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The Only Suspect
Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
Dr. Sam Russell has just found himself in a frightening situation. He's just waken up in his car in a ditch with no memory of how's he's gotten there. There's a woman's shoe in his trunk and dried blood under his fingernails. He arrives home to find his wife missing. All signs would point to him and for Dr. Russell, this is not the first time. Hannah Montgomery is the cop assigned to the case. She's at once got to investigate Mrs. Russell's disappearance and get close enough to Dr. Russell to learn if he is involved. The more she gets to know Sam, the more she's convinced of his innocence. But not everything is so cut and dry, Dr. Russell seems to know very little about the woman he married. Either that, or he's hiding something. In a stunning turn, a body is found, brutally murdered and a witness fingers Sam. Desperate to prove his innocence, secrets will come to the surface, exposing a intricate web of deceit and betrayal. Has Hannah been protecting a killer? Or is Sam Russell an innocent man? In an instant, Hannah will know the truth.
Dr. Sam Russell has just found himself in a frightening situation. He's just waken up in his car in a ditch with no memory of how's he's gotten there. There's a woman's shoe in his trunk and dried blood under his fingernails. He arrives home to find his wife missing. All signs would point to him and for Dr. Russell, this is not the first time. Hannah Montgomery is the cop assigned to the case. She's at once got to investigate Mrs. Russell's disappearance and get close enough to Dr. Russell to learn if he is involved. The more she gets to know Sam, the more she's convinced of his innocence. But not everything is so cut and dry, Dr. Russell seems to know very little about the woman he married. Either that, or he's hiding something. In a stunning turn, a body is found, brutally murdered and a witness fingers Sam. Desperate to prove his innocence, secrets will come to the surface, exposing a intricate web of deceit and betrayal. Has Hannah been protecting a killer? Or is Sam Russell an innocent man? In an instant, Hannah will know the truth.
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First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
May 16, 2012
With so many books on the market today, when you pick one up to start reading, you are as much assessing your interest in investing the time to finish it as you are to how well it seems to be written. I am a mystery writer and a huge fan of other mystery writers, and I have waded through many an uninteresting plot to find the end is totally predictable. I cannot say that about this book. Right to the last page, Ms. Jacobs kept me guessing. I will say that I enjoyed the first person (very personal) account better than the third person perspective, but the latter did no distract from the former. This is the first of her writings that I have read. It will not be the last. Thank you, Jonnie Jacobs, for hours of entertaining reading.
July 24, 2016
I really enjoyed my first novel by Jonnie Jacobs. The writing was engaging and I really liked the characters. Even the "unlikable" characters were semi-endearing. The action moved along at a steady pace and I raced through the second half of the book. I figured out parts of the plot twists at the end, but part of the reveal completely blind-sided me. Jacobs handled the plot twists well and I felt that they made sense.
July 22, 2008
Dr. Sam Russel is trying to move on with his life after his first wife was found brutally beaten and stabbed behind his house 7 years earlier. Of course with him being the only suspect the case turned into a bitter court battle that almost cost him his freedom and young his daughter. Sam is a free man only because one juror could not make up his mind which resulted in a hung jury. 7 years later Same has tried to move on with his life, he has a thriving medical practice, he has a new wife and it looks like smooth sailing ahead. That is until the day that Sam wakes up with his car in a ditch, blood under his finger nails and brusies on his face. Having no recollection of the past 24 hours, Sam assumes that he fell off the wagon, proably afer a fight with his new wife and drove around drunk until he ended up in the ditch. He figures that he will buy some flowers, apologize to his wife for driving off mad and all will be well again. Unfortunatley his wife is nowhere to be found and the local cops think that all signs are pointing to Sam being up to his old tricks again. With the walls closing in Sam will need the help of his AA sponsor (a retired lawyer) and the one cop that wants to give Sam a chance (and maybe a little more)to escape being the only suspect in a slam dunk murder case.
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This is a great murder mystery book. The characters are interesting and I did want to keep reading to find out more about them as the book continued. The author does a great job showing how Sam's panic makes him make bad decesions that drag him deeper and deeper into the killers game and makes him look more and more guilty to the police. The central mystery is a bit confusing and convulted (especially toward the end of the book, there where some scences that made me go *really?*)but in a reverse of most of these types of books the getting to the ending made up for it. I would recommend this books to anyone who likes fast paced murder mystery books and those that like complicated endings that (in my case) can make your head hurt.
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This is a great murder mystery book. The characters are interesting and I did want to keep reading to find out more about them as the book continued. The author does a great job showing how Sam's panic makes him make bad decesions that drag him deeper and deeper into the killers game and makes him look more and more guilty to the police. The central mystery is a bit confusing and convulted (especially toward the end of the book, there where some scences that made me go *really?*)but in a reverse of most of these types of books the getting to the ending made up for it. I would recommend this books to anyone who likes fast paced murder mystery books and those that like complicated endings that (in my case) can make your head hurt.
February 28, 2012
Love the twists!! Did not see them coming!!
June 19, 2018
I voluntarily give this honest and unbiased review in exchange for a free copy of this book. I love this authors work. She is amazing, creatative and really knows how to keep you on your toes. Mr. Kutch is among one of my favorite narrators also. I was surprised to hear the name of Sam’s dead wife Lisa Russell, only because that’s my maiden name and I’ve never come across it any book Ive ever consumed. Early on in the story I had my suspicions as to whom was truly guilty but I learned at the end I’d judged too soon. Sam is by nature a gentle man and loving father. He had to fight to keep his daughter after his wife was murdered. He is very open an honest with her so I feel he is shaping her into becoming a great adult. Sam has a very supportive family which helps to see how his character was developed. It doesn’t help when Sam’s 2nd wife is missing because of what he endured with the same thing happening to his first wife so an officer from his old high school doesn’t believe him throughout the whole story as it seems he has an ax to grind with Sam. I think Detective Hannah Montgomery balanced out everyone and kept the other detective on point by always trying to get him to see other possibilities when even for her, at times, it was hard to believe what the evidence was showing and what Sam was saying. Take a chance on this book if you love a good murder mystery with a lot of twists and turns.
November 19, 2023
One of those fast paced crime mystery novels. It will keep you entertained. Dr Sam Russell has already beaten a murder conviction for his first wife but only just. Now his second wife is missing- is she dead? Did he kill her?
As long as you suspend disbelief you will enjoy this. I felt for the hapless Sam and enjoyed the female cop character. Kept me entertained
As long as you suspend disbelief you will enjoy this. I felt for the hapless Sam and enjoyed the female cop character. Kept me entertained
February 20, 2019
Un thriller, bueno para pasar el rato.
March 29, 2021
Excellent read!!
October 6, 2021
I really liked this book. Had me thinking one thing, then another all the way through.
March 11, 2024
Really good story. Lots of twists
November 29, 2024
Ridiculous! I should have gotten paid for sticking by this sad little excuse of a book. A lot of pay.
September 14, 2025
So great! Many twists as the book got to the climax. I recommend if you like mystery and murder!
October 1, 2016
a man wakes up in his car. its in a ditch and he has some injuries. and some blood on his fingers. but not his. his second wife is missing. he has a daughter . he cant remember anything from the night before and thinks he may have fallen off the wagon.
turns out his wife was not going by her name. she had a twin (one sister was kept by the mom and the other given away) and their other sister was his first wife who was murdered and he was almost found guilty.
it got really confusing at the end...
turns out his wife was not going by her name. she had a twin (one sister was kept by the mom and the other given away) and their other sister was his first wife who was murdered and he was almost found guilty.
it got really confusing at the end...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2007
THE ONLY SUSPECT (Suspense-California-Cont) - G
Jacobs, Jonnie – Standalone
Kensington, Press, 2005 – Hardcover
Dr. Sam Russell had been tried for murdering his first wife, but a single juror resulted in his not being convicted. Now, several year' later, his second wife has disappeared. Detectives Hannah Montgomery and Dallas Pryor are in charge of the investigation. While Pryor in convinced Russell has murdered his wife, Hannah believes there's more going on than apparent. As the suspense mounts, Sam and the detectives each work to find out what happened, telling the story from alternating points of view.
*** Ms. Jacobs is a very good writer and I've enjoyed her other books. This book has an excellent premise--the innocent man who appears guilty. Unfortunately, it's offset by stereotypical characters; the overbearing male detective, the female detective who believes the suspect in spite of the evidence because she feels an attraction to him, the in-laws who never thought he was good enough for their daughter, the underachieving brother, etc. There were twists to the plot, but I found most of them predictable. It's fast paced book that would make a great airplane book, but I think she's written better.
Jacobs, Jonnie – Standalone
Kensington, Press, 2005 – Hardcover
Dr. Sam Russell had been tried for murdering his first wife, but a single juror resulted in his not being convicted. Now, several year' later, his second wife has disappeared. Detectives Hannah Montgomery and Dallas Pryor are in charge of the investigation. While Pryor in convinced Russell has murdered his wife, Hannah believes there's more going on than apparent. As the suspense mounts, Sam and the detectives each work to find out what happened, telling the story from alternating points of view.
*** Ms. Jacobs is a very good writer and I've enjoyed her other books. This book has an excellent premise--the innocent man who appears guilty. Unfortunately, it's offset by stereotypical characters; the overbearing male detective, the female detective who believes the suspect in spite of the evidence because she feels an attraction to him, the in-laws who never thought he was good enough for their daughter, the underachieving brother, etc. There were twists to the plot, but I found most of them predictable. It's fast paced book that would make a great airplane book, but I think she's written better.
May 31, 2012
Sunday morning, Sam wakes up in his car with blood on his hands feeling woozy not knowing what happened the night before. When he finally gets home, he discovers his wife has disappeared and as the investigation gets on the way, we discover Sam had been a suspect in the murder of his previous wife.
The story is fine at the start and I get drawn into it easily. It is towards the end that things previously overlooked (slightly weird dialogue and rushed scenes) can no longer be ignored.
The dialogue gets truly weird and the scene with Hanna and Dallas with the latter revealing his homosexuality is astonishing and certainly not up to an author with over twelve books under her belt.
From then on, I get a little bored of the whole thing, and the twists that are now getting far too many.
All in all, it could've been a great story if the author hadn't given in to the usual whodoneit ending which turned the book into another like millions of others.
The story is fine at the start and I get drawn into it easily. It is towards the end that things previously overlooked (slightly weird dialogue and rushed scenes) can no longer be ignored.
The dialogue gets truly weird and the scene with Hanna and Dallas with the latter revealing his homosexuality is astonishing and certainly not up to an author with over twelve books under her belt.
From then on, I get a little bored of the whole thing, and the twists that are now getting far too many.
All in all, it could've been a great story if the author hadn't given in to the usual whodoneit ending which turned the book into another like millions of others.
July 7, 2015
Sam had been tried for murdering his first wife and was only released due to a hung jury. 7 years later, his second wife goes missing. Is Sam guilty? What followed was a great murder mystery with interesting characters and lots of twists and turns. Some developments were predictable, while the happenings in the last few chapters were so convoluted, I definitely did not see the end coming. Changing between Sam's perspective in the first person and third person accounts, the writing was impeccable. Listening to the audiobook was an absolute pleasure due to a fantastic job done by George Kuch. This was my first book by this author, but I will definitely check out her other ones in the future. The audiobook was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast.com.
July 26, 2015
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Since I worked in law enforcement for years, I love crime thrillers. I always like the authors that can get a “real-life” feel to the workings of the case, and Jonnie Jacobs did not disappoint. She did a great job in telling this story of a husband whose wife went missing and he didn’t really want to contact police because his first wife was murdered. He got off from that case, but that doesn’t mean that the police look at him questioningly. Throughout this book there is a lot of suspense and feelings building that are so palpable that I felt my heart racing at times. If you like any kind of thriller, suspense, or crime novels, then you will definitely enjoy this! I give 4 SOLID STARS!
Since I worked in law enforcement for years, I love crime thrillers. I always like the authors that can get a “real-life” feel to the workings of the case, and Jonnie Jacobs did not disappoint. She did a great job in telling this story of a husband whose wife went missing and he didn’t really want to contact police because his first wife was murdered. He got off from that case, but that doesn’t mean that the police look at him questioningly. Throughout this book there is a lot of suspense and feelings building that are so palpable that I felt my heart racing at times. If you like any kind of thriller, suspense, or crime novels, then you will definitely enjoy this! I give 4 SOLID STARS!
December 19, 2007
This book isn't bad. It's not great but it's not bad. I enjoyed how the author developed the characters. I feel like Ms. Jacobs didn't fully explain the back story but that's ok you get enough of it to figure out what's going on. I felt the ending was a little too out of the blue. It was weird. I think a lot of people will think they couldn't figure it out because it comes out of the blue. I enjoyed the female lead detective and her back story. You feel really connected to her and want her to come through in the end. I just felt it was wrapped up too fast without much explanation. I enjoyed it but not as much as I could have.
November 15, 2010
So I did finish it, even though those were hours of my life I'll never get back. This is right up there in my list of WORST. BOOKS. EVER. First, Ms. Jacobs should stick with female protagonists since she gave Sam (the main character) feminine qualities. Second, the plot was improbable to the point of absurd. Third, the only things the ending of this book lacked were circus clowns jumping out of a VW bug or college kids pouring out of a phone booth.
I enjoyed the Kali O'Brien series but reading a Kate Austen book right before this one makes me want to swear off Jonnie Jacobs forever.
I enjoyed the Kali O'Brien series but reading a Kate Austen book right before this one makes me want to swear off Jonnie Jacobs forever.
July 2, 2012
The first half of this book seemed to last interminably, the second half, following an interesting but expected plot twist, read faster. The protagonist, a physician who's wife had disappeared, was a recovering alcoholic who had been, at one time, charged with the murder of his first wife. The charges were dropped following a hung jury. He contacts the local police about the disappearance and one investigating detective, a former high school classmate, is convinced he is guilty while the other, the female with baggage, is not sure. Naturally he begins to investigate his wife's past on his own. This is where the plot twist comes in and the rest follows predictably.
June 10, 2013
The Twisted Sisterhood. Sam Russell, having barely survived a murder trial for his first wife Lisa, finds himself the only suspect in the murder of his second wife Maureen, who happens to be the half sister of his first wife Lisa. Caught up in a deadly game of adoption, abandonment and jealosy, the daughters of Hal Patterson fight among themselves to achieve a normal life, but fail miserably. Fighting the local police who know he's guilty, Sam perserveres until he can be saved at the 11th hour from being murdered by his wife's half sister who wants his money, and his partner who wants the medical practice.
November 16, 2022
WoW! I'm trying to figure out why on earth it took me so long to discover this author's writing!
This is the best of the best of mystery writing. Intrigue, suspense, page-turning, twists and turns, unexpected developments, the build of facts, the collapse of facts, even anticipated sequences lead to unexpected detours that are all, in a word brilliant!
The writing is smart, sharp, and crisp and becomes compelling reading! I couldn't put it down!!
I can't wait to add more titles by this author to my wish list!
This is the best of the best of mystery writing. Intrigue, suspense, page-turning, twists and turns, unexpected developments, the build of facts, the collapse of facts, even anticipated sequences lead to unexpected detours that are all, in a word brilliant!
The writing is smart, sharp, and crisp and becomes compelling reading! I couldn't put it down!!
I can't wait to add more titles by this author to my wish list!
January 22, 2016
This is a good suspense story with plausibility, albeit improbability. It grabs the reader from the beginning and holds on through the surprising conclusion.
The characters are well drawn, although as flakey and indecisive as Dr. Russell is, I'm not sure I'd want him as my doctor.
George Kuch performs the reading of the audiobook very well. His shaping of the text is spot on and his character voices are appropriate and distinctive.
This is a better-than-average mystery well worth the listen.
NOTE: I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for this unbiased review.
The characters are well drawn, although as flakey and indecisive as Dr. Russell is, I'm not sure I'd want him as my doctor.
George Kuch performs the reading of the audiobook very well. His shaping of the text is spot on and his character voices are appropriate and distinctive.
This is a better-than-average mystery well worth the listen.
NOTE: I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for this unbiased review.
June 20, 2016
Dr Sam Russel awakens,in a crashed car with blood on his hands.His wife is missing.He isn't sure what happened.He calls the police and we are treated to a cop that doesn't believe him,he's gotten off before when his first wife was found dead.One policewoman decides to find the truth.It is full of suspense,twists and turns.George Kuch gives a dry but nice narration.
I was gifted this book for an honest review.
I was gifted this book for an honest review.
March 5, 2013
A well-written suspense novel with lots of intrigue. Dr. Russell was acquitted in the murder of his 1st wife 7 yrs ago. He awakes to find himself in the his car in the ditch with no memory of the events of the day and his 2nd wife is missing. The plot weaves between both murders as it finally comes to light that they are connected.
September 2, 2015
My first Jonnie Jacobs story but not my last. I found myself constantly devising endings as I read. I felt sure I knew the outcome and then something would change and I'd revise my analysis. A solution that seemed obvious turned more and more complicated. As the end neared, confusion reigned and I had to reread to get things straight. Much enjoyed.
April 25, 2008
Seven years ago, Dr. Sam Russell's first wife was murdered and only a hung jury saved him from prison. Now, his second wife is missing, and he is the prime suspect.
Plan to finish this one in a single sitting, because you won't want to put it down. Highly recommend.
Plan to finish this one in a single sitting, because you won't want to put it down. Highly recommend.
January 3, 2013
Jonnie Jacobs does a beautiful job in every respect--character, plot and impeccable writing. My only quibble is a personal one. Long complicated endings make me squirm. It's terrible being stuck to a chair for the duration--exactly the way Jonnie Jacobs planned it!
January 21, 2013
Suspenseful. Loved the character of Hannah. Slightly complicated, convoluted ending which I was surprised by, because the writing/plotting was good enough it didn't seem necessary. I will be purchasing more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews