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The Murder List
WINNER! Anthony Award for Best Novel USA Today Bestseller Macavity Award nominee Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee Agatha Award nominee BEST OF 2019 Suspense Magazine BEST OF 2019 The Strand Magazine "An exhilarating thrill ride that keeps you turning pages.. Ryan deftly delivers a denouement as shocking as it is satisfying."--Liv Constantine, bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish and The Last Time I Saw You Law student Rachel North will tell you, without hesitation, what she knows to be true. She's smart, she's a hard worker, she does the right thing, she's successfully married to a faithful and devoted husband, a lion of Boston's defense bar, and her internship with the Boston DA's office is her ticket to a successful future.
Problem is--she's wrong.
And in this cat and mouse game--the battle for justice becomes a battle for survival.
The Murder List is a new standalone suspense novel in the tradition of Lisa Scottoline and B. A. Paris from award-winning author and reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Problem is--she's wrong.
And in this cat and mouse game--the battle for justice becomes a battle for survival.
The Murder List is a new standalone suspense novel in the tradition of Lisa Scottoline and B. A. Paris from award-winning author and reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
345 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 20, 2019
816 people are currently reading
6594 people want to read
About the author
Hank Phillippi Ryan
47 books2,888 followersHank Phillippi Ryan is the USA Today bestselling author of sixteen award winning novels of suspense. National reviews have called her a "master at crafting suspenseful mysteries" and "a superb and gifted storyteller." SHe is also an investigative reporter for WHDH-TV, winning 37 Emmys for her true crime stories.
Her newest is ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS--an INSTANT USA TODAY bestseller.
Is a debut author’s blockbuster bestseller about to ruin her life? A glamorous book tour becomes a deadly cat-and-mouse chase in this new and captivating thriller!
(Freida McFadden says: "Engrossing! With a main character that I loved, and a twist the left me reeling!" And Jeneva Rose says: I absolutely loved it! This is Hank Phillippi Ryan at her best!”)
Don't miss ONE WRONG WORD, now in paperback. BA Paris says: "A gripping rollercoaster of a read!"
Her 2021 thriller THE HOUSE GUEST (Gaslight meets Thelma & Louise) now in a second printing!
Hank is also an award-winning investigative reporter at Boston's WHDH-TV. In addition to 37 EMMYs and 14 Edward R. Murrow awards, Hank's won dozens of other honors
for her ground-breaking journalism.
She is co-host and co-founder of The Back Room, co-host of First Chapter Fun, and host of CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze.
Her previous thriller, HER PERFECT LIFE, received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, calling it "Stellar."
Her earlier psychological thrillers include,THE FIRST TO LIE (with several starred reviews) an Agatha Award and Mary HIggins CLark award nomination) and THE MURDER LIST, which won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the year, and was ]an Agatha, Macavity and Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee, a number one legal thriller on Amazon, and a USA Today Bestseller.
Her first psychological standalone, TRUST ME (now in paperback) , is an Agatha Award nominee, and was named BEST of 2018 by the New York Post, Real Simple Magazine, BookBub, Crime Reads, and PopSugar. Mary Kubica says: "Dazzling!" and Lisa Gardner says "Mesmerizing!"
The Booklist *starred review says "...it's a knockout. First-rate psychological suspense."
Her thriller SAY NO MORE, is a Library Journal BEST OF 2016. And this just in: it's a nominee for the AGATHA AWARD and the MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD! And now, breaking news, it is also a DAPHNE AWARD nominee! Associated Press calls it "stellar" and Publishers Weekly calls it "thrilling" "unflinching" and "gratifying."
Her 2015 book, WHAT YOU SEE, is a Library Journal BEST of 2015, an ANTHONY and AGATHA Award nominee, and a Top Pick!, dubbed "exceptional suspense." It received a starred review from Library Journal which says: "Readers will find themselves racing to the finish!"
Her 2014 book, TRUTH BE TOLD, won the AGATHA Award for best mystery, and is a Library Journal Best of 2014. It received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, which says, "Drop everything and binge read!"
THE WRONG GIRL won the Agatha Award and the Daphne Award, and is a seven-week Boston Globe bestseller and Anthony Award nominee.
THE OTHER WOMAN won the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award, and was listed as a Best Book of 2012 by the Kansas City Star, the Sacramento Bee, Suspense Magazine, and The Boston Globe, won the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award, and was the only novel nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, Macavity, Shamus and Daphne awards for Best Novel of 2012.
Her first four mysteries, beginning with the Agatha Award-winning PRIME TIME, feature Charlotte McNally, a Boston television reporter. FACE TIME was a BookSense Notable Book, and AIR TIME and DRIVE TIME were both Anthony and Agatha Award nominees for best novel of 2009 and 2010. They are now available in all new editions.
Her journalism work work has resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in refunds and restitution for victims and consumers. She's been a radio reporter, a legislati
Her newest is ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS--an INSTANT USA TODAY bestseller.
Is a debut author’s blockbuster bestseller about to ruin her life? A glamorous book tour becomes a deadly cat-and-mouse chase in this new and captivating thriller!
(Freida McFadden says: "Engrossing! With a main character that I loved, and a twist the left me reeling!" And Jeneva Rose says: I absolutely loved it! This is Hank Phillippi Ryan at her best!”)
Don't miss ONE WRONG WORD, now in paperback. BA Paris says: "A gripping rollercoaster of a read!"
Her 2021 thriller THE HOUSE GUEST (Gaslight meets Thelma & Louise) now in a second printing!
Hank is also an award-winning investigative reporter at Boston's WHDH-TV. In addition to 37 EMMYs and 14 Edward R. Murrow awards, Hank's won dozens of other honors
for her ground-breaking journalism.
She is co-host and co-founder of The Back Room, co-host of First Chapter Fun, and host of CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze.
Her previous thriller, HER PERFECT LIFE, received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, calling it "Stellar."
Her earlier psychological thrillers include,THE FIRST TO LIE (with several starred reviews) an Agatha Award and Mary HIggins CLark award nomination) and THE MURDER LIST, which won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the year, and was ]an Agatha, Macavity and Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee, a number one legal thriller on Amazon, and a USA Today Bestseller.
Her first psychological standalone, TRUST ME (now in paperback) , is an Agatha Award nominee, and was named BEST of 2018 by the New York Post, Real Simple Magazine, BookBub, Crime Reads, and PopSugar. Mary Kubica says: "Dazzling!" and Lisa Gardner says "Mesmerizing!"
The Booklist *starred review says "...it's a knockout. First-rate psychological suspense."
Her thriller SAY NO MORE, is a Library Journal BEST OF 2016. And this just in: it's a nominee for the AGATHA AWARD and the MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD! And now, breaking news, it is also a DAPHNE AWARD nominee! Associated Press calls it "stellar" and Publishers Weekly calls it "thrilling" "unflinching" and "gratifying."
Her 2015 book, WHAT YOU SEE, is a Library Journal BEST of 2015, an ANTHONY and AGATHA Award nominee, and a Top Pick!, dubbed "exceptional suspense." It received a starred review from Library Journal which says: "Readers will find themselves racing to the finish!"
Her 2014 book, TRUTH BE TOLD, won the AGATHA Award for best mystery, and is a Library Journal Best of 2014. It received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, which says, "Drop everything and binge read!"
THE WRONG GIRL won the Agatha Award and the Daphne Award, and is a seven-week Boston Globe bestseller and Anthony Award nominee.
THE OTHER WOMAN won the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award, and was listed as a Best Book of 2012 by the Kansas City Star, the Sacramento Bee, Suspense Magazine, and The Boston Globe, won the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award, and was the only novel nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, Macavity, Shamus and Daphne awards for Best Novel of 2012.
Her first four mysteries, beginning with the Agatha Award-winning PRIME TIME, feature Charlotte McNally, a Boston television reporter. FACE TIME was a BookSense Notable Book, and AIR TIME and DRIVE TIME were both Anthony and Agatha Award nominees for best novel of 2009 and 2010. They are now available in all new editions.
Her journalism work work has resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in refunds and restitution for victims and consumers. She's been a radio reporter, a legislati
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 961 reviews
August 9, 2019
3.5*
Lately, legal thrillers and courtroom dramas are becoming a new favorite (sub) genre for me.
After a very slow start, I naturally assumed this would be a struggle to finish. But to my delighted surprise it took a complete 180 degree turn about midway. I could almost hear the “click” as everything fell in place...and I was all in!
Rachel is thankfully nearing the end of law school. A summer internship with the dreaded Martha Gardiner of the DA’s office. And once she passes the bar, it’s straight into a partnership with her husband Jack at his criminal defense law firm. Now…If she can just get through this summer and manage to keep her marriage intact. It’s common knowledge throughout the office that her husband and new boss have a deep seeded hatred for each other.
Told in two timelines.
Who can you trust to see that justice gets served? The prosecutor? The defense attorney? Maybe the jury? What if each has their own secrets and quite possibly their own personal agendas?
Hank Phillippi Ryan writes a gripping and suspenseful legal thriller that, while I enjoyed it, took a bit too long to get off the ground. Though she did manage to surprise me with some unpredictable, clever twists!
Thank you to NetGalley Macmillan Tor/Forge Publishing and Hank Phillippi Ryan for an ARC to read and review.
Lately, legal thrillers and courtroom dramas are becoming a new favorite (sub) genre for me.
After a very slow start, I naturally assumed this would be a struggle to finish. But to my delighted surprise it took a complete 180 degree turn about midway. I could almost hear the “click” as everything fell in place...and I was all in!
Rachel is thankfully nearing the end of law school. A summer internship with the dreaded Martha Gardiner of the DA’s office. And once she passes the bar, it’s straight into a partnership with her husband Jack at his criminal defense law firm. Now…If she can just get through this summer and manage to keep her marriage intact. It’s common knowledge throughout the office that her husband and new boss have a deep seeded hatred for each other.
Told in two timelines.
Who can you trust to see that justice gets served? The prosecutor? The defense attorney? Maybe the jury? What if each has their own secrets and quite possibly their own personal agendas?
Hank Phillippi Ryan writes a gripping and suspenseful legal thriller that, while I enjoyed it, took a bit too long to get off the ground. Though she did manage to surprise me with some unpredictable, clever twists!
Thank you to NetGalley Macmillan Tor/Forge Publishing and Hank Phillippi Ryan for an ARC to read and review.
September 14, 2019
A legal cat and mouse thriller which had me guessing who was telling the truth, who had the hidden agenda and who was the real killer. Which side are you on? How do jury's come to their decisions? What dirty tactics do lawyers have up their sleeves? Can one really get away with murder?
This book goes back and forth through time from the past, when Rachel North worked on Beacon Hill and served on a jury which decided to convict a man for murder, to then return to her job and learn that one of her co-workers has been murdered. But wait there is more! In the present, Rachel is married to the defense attorney she watched every day in court when she served on that jury. He defended the man she found guilty - that must make for some interesting pillow talk. She is also a law student who has been chosen to be an intern for her husband's nemesis, a woman he refers to as "Satan in Pearls". Now it seems she is just asking for trouble...BIG TROUBLE.
Whew! Once I got over that fact that Rachel choose to work with her husband’s enemy after telling him, in the long run this will help them when they have a firm together. The old, I-will-learn-all-her-tactics-so-we-can-beat-her-in-the-future argument. This made things interesting, even more so when Martha Gardiner, her husband's nemesis decides to investigate the murder of Rachel's former co-worker. This makes things interesting and had me curious as to why and who would be found guilty.
I found this to be another solid book by Ryan. It's not my favorite book by hers (my favorite being Trust Me), but nonetheless, I found it to be enjoyable. I enjoyed the cat and mouse feel. For the beginning and the choices Rachel makes, I knew this was going to be a Topsy turvy ride. There are some twists and turns along the way. As always, Ryan's books are intelligent, and her plots are layered. She manages to keep some cards to herself, so that when the ending comes, there is still some shock value. In the end everything makes sense and there is that "holy crap" wow factor. I did not see that one coming until it was almost over. I found this to be an engaging tale that had me thinking.
Thank you to Macmillan Tor/Forge publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book goes back and forth through time from the past, when Rachel North worked on Beacon Hill and served on a jury which decided to convict a man for murder, to then return to her job and learn that one of her co-workers has been murdered. But wait there is more! In the present, Rachel is married to the defense attorney she watched every day in court when she served on that jury. He defended the man she found guilty - that must make for some interesting pillow talk. She is also a law student who has been chosen to be an intern for her husband's nemesis, a woman he refers to as "Satan in Pearls". Now it seems she is just asking for trouble...BIG TROUBLE.
Whew! Once I got over that fact that Rachel choose to work with her husband’s enemy after telling him, in the long run this will help them when they have a firm together. The old, I-will-learn-all-her-tactics-so-we-can-beat-her-in-the-future argument. This made things interesting, even more so when Martha Gardiner, her husband's nemesis decides to investigate the murder of Rachel's former co-worker. This makes things interesting and had me curious as to why and who would be found guilty.
I found this to be another solid book by Ryan. It's not my favorite book by hers (my favorite being Trust Me), but nonetheless, I found it to be enjoyable. I enjoyed the cat and mouse feel. For the beginning and the choices Rachel makes, I knew this was going to be a Topsy turvy ride. There are some twists and turns along the way. As always, Ryan's books are intelligent, and her plots are layered. She manages to keep some cards to herself, so that when the ending comes, there is still some shock value. In the end everything makes sense and there is that "holy crap" wow factor. I did not see that one coming until it was almost over. I found this to be an engaging tale that had me thinking.
Thank you to Macmillan Tor/Forge publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 1, 2019
Great minds think alike.
And they tend to gravitate toward one another.
Hank Phillippi Ryan has created quite the cat-and-mouse scenario in this one. She's got attorneys set up to out-think, out-maneuver, and out-pace one another in this weighty legal bundle tied with loose string that will soon begin to unravel.
Rachel Kirkland is a bit late to the game at age thirty-six stepping into the inner circles of an internship at the Middlesex District Attorney's office. She's set to graduate from Harvard Law School next year. Her life is somewhat complicated in that she's married to Jack Kirkland, the very lawyer involved in a case in which she served as a juror six years ago. Their attraction was instantaneous. Love does set bear traps like that.
To tangle things up even more, Rachel is completing her internship in the office of Martha Gardiner, Jack's arch enemy. He recently lost a case to her and the bitterness is still palatable. The tension is not lost on Rachel who is reminded of this woman's actions on a daily basis. Jack won't leave it alone and Rachel won't drop out of the internship.
Ryan sets up her chapters in a past and present manner entitled with each character's name. The story spins back and forth but doesn't quite give you a full plate of events of the past. Ryan is holding back on that until we get the remaining courses at the end. Someone is living a lie here and, as readers, we're ready to pin it on any one of the main characters. They all seem to be wearing cologne with a shifty nature. Ryan's gonna make you work it out. And we all enjoy a tightly twisted challenge.
I received a copy of The Murder List through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Forge Publishing and to Hank Phillippi Ryan for the opportunity.
And they tend to gravitate toward one another.
Hank Phillippi Ryan has created quite the cat-and-mouse scenario in this one. She's got attorneys set up to out-think, out-maneuver, and out-pace one another in this weighty legal bundle tied with loose string that will soon begin to unravel.
Rachel Kirkland is a bit late to the game at age thirty-six stepping into the inner circles of an internship at the Middlesex District Attorney's office. She's set to graduate from Harvard Law School next year. Her life is somewhat complicated in that she's married to Jack Kirkland, the very lawyer involved in a case in which she served as a juror six years ago. Their attraction was instantaneous. Love does set bear traps like that.
To tangle things up even more, Rachel is completing her internship in the office of Martha Gardiner, Jack's arch enemy. He recently lost a case to her and the bitterness is still palatable. The tension is not lost on Rachel who is reminded of this woman's actions on a daily basis. Jack won't leave it alone and Rachel won't drop out of the internship.
Ryan sets up her chapters in a past and present manner entitled with each character's name. The story spins back and forth but doesn't quite give you a full plate of events of the past. Ryan is holding back on that until we get the remaining courses at the end. Someone is living a lie here and, as readers, we're ready to pin it on any one of the main characters. They all seem to be wearing cologne with a shifty nature. Ryan's gonna make you work it out. And we all enjoy a tightly twisted challenge.
I received a copy of The Murder List through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Forge Publishing and to Hank Phillippi Ryan for the opportunity.
January 4, 2025
This is my first time reading this author, and I have to admit, it was quite the wild ride!
Let me give you the definition of a Murder List, because I needed to know for myself… A murder list is a list of attorneys who are eligible to defend murder cases. That is all I am going to tell you.
The characters are lawyers, but this is not a legal thriller.
It’s a psychological suspense starring lawyers who like to win, not caring about the outcome.
Most importantly...
Pay attention to the plot, and focus on the details.
Let me give you the definition of a Murder List, because I needed to know for myself… A murder list is a list of attorneys who are eligible to defend murder cases. That is all I am going to tell you.
The characters are lawyers, but this is not a legal thriller.
It’s a psychological suspense starring lawyers who like to win, not caring about the outcome.
Most importantly...
Pay attention to the plot, and focus on the details.
August 27, 2019
Favorite Quotes:
My new boss. Martha Gardiner. The woman Jack usually refers to as “Satan in pearls.” He never laughs when he says it.
Forget the speed of light. Nothing travels faster than gossip… Secrets only take a few beats longer. Gossip is the fuel of power.
At noon, Kurt had brought us lunch, wrapped in the white waxed paper of the Pietro Pan Deli. The Italian sandwiches had too much salami and too many onions, and I’d wondered if that was a sneaky way to encourage us to hurry. I wished the jury room had windows we could open.
You could send lawyers to law school. And judges to judge school, or whatever they had. And those people were versed in all the rules. But at the end of all the rule-following and objections and legal procedures, when the gavel banged and the door closed, when you got into a jury room, it was regular people. Flawed people. Biased people. Who may or may not agree to those rules. Who can manipulate and pressure and influence. And, depending on the power of jurors’ consciences, no one would ever know.
I flinch at the sound of my name. I’ve felt so invisible, even I almost forgot I was here.
My Review:
This was extremely clever, so smartly plotted, brilliantly paced, and engagingly written. I fell right inside and didn’t surface for most of the day, only under the threat with death by my internal organs and whining from my neglected husband. This was my first experience reading this sly wordsmith and I was a quick convert, I’ll buy whatever she’s selling as I totally fell for her tricks, I never saw it coming. The writing was superb and cleverly amusing as well as perceptively detailed, but the characters - they were vibrant and alive for me on the page. Ms. Ryan has exceptionally strong word voodoo. Like a binging dieter, I greedily want to amass and consume all her clever words.
My new boss. Martha Gardiner. The woman Jack usually refers to as “Satan in pearls.” He never laughs when he says it.
Forget the speed of light. Nothing travels faster than gossip… Secrets only take a few beats longer. Gossip is the fuel of power.
At noon, Kurt had brought us lunch, wrapped in the white waxed paper of the Pietro Pan Deli. The Italian sandwiches had too much salami and too many onions, and I’d wondered if that was a sneaky way to encourage us to hurry. I wished the jury room had windows we could open.
You could send lawyers to law school. And judges to judge school, or whatever they had. And those people were versed in all the rules. But at the end of all the rule-following and objections and legal procedures, when the gavel banged and the door closed, when you got into a jury room, it was regular people. Flawed people. Biased people. Who may or may not agree to those rules. Who can manipulate and pressure and influence. And, depending on the power of jurors’ consciences, no one would ever know.
I flinch at the sound of my name. I’ve felt so invisible, even I almost forgot I was here.
My Review:
This was extremely clever, so smartly plotted, brilliantly paced, and engagingly written. I fell right inside and didn’t surface for most of the day, only under the threat with death by my internal organs and whining from my neglected husband. This was my first experience reading this sly wordsmith and I was a quick convert, I’ll buy whatever she’s selling as I totally fell for her tricks, I never saw it coming. The writing was superb and cleverly amusing as well as perceptively detailed, but the characters - they were vibrant and alive for me on the page. Ms. Ryan has exceptionally strong word voodoo. Like a binging dieter, I greedily want to amass and consume all her clever words.
August 27, 2019
My first Hank Phillippi Ryan book, and it’s a doozie. The characters are lawyers, but this is not a legal thriller. It’s a psychological suspense starring lawyers who like to win, sometimes at all cost. It’s got an intricate intertwined plot, and you’ve got to pay attention and remember details. I really enjoyed it!
July 26, 2019
Rachel North is a law student, married to Jack Kirkland, a VERY successful defense attorney.
Martha Gardinier is a top prosecutor, who rarely loses...but who has lost to Jack.
Jack and Martha HATE each other, as only two rivals can.
So, why would Martha choose Rachel to be her summer apprentice?
And, why would Rachel accept this position?
WHO is playing WHO in this novel of suspense?
WHO has NO BOUNDARIES when it comes to winning?
Told from the alternating timelines of the present, and BEFORE, you learn how all of their lives have continually intersected over the years. For me, just as one narrative was getting interesting the story would switch to the other, losing momentum, and bringing down my rating a bit. It was causing me to want to skim to get back to where the other narrative left off.
Some have called this a legal thriller, but not much occurred in the courtroom...it’s more of a story of these three characters, with careers in laws, and how they each manipulate the system....
Thank you to Hank Phillippi Ryan, who graciously offered a digital ARC in exchange for a candid review, through Netgalley. This title will be released on Aug. 20th, 2019.
Martha Gardinier is a top prosecutor, who rarely loses...but who has lost to Jack.
Jack and Martha HATE each other, as only two rivals can.
So, why would Martha choose Rachel to be her summer apprentice?
And, why would Rachel accept this position?
WHO is playing WHO in this novel of suspense?
WHO has NO BOUNDARIES when it comes to winning?
Told from the alternating timelines of the present, and BEFORE, you learn how all of their lives have continually intersected over the years. For me, just as one narrative was getting interesting the story would switch to the other, losing momentum, and bringing down my rating a bit. It was causing me to want to skim to get back to where the other narrative left off.
Some have called this a legal thriller, but not much occurred in the courtroom...it’s more of a story of these three characters, with careers in laws, and how they each manipulate the system....
Thank you to Hank Phillippi Ryan, who graciously offered a digital ARC in exchange for a candid review, through Netgalley. This title will be released on Aug. 20th, 2019.
August 9, 2019
I received a free ARC of The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
The murder list is a list of attorneys who are eligible to defend murder cases.
Rachel North is a law student, married to a defense attorney on the murder list. Rachel has been selected to join a prosecutor's office for 3 months as part of her internship. Unfortunately, the prosecutor is a woman who has had a running grudge against North's husband.
Why would Rachel agree to this internship out of all the choices she could have made? And why would this prosecutor choose Rachel knowing who she's married to?
That is the heart of this very cleverly written crime drama. The book alternates with a telling of how Rachel was involved with a murder case before she married her husband and with her time serving on a jury for a different murder ... one her husband defended unsuccessfully.
Twists and turns, along with masterfully drawn characters, kept me glued to the pages until the final unexpected conclusion.
The murder list is a list of attorneys who are eligible to defend murder cases.
Rachel North is a law student, married to a defense attorney on the murder list. Rachel has been selected to join a prosecutor's office for 3 months as part of her internship. Unfortunately, the prosecutor is a woman who has had a running grudge against North's husband.
Why would Rachel agree to this internship out of all the choices she could have made? And why would this prosecutor choose Rachel knowing who she's married to?
That is the heart of this very cleverly written crime drama. The book alternates with a telling of how Rachel was involved with a murder case before she married her husband and with her time serving on a jury for a different murder ... one her husband defended unsuccessfully.
Twists and turns, along with masterfully drawn characters, kept me glued to the pages until the final unexpected conclusion.
August 28, 2021
The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan is a standalone legal thriller. The story in this book is one that is told by alternating between the past and present timelines with the investigation into an old cold case.
Rachel North is a law student who happens to be married to a defense attorney, Jack Kirkland. Being a defense attorney Jack obviously does not have a great relationship with the prosecutor, Martha Gardner. Rachel being a student however is now interning at the prosecutor’s office putting her in the middle.
Before Rachel had married Jack she had been working for a senator and during her time in that job a co-worker had been murdered. Jack had been the defense in that case and had gotten it thrown out. Now Rachel’s boss is reopening the case when a new lead comes in.
The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan really intertwined two things that I really enjoy in a book together that solidified my four and half star rating. One of those is simply being a legal thriller which I have a soft spot for and never quite find that often probably automatically made this an intriguing read for me. The other element that the author had in this book was a nice twisty ride that led to a fabulous ending which brought my rating up too. After reading this one I will definitely look to read this author again.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Rachel North is a law student who happens to be married to a defense attorney, Jack Kirkland. Being a defense attorney Jack obviously does not have a great relationship with the prosecutor, Martha Gardner. Rachel being a student however is now interning at the prosecutor’s office putting her in the middle.
Before Rachel had married Jack she had been working for a senator and during her time in that job a co-worker had been murdered. Jack had been the defense in that case and had gotten it thrown out. Now Rachel’s boss is reopening the case when a new lead comes in.
The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan really intertwined two things that I really enjoy in a book together that solidified my four and half star rating. One of those is simply being a legal thriller which I have a soft spot for and never quite find that often probably automatically made this an intriguing read for me. The other element that the author had in this book was a nice twisty ride that led to a fabulous ending which brought my rating up too. After reading this one I will definitely look to read this author again.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
July 25, 2019
Rachel is in law school and gets an internship with the district attorney's office. This causes problems in Rachel's marriage because her husband is a defense attorney, and his biggest enemy is the DA. During her internship, a cold case is reopened. One that Rachel has a connection with from her days working with a senator.
This novel alternates between past and present. Rachel is smart and driven. Her husband is a successful defense attorney, and they have plans for her to get a law degree so they can work together. Before getting married, Rachel worked for a senator. During her time there, a coworker was killed and the murderer was never found. During her internship with the DA's office, that old murder case is revisited when new leads are found.
A simple story told in a complex way. The murder mystery is who killed a woman that worked for a senator. As the past meets present, old secrets are revealed. Each character seems to have an ulterior motive, making for an absorbing thriller.
A good read for fans of legal thrillers. Suspenseful, clever, and twisted.
I received a free ARC of The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.
This novel alternates between past and present. Rachel is smart and driven. Her husband is a successful defense attorney, and they have plans for her to get a law degree so they can work together. Before getting married, Rachel worked for a senator. During her time there, a coworker was killed and the murderer was never found. During her internship with the DA's office, that old murder case is revisited when new leads are found.
A simple story told in a complex way. The murder mystery is who killed a woman that worked for a senator. As the past meets present, old secrets are revealed. Each character seems to have an ulterior motive, making for an absorbing thriller.
A good read for fans of legal thrillers. Suspenseful, clever, and twisted.
I received a free ARC of The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.
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October 8, 2019DNF @ 46%. Not connecting with the storyline.
August 15, 2019
Law student Rachel North has a coveted summer internship in the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office with Assistant District Attorney Martha Gardiner. This is great, except Martha just happens to be Rachel's husband's arch nemesis. Jack, a defense attorney, hates to lose, and it seems like Martha is the only one who can beat him. Jack is on the murder list, a special group of attorneys who represent accused murderers who can't pay for their defense. Once Rachel's internship is over, she'll pass the bar and join in a partnership with Jack, defending those who need them most.
"'Plus we've planned the whole thing. We're gonna be partners. You'll get me on the murder list. And we're a team.'"
Well, this was quite the clever suspense novel, which weaves together two intersecting stories from various time periods. We learn about Rachel's present, interning with Martha, and then her past: her days at the statehouse--when six years ago--she supervised interns of her own. That's when she worked for Senate President Tom Rafferty. These two time periods are far more connected than we'd think--linked together by Jack and Martha as well, both of whom hate each other deeply.
"Two sides. And me in the middle. But why did Gardiner bring me here?"
We hear from Rachel, Jack, and Martha across these differing time periods and vantage points. I won't reveal more, but it's a very intriguing tale. I enjoyed how the two timelines intersected, bringing us a dark story of law, politics, and justice. What is right, what is wrong, and who exactly--if any--of our crew can we truly trust?
There were a few places where I found my eyes glazing over a bit and skimming the pages: a lot of pontificating about law and mostly Jack haranguing Rachel about his hatred of Martha and then Martha rambling about her thoughts about law and hating Jack. That was a bit much for me. But when the book focused on the action (and lies!), it was great. Very crafty and when it finally dawned on me what was going on, I was all in.
Overall, I certainly enjoyed my first book by Hank Phillippi Ryan. It was interesting, smart, different, and a fun tale of intertwining time periods. The characters were a bit too wordy for me at times, but the story made up for it in its surprising twists and turns. 3.75 stars, rounded up here.
I received a free ARC of The Murder List from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. It is available everywhere on 8/20/2019.
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"'Plus we've planned the whole thing. We're gonna be partners. You'll get me on the murder list. And we're a team.'"
Well, this was quite the clever suspense novel, which weaves together two intersecting stories from various time periods. We learn about Rachel's present, interning with Martha, and then her past: her days at the statehouse--when six years ago--she supervised interns of her own. That's when she worked for Senate President Tom Rafferty. These two time periods are far more connected than we'd think--linked together by Jack and Martha as well, both of whom hate each other deeply.
"Two sides. And me in the middle. But why did Gardiner bring me here?"
We hear from Rachel, Jack, and Martha across these differing time periods and vantage points. I won't reveal more, but it's a very intriguing tale. I enjoyed how the two timelines intersected, bringing us a dark story of law, politics, and justice. What is right, what is wrong, and who exactly--if any--of our crew can we truly trust?
There were a few places where I found my eyes glazing over a bit and skimming the pages: a lot of pontificating about law and mostly Jack haranguing Rachel about his hatred of Martha and then Martha rambling about her thoughts about law and hating Jack. That was a bit much for me. But when the book focused on the action (and lies!), it was great. Very crafty and when it finally dawned on me what was going on, I was all in.
Overall, I certainly enjoyed my first book by Hank Phillippi Ryan. It was interesting, smart, different, and a fun tale of intertwining time periods. The characters were a bit too wordy for me at times, but the story made up for it in its surprising twists and turns. 3.75 stars, rounded up here.
I received a free ARC of The Murder List from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. It is available everywhere on 8/20/2019.
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ PaperBackSwap ~ Smashbomb
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November 11, 2024DNF @ chapter 7
I am going to be a VERY unpopular opinion with this one.
I'm all for courtroom drama, but this...was just drama. It felt like I was reading a daytime soap. The storytelling was slow and repetitive. Hello Y&R!
(Young and the Restless)
I could have skipped from chapter 1 to chapter 5 and it would still be the same thing: the mention of Jack being a lawyer who hates losing, his hatred for Martha Gardiner and Rachel the law student, who also happens to be Gardiner's intern.
I also found it juvenile at times. Rachel was like a melodramatic teenager trapped in a 36 year old's body.
The premise is what hooked me, and I liked the alternating timelines, but I just didn't have the patience for this one. Sorry..
Thank you Netgalley & Forge Books for my eARC
I am going to be a VERY unpopular opinion with this one.
I'm all for courtroom drama, but this...was just drama. It felt like I was reading a daytime soap. The storytelling was slow and repetitive. Hello Y&R!
(Young and the Restless)
I could have skipped from chapter 1 to chapter 5 and it would still be the same thing: the mention of Jack being a lawyer who hates losing, his hatred for Martha Gardiner and Rachel the law student, who also happens to be Gardiner's intern.
I also found it juvenile at times. Rachel was like a melodramatic teenager trapped in a 36 year old's body.
The premise is what hooked me, and I liked the alternating timelines, but I just didn't have the patience for this one. Sorry..
Thank you Netgalley & Forge Books for my eARC
July 19, 2021
This is my first book by Hank Philippi Ryan. It won the 2020 Anthony Award so I figured this was a good one to try.
Rachel North is a late in life law student, married to a defense attorney. He’s hard nosed and hates to lose. Her husband is less than pleased when Rachel takes on a three month internship with the assistant DA who is his nemesis
Can I just say that her husband is a total ass? Why would she stay with him? So, I was also less than impressed with Rachel because she was married to such a dick. Not that the assistant DA was any better. It would be hard to come up with less appealing characters. It doesn’t say much for the legal profession. The husband and ADA are playing a game of chess with Rachel as the pawn. This is not a book to take on if you have to like at least one of the characters.
The story jumps between two different times. There’s the present day and then there’s Rachel’s life before she entered law school. I can’t speak for the book, but the shifts between the plot lines were jumpy and awkward on the audiobook.
The book tackles the whole idea of justice, of how corners sometimes get cut and rules bent.
There were parts of the book that I questioned from a purely practical stance. Would an ADA really be interviewing witnesses on her own? Isn’t that what the police are for?
I didn’t care for the ending at all. I found it weak and predictable. Based on this, I’m not sure I’ll try any of Ryan’s other books.
Angela Dawe was the narrator and she did a decent job.
Rachel North is a late in life law student, married to a defense attorney. He’s hard nosed and hates to lose. Her husband is less than pleased when Rachel takes on a three month internship with the assistant DA who is his nemesis
Can I just say that her husband is a total ass? Why would she stay with him? So, I was also less than impressed with Rachel because she was married to such a dick. Not that the assistant DA was any better. It would be hard to come up with less appealing characters. It doesn’t say much for the legal profession. The husband and ADA are playing a game of chess with Rachel as the pawn. This is not a book to take on if you have to like at least one of the characters.
The story jumps between two different times. There’s the present day and then there’s Rachel’s life before she entered law school. I can’t speak for the book, but the shifts between the plot lines were jumpy and awkward on the audiobook.
The book tackles the whole idea of justice, of how corners sometimes get cut and rules bent.
There were parts of the book that I questioned from a purely practical stance. Would an ADA really be interviewing witnesses on her own? Isn’t that what the police are for?
I didn’t care for the ending at all. I found it weak and predictable. Based on this, I’m not sure I’ll try any of Ryan’s other books.
Angela Dawe was the narrator and she did a decent job.
July 15, 2019
Rachel North is a law student, married to Jack Kirkland, a VERY successful defense attorney.
Martha Gardinier is a top prosecutor, who RARELY loses...but who has lost to Jack.
Jack and Martha HATE each other, as only two rivals can.
So, why would Martha choose Rachel to be her summer apprentice?
And, why would Rachel accept this position?
WHO is playing WHO in this novel of suspense?
WHO has NO BOUNDARIES when it comes to winning?
Told from the alternating timelines of the present, and BEFORE, you learn how all of their lives have continually intersected over the years. But this “back and forth” did not flow as seamlessly as it should.
Just as one narrative was getting interesting the story would switch to the other, losing momentum, and making me to want to skim-
It did have a satisfying conclusion, but I just never found myself completely immersed in the story.
Some have called this a legal thriller, but not much occurred in the courtroom...it’s more of a story of these three characters, with careers in law, and how they each manipulate each other and the system....
Martha Gardinier is a top prosecutor, who RARELY loses...but who has lost to Jack.
Jack and Martha HATE each other, as only two rivals can.
So, why would Martha choose Rachel to be her summer apprentice?
And, why would Rachel accept this position?
WHO is playing WHO in this novel of suspense?
WHO has NO BOUNDARIES when it comes to winning?
Told from the alternating timelines of the present, and BEFORE, you learn how all of their lives have continually intersected over the years. But this “back and forth” did not flow as seamlessly as it should.
Just as one narrative was getting interesting the story would switch to the other, losing momentum, and making me to want to skim-
It did have a satisfying conclusion, but I just never found myself completely immersed in the story.
Some have called this a legal thriller, but not much occurred in the courtroom...it’s more of a story of these three characters, with careers in law, and how they each manipulate each other and the system....
March 27, 2020
I thought I was going into a courtroom drama but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was more about the manipulative relationships (personal & professional) between the attorneys on both sides.. I think my problem was that I wasn’t too invested in any of them. The writing was good though & I enjoyed the audio- I mean I never checked the progress or hoped it would end.. but when it did I was kinda like, that’s it? All in all I’d say some interesting twists & turns, but maybe it went on a little too long.
October 8, 2021
This was my first book by Hank Phillippi Ryan but it certainly won’t be the last. I’ll admit the start was a little slow for me, but once I got about halfway I couldn’t tear myself away from the book. Rachel is almost done with law school and married to successful defense attorney Jack. She accepts an internship with Jack’s rival DA Martha. There are clearly layers of games being played here and it’s a bit of a doozy to figure out who is playing who. It’s told in two timelines from multiple perspective of all of the players. It was about lawyers but not really a court thriller as there were more psychological twists.
March 7, 2019
What I love most about Hank Phillippi Ryan's novels is that you never (ever!) know which characters you can trust—but you can always trust that you're in good hands with this expert storyteller. What starts as an unsettling undercurrent grows into the kind of tension no reader can walk away from. Deftly mining the gray area between right and wrong, erroneous and inevitable, innocent and guilty, The Murder List is twisty, unpredictable, and utterly irresistible: Suspense at its finest from an author at the top of her game. (Many thanks to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review early.)
January 8, 2023
Check out my fun Q&A Interview with the amazing Hank Phillippi Ryan!
Bestselling author and one of my favorites, Hank Phillippi Ryan, "wowed" us last year with TRUST ME My Top Books of 2018 and returns with her best yet—THE MURDER LIST! Top books of 2019.
An electrifying plot-driven standalone legal thriller which will leave you "glued" to the pages in this high-stakes cat-and-mouse game of manipulation. A wild roller-coaster game of obsession, power, and revenge. The ending is jaw-droppingly good!
It takes more than two to tango. There is a triangle (we are not talking love triangle). In addition to the cat-and-the-mouse, there is also cheese (the power). You will be guessing until the final reveal, which one is which. Which character is manipulating the other?
Which side are you on? Who is on the Murder List?
Meet the characters:
• Martha Gardiner - Assistant District Attorney. Highly intelligent.
• Jack Kirkland – Best defense attorney in Boston (married to Rachel)
• Rachel North - Age 36. Law Student Harvard. Married to Jack. Goal: To be a partner: at Kirkland and North law firm, once she passes the bar.
Jack and Rachel have been married for six years. Jack is a lawyer, and he likes to win. Rachel is a law student but has a plan. Her plan is ultimately to be a partner in Jack’s law firm. To do so, she wants to do a summer internship in the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office. After all, it is only for three months. She can do it.
However, to do so, that would be working with Jack’s enemy, ADA Martha Gardiner. Martha would be her new boss. Jack refers to her as “Satan in pearls”. A predator. She is the one prosecutor who can beat Jack. There may be some friction on the home front.
Rachel wants to get on the murder list. She wants them to be a team. She has heard all the stories from Jack about Martha’s disturbingly unfair and manipulative tactics. Rachel thinks this is the perfect strategy.
Her plan: She will work with Martha, and learn her methods and techniques. She could scope out the competition from the inside. The more she understands her prosecution, the more she can use to structure their defense. She thinks it is brilliant. She will then be back with Jack and working against Martha, right?
Jack disagrees. Very risky. He thinks Martha would be using Rachel. Jack cares about justice, and defending his clients, even those he knows are guilty. He almost always wins—even if a murderer walks free.
There was a murder-list case. Jack was appointed as Marcus Dorn’s attorney. The key witness vanished. Marcus Dorn is now behind bars after being charged with a gruesome murder of a couple after breaking into their high-priced condo. He was the security guard.
Now Rachel is training to understand two sides. Defense and prosecution. “The devil you know.” Law school is about the, what if? Just like her life.
Martha Gardiner holds the key to Rachel’s future. Martha is from Old New England money. She is in it for glory and power. For the win. She has her eye on the attorney general’s office. Will she outsmart everyone?
Who will be collateral damage?
“How long does it take to ruin everything? One moment. One wrong decision. One mistake. One unfortunate assumption or ill-chosen word, or even a misunderstood gift. The dominoes fall, never to be righted.”
Will Rachel be the manipulative opportunist or the advantaged insider?
What about Jack? His motives? Is Jack jealous? What about Martha? Did Martha choose Rachel to blackball Jack from getting murder-list cases? Dealing with the devil has its pitfalls. There are two sides, and Rachel is in the middle, or is she?
From a case six years earlier before Rachel and Jack were married. Rachel worked for Senate President Thomas Ames Rafferty Beacon Hill. A necklace. A murder.
"Politics—like life—is driven by the balance of power."
The murder list—the list of accused killers whose cases, and lives, he’s responsible for. That is how Jack got assigned to represent now-convicted slasher, Marcus Simmons Dorn. High-paying cases. This is how Jack and Rachel met.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN. You will doubt every character in this power play. Who will win in the end? Who will outsmart the other?
ENTHRALLING! Hank Phillippi Ryan is in her "element."💕 Polished craftsmanship, brilliantly written, from the Boston setting to each precise movement of each character. 🎬 Movie-worthy! From the intricate legal proceedings, courtroom scenes, politics, character development, and crime scenes.
With the Author’s expertise in the field as an investigative reporter, she carefully constructs every scene and multiple POVs and timelines. Ryan maneuvers past and present tense with a perfect pace unfolding layer by layer, leaving you looking over your shoulder. INTENSE!
A triangle on steroids with razor-sharp dialogue. Nothing is as it appears. You will be turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning to see how this psychological, legal thriller will end. Filled with shocking twists and turns that will keep you on your toes until the very last page. BTW: A KILLER ENDING 😜
Reminds me of the old book, "Who Moved my Cheese?" They all want cheese (power) and are willing to do whatever it takes to attain it. They are running around in a maze, but this time there are three players and someone will lose.
If THE MURDER LIST does not hit the New York Times Bestseller list, I will be shocked! Move this one to the top of your list. For legal thriller fans of John Lescroart, Michael Connelly, Lisa Scottoline, and Scott Turow. Highly recommend! Ryan is at the TOP of her game.👏 She is on fire. 🏆
Thanks to Forge Books, Edelweiss, and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy.
#JDCMustReadBooks
Bestselling author and one of my favorites, Hank Phillippi Ryan, "wowed" us last year with TRUST ME My Top Books of 2018 and returns with her best yet—THE MURDER LIST! Top books of 2019.
An electrifying plot-driven standalone legal thriller which will leave you "glued" to the pages in this high-stakes cat-and-mouse game of manipulation. A wild roller-coaster game of obsession, power, and revenge. The ending is jaw-droppingly good!
It takes more than two to tango. There is a triangle (we are not talking love triangle). In addition to the cat-and-the-mouse, there is also cheese (the power). You will be guessing until the final reveal, which one is which. Which character is manipulating the other?
Which side are you on? Who is on the Murder List?
Meet the characters:
• Martha Gardiner - Assistant District Attorney. Highly intelligent.
• Jack Kirkland – Best defense attorney in Boston (married to Rachel)
• Rachel North - Age 36. Law Student Harvard. Married to Jack. Goal: To be a partner: at Kirkland and North law firm, once she passes the bar.
Jack and Rachel have been married for six years. Jack is a lawyer, and he likes to win. Rachel is a law student but has a plan. Her plan is ultimately to be a partner in Jack’s law firm. To do so, she wants to do a summer internship in the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office. After all, it is only for three months. She can do it.
However, to do so, that would be working with Jack’s enemy, ADA Martha Gardiner. Martha would be her new boss. Jack refers to her as “Satan in pearls”. A predator. She is the one prosecutor who can beat Jack. There may be some friction on the home front.
Rachel wants to get on the murder list. She wants them to be a team. She has heard all the stories from Jack about Martha’s disturbingly unfair and manipulative tactics. Rachel thinks this is the perfect strategy.
Her plan: She will work with Martha, and learn her methods and techniques. She could scope out the competition from the inside. The more she understands her prosecution, the more she can use to structure their defense. She thinks it is brilliant. She will then be back with Jack and working against Martha, right?
Jack disagrees. Very risky. He thinks Martha would be using Rachel. Jack cares about justice, and defending his clients, even those he knows are guilty. He almost always wins—even if a murderer walks free.
There was a murder-list case. Jack was appointed as Marcus Dorn’s attorney. The key witness vanished. Marcus Dorn is now behind bars after being charged with a gruesome murder of a couple after breaking into their high-priced condo. He was the security guard.
Now Rachel is training to understand two sides. Defense and prosecution. “The devil you know.” Law school is about the, what if? Just like her life.
Martha Gardiner holds the key to Rachel’s future. Martha is from Old New England money. She is in it for glory and power. For the win. She has her eye on the attorney general’s office. Will she outsmart everyone?
Who will be collateral damage?
“How long does it take to ruin everything? One moment. One wrong decision. One mistake. One unfortunate assumption or ill-chosen word, or even a misunderstood gift. The dominoes fall, never to be righted.”
Will Rachel be the manipulative opportunist or the advantaged insider?
What about Jack? His motives? Is Jack jealous? What about Martha? Did Martha choose Rachel to blackball Jack from getting murder-list cases? Dealing with the devil has its pitfalls. There are two sides, and Rachel is in the middle, or is she?
From a case six years earlier before Rachel and Jack were married. Rachel worked for Senate President Thomas Ames Rafferty Beacon Hill. A necklace. A murder.
"Politics—like life—is driven by the balance of power."
The murder list—the list of accused killers whose cases, and lives, he’s responsible for. That is how Jack got assigned to represent now-convicted slasher, Marcus Simmons Dorn. High-paying cases. This is how Jack and Rachel met.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN. You will doubt every character in this power play. Who will win in the end? Who will outsmart the other?
ENTHRALLING! Hank Phillippi Ryan is in her "element."💕 Polished craftsmanship, brilliantly written, from the Boston setting to each precise movement of each character. 🎬 Movie-worthy! From the intricate legal proceedings, courtroom scenes, politics, character development, and crime scenes.
With the Author’s expertise in the field as an investigative reporter, she carefully constructs every scene and multiple POVs and timelines. Ryan maneuvers past and present tense with a perfect pace unfolding layer by layer, leaving you looking over your shoulder. INTENSE!
A triangle on steroids with razor-sharp dialogue. Nothing is as it appears. You will be turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning to see how this psychological, legal thriller will end. Filled with shocking twists and turns that will keep you on your toes until the very last page. BTW: A KILLER ENDING 😜
Reminds me of the old book, "Who Moved my Cheese?" They all want cheese (power) and are willing to do whatever it takes to attain it. They are running around in a maze, but this time there are three players and someone will lose.
If THE MURDER LIST does not hit the New York Times Bestseller list, I will be shocked! Move this one to the top of your list. For legal thriller fans of John Lescroart, Michael Connelly, Lisa Scottoline, and Scott Turow. Highly recommend! Ryan is at the TOP of her game.👏 She is on fire. 🏆
Thanks to Forge Books, Edelweiss, and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy.
#JDCMustReadBooks
August 12, 2019
Hank Phillippi Ryan has a special way of keeping her legal thrillers from taking on a procedural feel - something that is no easy feat in this genre. The Murder List centers on law student Rachel North and her internship with the DA's office - interestingly enough, Rachel's husband is a criminal prosecutor on the other side. While we learn the specifics of Rachel's life and work, it becomes evident that something in her past is going to factor into the present, so we get alternating timelines - a storytelling device that I always enjoy.
Dual timelines keep the story fresh and keep the anticipation building. Ryan does a great job of planting red herrings as well as true clues for the payoff. I found The Murder List to be truly suspenseful and an enjoyable read from start to finish, a mystery I can highly recommend!
Thank you to Forge for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Dual timelines keep the story fresh and keep the anticipation building. Ryan does a great job of planting red herrings as well as true clues for the payoff. I found The Murder List to be truly suspenseful and an enjoyable read from start to finish, a mystery I can highly recommend!
Thank you to Forge for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
December 20, 2019
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Well now, The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan was a very suspenseful legal thriller that I actually managed to figure out before it ended!
As far as the ending goes, I don't think it is anything we haven't seen before, and I have to say I was a little disappointed by it. However, everything leading up to the ending was so good, and I was glued to this book! I thought that The Murder List was a fun take on the legal thriller, and I would consider it a slow burn. I loved the dual timelines, and even though I saw the ending coming I really enjoyed the experience of reading this book.
It is clear that the author knows her stuff, and The Murder List is a layered thriller that will be able to keep a lot of readers guessing to the end. Rachel was by far my favorite character of them all, and everyone else just seemed very shady. I know I already mentioned it, but the dual timelines really made this book for me, and I loved how they came together and revealed all the secrets!
Final Thought: At the core of this book there is a mystery about who killed someone in a senator's office where Rachel used to work. Lots of moving parts to this plot, and lots of legal jargon so if that isn't your thing you may not like The Murder List, but I found it fascinating! This would be a great choice for people that like legal thrillers but don't necessarily want a police procedural.
Thank you to the author, Hank Phillippi Ryan, for providing me with an advance review copy of this book! All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Well now, The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan was a very suspenseful legal thriller that I actually managed to figure out before it ended!
As far as the ending goes, I don't think it is anything we haven't seen before, and I have to say I was a little disappointed by it. However, everything leading up to the ending was so good, and I was glued to this book! I thought that The Murder List was a fun take on the legal thriller, and I would consider it a slow burn. I loved the dual timelines, and even though I saw the ending coming I really enjoyed the experience of reading this book.
It is clear that the author knows her stuff, and The Murder List is a layered thriller that will be able to keep a lot of readers guessing to the end. Rachel was by far my favorite character of them all, and everyone else just seemed very shady. I know I already mentioned it, but the dual timelines really made this book for me, and I loved how they came together and revealed all the secrets!
Final Thought: At the core of this book there is a mystery about who killed someone in a senator's office where Rachel used to work. Lots of moving parts to this plot, and lots of legal jargon so if that isn't your thing you may not like The Murder List, but I found it fascinating! This would be a great choice for people that like legal thrillers but don't necessarily want a police procedural.
Thank you to the author, Hank Phillippi Ryan, for providing me with an advance review copy of this book! All opinions and thoughts are my own.
September 12, 2019
Three attorneys...a District Attorney, Martha, a defense attorney, Jack, and a law student, Rachel, are the main characters in THE MURDER LIST.
What is their connection and why does the defense attorney hate the District Attorney? Was there something in their past? Was it a former court case? Did the defense attorney want the District Attorney job? What is Rachel’s connection?
As the story unravels, the reader gets a glimpse into the life of Rachel before she met Jack and currently when she is married to Jack, but the clues about her life and situations are kept secret. The hatred between Jack and Martha is evident, but the reason is also kept a secret.
I liked Rachel, but I didn’t like Jack, Martha, or Clea - a reporter.
Rachel always seemed to be in the middle of some drama, and they were not just normal dramas...they were murders.
Jack seemed sneaky.
Martha definitely was power hungry and sneaky.
It took a few chapters before I connected with the story line and the characters, but once everything got going, the intrigue was ramped up. The ending was great!!
THE MURDER LIST is for those suspense readers who like to be surprised and those who like to learn about what it is like in a courtroom and the legal profession.
There are twists and surprises along with jealousy, deceit, lies, revenge, and trickery....all good elements of a crime book. 4/5
This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
What is their connection and why does the defense attorney hate the District Attorney? Was there something in their past? Was it a former court case? Did the defense attorney want the District Attorney job? What is Rachel’s connection?
As the story unravels, the reader gets a glimpse into the life of Rachel before she met Jack and currently when she is married to Jack, but the clues about her life and situations are kept secret. The hatred between Jack and Martha is evident, but the reason is also kept a secret.
I liked Rachel, but I didn’t like Jack, Martha, or Clea - a reporter.
Rachel always seemed to be in the middle of some drama, and they were not just normal dramas...they were murders.
Jack seemed sneaky.
Martha definitely was power hungry and sneaky.
It took a few chapters before I connected with the story line and the characters, but once everything got going, the intrigue was ramped up. The ending was great!!
THE MURDER LIST is for those suspense readers who like to be surprised and those who like to learn about what it is like in a courtroom and the legal profession.
There are twists and surprises along with jealousy, deceit, lies, revenge, and trickery....all good elements of a crime book. 4/5
This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2019
2.75 stars
I’m a bit flummoxed at the rave reviews for this story. Admittedly, it had great potential. The premise and what the author tried to do was a clever idea. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me and ended up being a bit of a mess. At the foundation, the writing was choppy, almost juvenile-sounding, and didn’t flow well. The story also felt longer than was necessary, meandering in circles.
I had issues with the characters. They were all unlikeable, and I’m still not sure, even after finishing the book, who to believe and what actually happened in some circumstances. I understand that the author probably intended the main character to be gullible and fickle-minded, an unreliable narrator, but it was far too unbelievable for me to buy into.
I did finish reading the story because I wanted to find out what was going on, and I’m glad that I did. But overall, I found the story to be all over the place, and consequently hard to follow. The format of the book was also highly unusual and made the plot almost incoherent at times. Not only were several plot points implausible, but the story left several questions unanswered at its conclusion, which made it less than satisfying for me. I’m glad so many others seem to have thoroughly enjoyed this story, but it sadly didn’t work for me.
I’m a bit flummoxed at the rave reviews for this story. Admittedly, it had great potential. The premise and what the author tried to do was a clever idea. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me and ended up being a bit of a mess. At the foundation, the writing was choppy, almost juvenile-sounding, and didn’t flow well. The story also felt longer than was necessary, meandering in circles.
I had issues with the characters. They were all unlikeable, and I’m still not sure, even after finishing the book, who to believe and what actually happened in some circumstances. I understand that the author probably intended the main character to be gullible and fickle-minded, an unreliable narrator, but it was far too unbelievable for me to buy into.
I did finish reading the story because I wanted to find out what was going on, and I’m glad that I did. But overall, I found the story to be all over the place, and consequently hard to follow. The format of the book was also highly unusual and made the plot almost incoherent at times. Not only were several plot points implausible, but the story left several questions unanswered at its conclusion, which made it less than satisfying for me. I’m glad so many others seem to have thoroughly enjoyed this story, but it sadly didn’t work for me.
August 11, 2019
A delightfully twisted and complicated plot with an ending that leaves you speechless.
SUMMARY
Rachel Kirkland is a 36 year old Harvard law student and she will tell you she’s smart, she’s a hard worker and she always does the right thing. She is married to Jack Kirkland, the best defense lawyer in Boston, and when she finishes law school the two of them will practice together handling murder cases. Rachel and Jack met six years ago when Rachel was serving on a jury for one of Jack’s cases. That was back then she was working as the Chief of Staff for a high ranking Massachusetts State Senator. Unfortunately, the senator had to resign his office when his wife was accused of murdering one of the senator’s aides in a fit of jealousy.
Rachel is now interning with the Boston District Attorney’s Office working with Martha Gardiner, Jack’s biggest adversary. Jack doesn’t want her working there, he says Martha is a predator, she maligns, twists and corrupts the law. Rachel naively hopes to find the inside scoop on how Martha prosecutes cases. With the DA experience Rachel thinks she and Jack might just be unstoppable. While at the DA’s office, Martha has Rachel helping her to solve a familiar cold case, which turns into a game of cat and mouse with the DA.
REVIEW
THE MURDER LIST has a delightfully complicated plot with tons of characters. Both the story and the characters were a little unsettling. Who can you trust? What can you believe? Martha is like a snake and you never know when she is going to strike. Jack’s also been known to cut a few corners. Jack and Martha are both slinging truckloads of mud at each other and Rachel may just be in caught in the middle. Even she doesn’t know who to trust. I never knew what to think about her. She was strong but capitulates, confident yet insecure, smart but not.
Author Hank Phillippi Ryan has woven a twisted tale of past and present events that will have your head spinning. Her writing is smart. Her characters are intriguing. And the ending will leave you speechless. Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher Macmillan
Published August 20, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
SUMMARY
Rachel Kirkland is a 36 year old Harvard law student and she will tell you she’s smart, she’s a hard worker and she always does the right thing. She is married to Jack Kirkland, the best defense lawyer in Boston, and when she finishes law school the two of them will practice together handling murder cases. Rachel and Jack met six years ago when Rachel was serving on a jury for one of Jack’s cases. That was back then she was working as the Chief of Staff for a high ranking Massachusetts State Senator. Unfortunately, the senator had to resign his office when his wife was accused of murdering one of the senator’s aides in a fit of jealousy.
Rachel is now interning with the Boston District Attorney’s Office working with Martha Gardiner, Jack’s biggest adversary. Jack doesn’t want her working there, he says Martha is a predator, she maligns, twists and corrupts the law. Rachel naively hopes to find the inside scoop on how Martha prosecutes cases. With the DA experience Rachel thinks she and Jack might just be unstoppable. While at the DA’s office, Martha has Rachel helping her to solve a familiar cold case, which turns into a game of cat and mouse with the DA.
REVIEW
THE MURDER LIST has a delightfully complicated plot with tons of characters. Both the story and the characters were a little unsettling. Who can you trust? What can you believe? Martha is like a snake and you never know when she is going to strike. Jack’s also been known to cut a few corners. Jack and Martha are both slinging truckloads of mud at each other and Rachel may just be in caught in the middle. Even she doesn’t know who to trust. I never knew what to think about her. She was strong but capitulates, confident yet insecure, smart but not.
Author Hank Phillippi Ryan has woven a twisted tale of past and present events that will have your head spinning. Her writing is smart. Her characters are intriguing. And the ending will leave you speechless. Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher Macmillan
Published August 20, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
September 29, 2019
I devoured this book, I could not get enough of the twists. I never saw the ending coming. Ryan is an author that knows how stuff the attorney aspect of this book was wonderful. Mind blown Ryan is at the top of her game with this one.
4 stars and I recommend this book.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.
4 stars and I recommend this book.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.
August 19, 2019
Sometimes an experience in life comes along that leaves you quite tongue-tied in describing its full effect. Those of us who consider reading one of our favorite experiences are fortunate to have that words-are-not-enough experience happen when we read an exceptional book. So, it is with praise that will inevitably fall short of describing its target that I am reviewing The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan. It is as near a perfect tale as words can achieve. Hank, always brilliant with character development, pacing, suspense, and layering of a story, has created a twisted tale that grabs the reader into a delightful confusion of who and what to believe. And, for those of us who are obsessed with the thematic play of a book’s title throughout the book, the author continues to feed this passion.
The use of past and present, the now and the before encompassing six years of a cat-and-mouse game, in which not all players are even aware of being in the game, will keep readers guessing. Is justice a possibility where it’s hard to tell who the good guys are? The author cleverly makes that a hard question to answer by telling the story from the perspective of three different sides. Jack Kirkland is the renowned Boston defense attorney who is dedicated to giving the best defense possible to his clients. Rachel North is Jack’s younger wife who, at 36, is nearing the completion of law school at Harvard and plans to go into practice with her husband, a dream team fighting for justice for those unable to fight for themselves. It is their voices we hear most clearly in the first two parts of the book. The “before” look at Rachel’s job at the State Capitol, where she worked for the President of the Senate and a past time narrative about the trial that brought Rachel and Jack together fills out much of the background. The trial was a murder trial that pitted arch-rivals Jack Rafferty, for the defense and Martha Gardiner, prosecutor, against one another. Rachel was on the jury that found the defendant guilty.
By Part Three of the book, when prosecutor Martha Gardiner’s voice becomes a larger part of the narrative, the reader feels comfortably familiar with Jack and Rachel. Martha is more of an unknown quantity, and even after we begin to be privy to some of her thoughts, Ryan plays this character close to the vest. The other characters, those Hank Phillippi Ryan fascinating minor characters, are often like mysterious chess pieces being moved around by the major players, and it is this moving that keeps readers riveted to the pages and unable to put down the book.
The story begins at the time when Jack and Rachel have known each other and been married for six years. It is the summer between Rachel’s second and third year in law school, and she is required to do an internship during that time. Unfortunately, her internship is with Middlesex County Assistant District Attorney Martha Gardiner, someone Jack has battled in court many times and considers an archenemy. In fact, he describes her as evil and is adamant that Rachel not take the assignment. But, Rachel assures him that it will be a good opportunity to learn about the other side, especially about Martha’s tricks of the trade. Rachel has no idea just how crafty those tricks are. As uncomfortable as it might be, Rachel forges ahead. She’s eager to become Jack’s law partner and eligible for the “murder list,” a list of attorneys who are called on to represent those who cannot afford representation.
Rachel is surprised when Martha Gardiner singles her out as a promising intern, but Rachel wonders if Martha is keeping her close to get to Jack. Martha acts like she wants to work with Rachel, but then she hides things from her, too. When Martha decides to pursue a cold case, Rachel doesn’t know what to think. It’s the case of Rachel’s murdered co-worker back when Rachel was chief of staff for President of the State Senate, a case where Jack got the charges dismissed against the state’s, or Martha’s, main suspect. Knowing what that dismissal cost Martha, Rachel’s suspicions about Martha’s interest in having Jack’s wife work for her are quickly growing.
When the curtain rises on the last act of The Murder List, readers, you will be well and truly sitting with your jaws hanging wide open. Part Four is one of the best endings I’ve ever read in a mystery/crime book or any book, and the epilogue is cold stone chilling. The minor characters step into the light and take their places on that chess board that leads to checkmate. I was gobsmacked, but I was delighted to be.
I don’t often want to reread a book, mainly because there are so many other new books waiting for me, but what fun it would be to go back and read The Murder List after knowing the whole truth of the story. I actually did read a few passages again, and I had to smile at Hank Phillippi Ryan’s cleverness. Reading it from the perspective of the whole truth, the clues are there. But, don’t feel bad if you can’t see them the first time through. It’s like one of the characters says in the book about looking at a picture. You must look at it more than once because “later, the second time or the third time, you’d see something that hadn’t mattered before.”
Hank Phillippi Ryan has given readers the best legal thriller of the year. Or, is that a psychological thriller? It’s certainly one of the best books of the year, and I think it’s Hank’s best, too. It is so much wonderful murder and courtroom drama and mind games wrapped into a story that weaves a spectacular tapestry and drops not a stitch.
For full disclosure purposes, I will add that I received an advanced reader’s copy of The Murder List, and I have given my honest review of it.
The use of past and present, the now and the before encompassing six years of a cat-and-mouse game, in which not all players are even aware of being in the game, will keep readers guessing. Is justice a possibility where it’s hard to tell who the good guys are? The author cleverly makes that a hard question to answer by telling the story from the perspective of three different sides. Jack Kirkland is the renowned Boston defense attorney who is dedicated to giving the best defense possible to his clients. Rachel North is Jack’s younger wife who, at 36, is nearing the completion of law school at Harvard and plans to go into practice with her husband, a dream team fighting for justice for those unable to fight for themselves. It is their voices we hear most clearly in the first two parts of the book. The “before” look at Rachel’s job at the State Capitol, where she worked for the President of the Senate and a past time narrative about the trial that brought Rachel and Jack together fills out much of the background. The trial was a murder trial that pitted arch-rivals Jack Rafferty, for the defense and Martha Gardiner, prosecutor, against one another. Rachel was on the jury that found the defendant guilty.
By Part Three of the book, when prosecutor Martha Gardiner’s voice becomes a larger part of the narrative, the reader feels comfortably familiar with Jack and Rachel. Martha is more of an unknown quantity, and even after we begin to be privy to some of her thoughts, Ryan plays this character close to the vest. The other characters, those Hank Phillippi Ryan fascinating minor characters, are often like mysterious chess pieces being moved around by the major players, and it is this moving that keeps readers riveted to the pages and unable to put down the book.
The story begins at the time when Jack and Rachel have known each other and been married for six years. It is the summer between Rachel’s second and third year in law school, and she is required to do an internship during that time. Unfortunately, her internship is with Middlesex County Assistant District Attorney Martha Gardiner, someone Jack has battled in court many times and considers an archenemy. In fact, he describes her as evil and is adamant that Rachel not take the assignment. But, Rachel assures him that it will be a good opportunity to learn about the other side, especially about Martha’s tricks of the trade. Rachel has no idea just how crafty those tricks are. As uncomfortable as it might be, Rachel forges ahead. She’s eager to become Jack’s law partner and eligible for the “murder list,” a list of attorneys who are called on to represent those who cannot afford representation.
Rachel is surprised when Martha Gardiner singles her out as a promising intern, but Rachel wonders if Martha is keeping her close to get to Jack. Martha acts like she wants to work with Rachel, but then she hides things from her, too. When Martha decides to pursue a cold case, Rachel doesn’t know what to think. It’s the case of Rachel’s murdered co-worker back when Rachel was chief of staff for President of the State Senate, a case where Jack got the charges dismissed against the state’s, or Martha’s, main suspect. Knowing what that dismissal cost Martha, Rachel’s suspicions about Martha’s interest in having Jack’s wife work for her are quickly growing.
When the curtain rises on the last act of The Murder List, readers, you will be well and truly sitting with your jaws hanging wide open. Part Four is one of the best endings I’ve ever read in a mystery/crime book or any book, and the epilogue is cold stone chilling. The minor characters step into the light and take their places on that chess board that leads to checkmate. I was gobsmacked, but I was delighted to be.
I don’t often want to reread a book, mainly because there are so many other new books waiting for me, but what fun it would be to go back and read The Murder List after knowing the whole truth of the story. I actually did read a few passages again, and I had to smile at Hank Phillippi Ryan’s cleverness. Reading it from the perspective of the whole truth, the clues are there. But, don’t feel bad if you can’t see them the first time through. It’s like one of the characters says in the book about looking at a picture. You must look at it more than once because “later, the second time or the third time, you’d see something that hadn’t mattered before.”
Hank Phillippi Ryan has given readers the best legal thriller of the year. Or, is that a psychological thriller? It’s certainly one of the best books of the year, and I think it’s Hank’s best, too. It is so much wonderful murder and courtroom drama and mind games wrapped into a story that weaves a spectacular tapestry and drops not a stitch.
For full disclosure purposes, I will add that I received an advanced reader’s copy of The Murder List, and I have given my honest review of it.
May 2, 2024
You know how there are these moments/evenings that are indelibly printed on your mind? March 10, 2020, the last regular event any of us had before the quarantine. And 6 of us from my bookclub, we had local celebrity and journalist Hank Philippi Ryan at our house. Cases had erupted in New York and San Francisco, the first cases in Boston from a Bio conference. It was like any day, we didn't even know if we could or should hug? We wanted Hank to feel comfortable, and I ordered the Gobi Manchurian as usual. We were registering for classes for the tenth grade for my Middle Child, for some reason I was freaking out about that, and I was getting advice from other Newton South Moms. Turns out the tenth grade was pretty much cancelled anyway. Our dog Dandy swiped the Gobi Manchurian, which had onions, and I was concerned she would be okay. The Pandemic was coming any minute, and so was Hank. But for a few hours, all was suspended, and we all enjoyed her so much!! We had read her book Trust Me, her first standalone novel, and we all purchased the Murder List. Which she autographed. We were enraptured hearing her stories of journalism and her thoughts about the justice system, psychology, and the various characters, and about her life, personally and professionally. The evening was warm and lovely, and we promised to do this every March. We loved her, and she loved us. Total Love Fest, and the Murder List was planned for March 2021. With Hank. And then the world fell away into its new incarnation. But that was the last social event for any of us, and we never forgot it. My husband watched Dandy closely because of the Gobi Manchurian Onion Incident and noticed her pee was orange. So he took her in, and we discovered she was dying. Nothing to do with the onion, but because of the closer look, that discovery also was brought in with the Pandemic Quarantine. On Thursday after school, we had a family meeting, we told the kids about Dandy, and that we put in for a new puppy that was coming soon ~ (the very first pandemic puppy buy ~ soon it would be impossible to get one for a year!). As soon as we were done crying and talking, school shut down and shelter in place were announced. That was it, just the beginning.
Recently, two members of the book club, one who had been there that night four years ago, went to see her at a book signing for the Guest House. I couldn't make it, hadn't read the book, and was really committed to reading the rest in order. I always knew the Murder List was next, and that one way or another, with or without my friends, I would get to it when the time was right. After all, it has been in my house waiting.... When the book group went to the Isabella Stuart Gardiner Museum together, (after Lioness of Boston), I mentioned I was reading it and Cindy said she had read it too. We pledged to talk about it. Better catch her before she leaves for Australia shortly. But finally my review....
I like how Hank makes us think, and without hitting us over the head with it, there are questions that rise about lying, and manipulation, and the lines we cross inadvertently and otherwise, and what is truth, and who is telling it.... I am also concurrently watching Suits, and this question arises a lot. Once you cross the smallest of lines, even for the best of reasons, is getting jaded inevitable? Do we all inevitably compromise ourselves? There are two different timelines six years apart and a lot of interrelated characters, and that made the book so interesting. Did I love the end? Honestly it made me uncomfortable, but I believe it was supposed to. The questions remained and the book stayed with me. As did Hank, and the way she thinks about these questions. Its why people read books together and talk about them. Its not just about a great story, its also about what it evokes and raises and makes us think and feel. This one achieved that for me.
Hank, if you ever see this, please know that our group wants you back. See you soon we hope. In the meantime, First to Lie is next for me.
Recently, two members of the book club, one who had been there that night four years ago, went to see her at a book signing for the Guest House. I couldn't make it, hadn't read the book, and was really committed to reading the rest in order. I always knew the Murder List was next, and that one way or another, with or without my friends, I would get to it when the time was right. After all, it has been in my house waiting.... When the book group went to the Isabella Stuart Gardiner Museum together, (after Lioness of Boston), I mentioned I was reading it and Cindy said she had read it too. We pledged to talk about it. Better catch her before she leaves for Australia shortly. But finally my review....
I like how Hank makes us think, and without hitting us over the head with it, there are questions that rise about lying, and manipulation, and the lines we cross inadvertently and otherwise, and what is truth, and who is telling it.... I am also concurrently watching Suits, and this question arises a lot. Once you cross the smallest of lines, even for the best of reasons, is getting jaded inevitable? Do we all inevitably compromise ourselves? There are two different timelines six years apart and a lot of interrelated characters, and that made the book so interesting. Did I love the end? Honestly it made me uncomfortable, but I believe it was supposed to. The questions remained and the book stayed with me. As did Hank, and the way she thinks about these questions. Its why people read books together and talk about them. Its not just about a great story, its also about what it evokes and raises and makes us think and feel. This one achieved that for me.
Hank, if you ever see this, please know that our group wants you back. See you soon we hope. In the meantime, First to Lie is next for me.
June 14, 2020
"You walk through the door, or you don't. Those are your only choices."
The Murder List
by Hank Phillippi Ryan
The Murder List, a legal thriller and mystery, is a good book.
It just isn't MY kind of book.
I knew pretty early on this one was not for me but frankly? I read on because certain elements were interesting.
Without getting into a deep plot review on this one..The main narrative concerns a married couple, Jack and Rachel. He is a defense attorney. She is hoping to join him soon.When she becomes a lawyer.
But for first assignment is one her husband does not like. It is to work with the DA. And Jack has lost cases to the DA and cannot stand her. No way, does he want his wife working there.
In spite of this, Rachel does indeed show up. And surprise! A murder case..an unsolved one..surfaces that happens to involve a former co worker of Rachel's.
I have not even scratched the surface on this one. I did not love it. I am simply not a big reader of police procedurals or this type of legal drama.
But I liked the back story..Rachel was, at one time, working in politics and fancied her boss. And he showed up in the middle of the night one day to give her..a necklace? And then just vanished.
That was interesting to me in a sort of "House of cards" way. I am a political junkie so mysterious and dark Political books always catch my attention.
The back story will intersect with the present one.
In spite of the mild fascination with the back story..I did not connect with the main story and found myself skimming. It was..or seemed..overly long and as stated, it just is not the type of book I love.
There is a twist that is superb and I would recommend it to people who enjoy cozy police procedurals more than I do.
The Murder List
by Hank Phillippi Ryan
The Murder List, a legal thriller and mystery, is a good book.
It just isn't MY kind of book.
I knew pretty early on this one was not for me but frankly? I read on because certain elements were interesting.
Without getting into a deep plot review on this one..The main narrative concerns a married couple, Jack and Rachel. He is a defense attorney. She is hoping to join him soon.When she becomes a lawyer.
But for first assignment is one her husband does not like. It is to work with the DA. And Jack has lost cases to the DA and cannot stand her. No way, does he want his wife working there.
In spite of this, Rachel does indeed show up. And surprise! A murder case..an unsolved one..surfaces that happens to involve a former co worker of Rachel's.
I have not even scratched the surface on this one. I did not love it. I am simply not a big reader of police procedurals or this type of legal drama.
But I liked the back story..Rachel was, at one time, working in politics and fancied her boss. And he showed up in the middle of the night one day to give her..a necklace? And then just vanished.
That was interesting to me in a sort of "House of cards" way. I am a political junkie so mysterious and dark Political books always catch my attention.
The back story will intersect with the present one.
In spite of the mild fascination with the back story..I did not connect with the main story and found myself skimming. It was..or seemed..overly long and as stated, it just is not the type of book I love.
There is a twist that is superb and I would recommend it to people who enjoy cozy police procedurals more than I do.
May 23, 2019
Alright, if John Grisham and Lisa Scottoline has a book baby, then this would be the result! Courtroom drama, a murder mystery, politics and a shaky marriage make for a real page turner! I loved the ending!
August 29, 2021
Dnf after 50%
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