Madman Walking

Janet Moodie #2

by L.F. Robertson

Appellate lawyer Janet Moodie is called in to work on a post-conviction investigation on a sordid murder-for-hire case. The client is uncooperative, likely schizophrenic, although he's never let a psychiatrist near him long enough to get a diagnosis. Convicted of arranging the shooting of a drug dealer, under orders from the Aryan Brotherhood, Howard Henley is not an easy case, and even on death row he doesn't seem to understand the severity of his situation. It is up to Janet to discover just what was done and by whom, and to determine whether to risk putting her client on trial again...

Genres: Mystery

381 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2018

About the author

L.F. Robertson is a practising defense attorney who for the last two decades has handled only death penalty appeals.

Linda is the co-author of The
Complete Idiots Guide to Unsolved Mysteries, and a contributor to the forensic handbooks How to Try a Murder and Irrefutable Evidence. She has had short stories published in the anthologies My Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: the Hidden Years and Sherlock Holmes: The American Years.

Reviews

[Debra K · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading and thoroughly enjoying this author's first book in this series (Two Lost Boys), I was really excited about digging into this book. Yes, this is book 2 in a series but I will say that I don't think there is a need to read these in order if you wanted to pick this book up independently and not pick up the first book first.


In this story, we follow Janet Moodie who is a lawyer who after the death of her husband retreats to a 'cabin in the wilderness' but doesn't cut off all life on the outside world as she continues to work as a lawyer and take on clients. She then receives a call from an old lawyer friend who wants her to be the second lawyer in a case that he has picked up. At first, this looks like a guy who is on death row and deserves to be but as we follow Janet and her fellow lawyer investigate this things are not what they seem. Obviously, there is a lot that I could say but won't because of spoilers but what I will say was that this story was full of twists and turns and I had plenty of suspects going through the story. For me, the best part of this story was finding out more about the legal system and processes when someone is on death row.


If I had to be picky, I would have loved to have had a bit more surprise and twists and turns that were out of the blue but that doesn't mean that I didn't really enjoy this story as much as I did. I can't wait to pick up the next book in this series, or the next book from this author...

For more reviews, please check out the link below:
Debra's Book Cafe

Debs :-)

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I began reading this. What I didn't expect was a book more about the process of getting a conviction reversed. The author is a defense attorney who exclusively handles death penalty appeals, so she is quite knowledgeable about the ins and outs of such cases.

The book was kind of slow going. It's not that it wasn't interesting, more that there was a lot to absorb about the various steps in the process and the various potential stumbling blocks along the way. It's not preachy - rather it explains things by going through a fictional case: two attorneys trying to get a retrial for a client who is mentally damaged but innocent of the crime he has been put on Death Row for.

It's a fascinating book, but it does take some patience to get through. However, if you are at all interested in the workings (or misworkings) of our criminal justice system, it's well worth the effort.

[Donald B. Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my introduction to L.F. Robertson. I was not disappointed in the writing, however I was left a little wanting from the story. Overall, an interesting primer on the day-to-day (month-to-month, year-to-year) experience of life as a defense attorney. Technically enlightening, but I can't say I'm ready to change professions.

The promotional material promised a story that would rival John Grisham, and the opening chapters seemed to justify the hype. The reader is told that a mentally unstable man was sent to prison for a murder he did not commit, and lead to believe that his plight was due to the machinations of a corrupt small town legal system. In good Grisham form, I was anticipating skeletons in closets, courthouse intrigue, and the defense attorneys placed in peril of life and limb.

For most of the book, such a story seems quite likely as the author presents a colorful cast of gangsters and serial killers, but sadly one soon realizes there are not enough pages left for this careful narrator to develop anything more than a well-balanced and quite readable diary of a competent criminal advocate, and her unfortunate client.

[Elite Group · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent legal procedural novel.

Janet Moodie is called in to work on a post–conviction investigation, a murder–for–hire case. Janet is an Appellate Lawyer, specialising in Death Row cases.

Her client, Howard Henley, is possibly schizophrenic and very uncooperative and has been convicted of arranging a shooting of a drug dealer for the Aryan Brotherhood.

The problem is someone has already confessed to the killing, but his testimony was never taken.

Can Janet and the team get Howard off or even a re-trial, this time with all the facts?

This book is very different from any I have read before, which was a lovely change! Mostly a trial procedural book, with many legalese words and phrases, it is straightforward to understand, and I was really involved in it and rooting for the right outcome.

Well written and surprisingly fast paced, this book is a real eye opener of the world of the American judicial system and the easy way it can be manipulated by smart lawyers.

I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Ellezig

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars

Good legal suspense thriller. Robertson writes well about what she knows... defending mentally ill convicts on death row. She speaks clearly through her alter ego protagonist, Janet Moodie, and makes us think about a neglected population. As with most convicts with mental illness, Howard Henley is not likeable and thus not a sympathetic character. However, does that make it acceptable to execute him for a crime he did not commit, or to consign him to years of neglect on death row?

I will be reading Robertson’s other books with pleasure.

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/6/18 Full review tk.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come on my website next week.

[Andi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story, but hard to get through the middle third. Very heavy on court procedure.

[GW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Msdman Walking

This was a very good book. Well written and a pleasure to read. Kudos to the author for a job well done.