO The year.
I want to stress there is some good too and this book does have an audience. Bill is genuinely scary and written chillingly. His charm comes through along with his antisocial personality. I really wish the focus had been on the interplay between Tara and Bill and cut out these squabbles and violence.
It isn't to long and can be read in one sitting. The ending does not wrap things up in a pretty bow and I was surprised..in fact the ending was incredibly well written and very believable. And the portrait of Donna is heartbreaking. As someone with an interest in the human mind, THAT is the book's strength. The author gives us characters who really are fascinating. But the petty squabbles and the animal violence brought the book down to much for me.
August 11, 2014
The book was one of the worst books I have ever read. The plot droned on so badly I thought I might need to gouge my own eyes out. The entire book was not believable in the least and the main character was too weak to be a hot shot lawyer and the daughter of a respected political figure. Then there is Tara's love interest Ben. His role in the story was forced and down right ridiculous. I wish I could get the few hours back that it took me to read this awful book. Thankfully I have enjoyed other books by this author so not all is lost.
January 14, 2022
By far not one of her best. I think I deserve a medal for finishing it. It was such a relief to finally reach the last page.
November 29, 2022
You can never go wrong with a book by Rebecca Forster. She is a fabulous writer. Her characters grab you and keep your interest. I love all her books.
February 25, 2024
Couldn't put it down!
June 21, 2023
This was a really suspenseful nailbiter. About an attorney who cannot divulge a dangerous confidence from her unstable client.
March 2, 2021
This was a first time read of this author. One of the most unusual plot and characters. A very difficult book to put down . I highly recommend for people to read it.
November 8, 2012
The mechanics of the plot are well designed, the first requirement of any legal thriller. I have no idea as to whether all the detailed legal structure holds up, or even the total psychological profile of the killer, not that such exactitudes have much influence on the stories excitement. What is important is that I was drawn in, founding myself to be genuinely concerned for the safety of Tara and Shining. The menacing power of the killer seemed only too real. I had no trouble believing the mix of sexual attraction and repulsion that Tara felt for both the killer, and her ex-lover, Ben. People are a mix of often contradictory and always confusing quirks, characteristics that Forster plays very well. All the characters worked for me, all flawed, all, including the killer, a mix of good and bad. The only relationship I struggled to believe was Bill's with his mother, but here we are on the very fringes of the story. To be a five star book I felt I needed better legal resolution, through playing the story out a little longer. It crosses my mind that Forster felt compelled to pander to the mass of readers that don't like to read too long. I can't argue against commercial sense. Also note that I'm not suggesting that the ending lacked punch, it certainly had that. I see this novel as more of a psychological thriller than a legal one. It is so full of very penetration observations about what makes people tick. I am sure that I will be reading many more of Forster's books.
February 27, 2013
Rebecca Forster writes great legal thrillers. Her characters are complex and the plot keeps you guessing. The first of her books that I read was a free Kindle download, now I'm hooked and buying the others. A marketing ploy that works if you write good books!
The main character in Keeping Counsel is Tara Linley who is a profound believer in the responsibility of an attorney to protect the rights of a client; even where the client is guilty of murder. Tara's exposure to such a client is much more than a professional attorney - client relationship as the client in question is also her best friend's lover.
Intertwined relationships and friendships under pressure feature strongly in the book. As well as her professional integrity Tara's friendships and life are threatened.
The main character in Keeping Counsel is Tara Linley who is a profound believer in the responsibility of an attorney to protect the rights of a client; even where the client is guilty of murder. Tara's exposure to such a client is much more than a professional attorney - client relationship as the client in question is also her best friend's lover.
Intertwined relationships and friendships under pressure feature strongly in the book. As well as her professional integrity Tara's friendships and life are threatened.
July 23, 2012
Let's say 3.5 stars. I had a bit of trouble getting into this book, but once I got past the beginnings, it was a good, fairly suspenseful novel. The author has no difficulty getting into the mind of a sociopath and describes him and his actions with a flair. The book centers on the dilema a lawyer has -- to keep counsel/ confidences of a client when it is potentially threatening to her or her friends. Mh main problem with the book was that it let the confessed criminal go too far without the lawyer taking any kind of action. It is hard to believe anyone would be this strong in the presence of such evil. You must read the book to judge for yourself.
June 7, 2011
WOW! Hold on. Let me catch my breath. This author was able to reach down and relay the workings of a freakishly twisted mind to such a degree that it's frightening. I was on the edge of my seat while reading Keeping Counsel. Just when you think the bad guy can't do anything worse, he does. This book is so good you won't be able to put it down. THIS IS A MUST READ.
August 23, 2013
When a killer confesses to his attorney and asks her to get him help, she is forced by her legal oath to keep his secret despite the fact that he is mentally unstable, dangerous and dating her best friend. This was a good story concept but it did not have much depth. I felt the characters weren't terribly believable or well-developed.
August 5, 2013
"Keeping Counsel" may not be one of Rebecca Forster's best efforts but it's still an intriguing story of a deeply troubled drifter turned into a psychotic killer. A little hard to believe in places but still a good read.
Kindle book.
Kindle book.
March 16, 2014
This one got off to a slow start for me. I'm glad I didn't give up on it, because as the momentum built, so did the pulse-rate. I had read one book of Rebecca Forster's some time ago and remembered how much I liked it, so I stuck with this one. Good decision! I give this one 4.7 stars.
December 5, 2020
Please let there be a book 2!
This legal/psych suspense novel keeps the flames burning high. Filled with tension, intelligent characters and pits morality against ethics.
In my top 5 for legal thrillers this year!
This legal/psych suspense novel keeps the flames burning high. Filled with tension, intelligent characters and pits morality against ethics.
In my top 5 for legal thrillers this year!
December 14, 2012
Great book, full of suspense. Kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Couldn't hardly put it down. This is third book I have read by this author, they have all been very good.
June 26, 2013
I've read other Rebecca Forster novels and enjoyed them but not this one.
March 25, 2015
A really good premise but not necessarily the usual outcome.
June 7, 2015
I have read five books by Rebecca Forster and really enjoyed them. Two-thirds of the way through this one I just didn't care how it ended.
December 25, 2016
Ethical dilemma
An excruciating examination of legal ethics becomes an amazing story. Highly recommended, and be sure to tell all your friends about it.
An excruciating examination of legal ethics becomes an amazing story. Highly recommended, and be sure to tell all your friends about it.
November 28, 2020
one of the worst books I've read - her other ones aren't that good either what a waste of money
December 16, 2020
Rebecca Forster never disappoints. I was on the edge of my seat through most of the book. A good read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews