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The Second Encounter
This story involves a young attorney who meets a beautiful blond woman, has a short affair, and then, reluctantly agrees to represent her in a murder trial. The woman is destroyed and the attorney feels it may be his fault, and leaves the practice of law. Five years later the attorney, now a small college law professor, is surprised by the woman's daughter who arrives and asks the attorney to represent her in a second murder trial. Again, the attorney is trapped by his guilt, and he agrees to represent the daughter which commences a mystery that must be solved if the daughter is to be acquitted. Perhaps even the mother can be saved. Personal relationships become intense and shift as the action and unraveling develop, and nothing is clear until the end of the story. This book involves two criminal trials, deceiving participants, car chases, mysterious notes, an unexplained key, and troubling actions by public officials. In the end it is a story of the great success of a young man, bad behavior, followed by an attempt at redemption. The reader is never sure as to how the personal resolution will evolve.
224 pages, Paperback
Published August 6, 2018
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653 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 22, 2018
“Guilt is a powerful force…It’s like it needs to be cleansed from the body.”
Florida author Richard Davidson has practiced law for almost 40 years and brings some of the excitement of the trial workings to his novels - FOUNTAIN OF REVENGE and THE SECOND ENCOUNTER - in which he uses his experience as an attorney and engineer to portray a challenged attorney coping with his professional history and his emotional involvement with his clients. Richard’s legal expertise adds not only credibility but also that magnetic sense of courtroom drama – even in the portions outside of the legal purview.
Richard controls his drama with a keen sense of sensitivity and the use of fine prose, as is evident in the opening portion of this new book – ‘He avoided the name Elburt Arnot; the man was Burt Arnot. He forgave his parents for his original moniker; he didn’t forgive himself for his mistakes. Burt was in his late thirties, light brown hair, with a touch of gray at the corners, and thin and athletic. He still had the twinkle of youth in his eyes, and the dimples gave him charm, even when smiling only slightly. He generally was a happy man now. Burt recently accepted his need for small wire-rimmed glasses, and often wore a baseball cap, even in his small office during the day. The days of the formal tie and high-priced suits had faded over these recent years. So had the leather briefcase with gold trim and the alligator shoes. Now his herringbone jacket, blue shirt, loafers, and grey slacks made his statement, whatever that was these days. Burt pulled his backpack loaded with final exams from his VW and headed up the stone stairs to the law school library. He motioned across the courtyard to some of his students who waived back, one yelling, “Prof, remember all those late nights at the coffee shop discussing legal philosophy…be easy on me!” Burt yelled back as he got to the top of the staircase, “I’m sure all those discussions can only help you, Jason.” With a chuckle under his breath, Burt moved through the empty main floor of the library and remarked to himself how deserted the room looked on this sunny Sunday now that the semester had ended. Not a momentous several months for the man recently promoted to full professor, thought Burt, but his new manuscript on the rules of evidence was just about completed and he was ready to take a few weeks off. Unfortunately, once each semester, the criminal law instructor needed to record the grades and students’ data into his computer terminal, and today was the day. Sitting alone in his office, Burt was surprised by a faint tapping on his door. Being Sunday, he thought the library area adjacent to his office was still deserted. “Come in,” he said with a disinterested tone. He felt tired and wanted to get home to his condominium. On hearing the door slowly open, he glanced up, without any significant anticipation. A young girl, one he had not seen before, slid into his office. She was pretty and slim, with blond hair flowing down her shoulders. She wore jeans and a dark blue sweater. Black glasses rested on her nose. Her face was angular, and he observed her long legs, and little makeup. The girl stumbled against a pile of books near the door of the office, seemingly upset. She looked nervous and Burt saw fear in her face. “Do I know you?” Burt inquired with minimal curiosity. He knew she wasn’t a current student, since Burt had an excellent memory of attendees at the school. The stranger did not speak immediately. The girl looked around the office, which was surrounded by library stacks filled with law books and journals. Its small size and smoked glass windows, comprising half of the wall space, made the office slightly more than a cubicle. She stared at the pile of books and journals on the table behind Burt, many with yellow paper notes imbedded among the pages. Brushing against the only empty chair in the office, she moved Burt’s hat from the end of the armrest. Her silence now made Burt nervous. Several more awkward seconds passed, but Burt remained silent. There was something about this girl which was familiar, but no connection occurred to the professor. Then the girl spoke. “My mother has sent me.” “Do I know your mother?” asked Burt, somewhat coldly. He saw in this girl a haunting resemblance to a woman in his past, but he said nothing further. Burt now felt uncomfortable, and he rose from his chair. She stared at him, but still did not speak. He continued to feel awkward.’
The story progresses quickly and well and is distilled in the synopsis – ‘This story involves a young attorney who meets a beautiful blond woman, has a short affair, and then, reluctantly agrees to represent her in a murder trial. The woman is destroyed and the attorney feels it may be his fault, and leaves the practice of law. Five years later the attorney, now a small college law professor, is surprised by the woman's daughter who arrives and asks the attorney to represent her in a second murder trial. Again, the attorney is trapped by his guilt, and he agrees to represent the daughter which commences a mystery that must be solved if the daughter is to be acquitted. Perhaps even the mother can be saved. Personal relationships become intense and shift as the action and unraveling develop, and nothing is clear until the end of the story. This book involves two criminal trials, deceiving participants, car chases, mysterious notes, an unexplained key, and troubling actions by public officials. In the end it is a story of the great success of a young man, bad behavior, followed by an attempt at redemption.’
The stature of the important new author Richard Davidson climbs with each novel. Not only is his legal expertise a significant contributing factor to his dramas, but also his richly rendered prose rivals the best of our contemporary writers.
Florida author Richard Davidson has practiced law for almost 40 years and brings some of the excitement of the trial workings to his novels - FOUNTAIN OF REVENGE and THE SECOND ENCOUNTER - in which he uses his experience as an attorney and engineer to portray a challenged attorney coping with his professional history and his emotional involvement with his clients. Richard’s legal expertise adds not only credibility but also that magnetic sense of courtroom drama – even in the portions outside of the legal purview.
Richard controls his drama with a keen sense of sensitivity and the use of fine prose, as is evident in the opening portion of this new book – ‘He avoided the name Elburt Arnot; the man was Burt Arnot. He forgave his parents for his original moniker; he didn’t forgive himself for his mistakes. Burt was in his late thirties, light brown hair, with a touch of gray at the corners, and thin and athletic. He still had the twinkle of youth in his eyes, and the dimples gave him charm, even when smiling only slightly. He generally was a happy man now. Burt recently accepted his need for small wire-rimmed glasses, and often wore a baseball cap, even in his small office during the day. The days of the formal tie and high-priced suits had faded over these recent years. So had the leather briefcase with gold trim and the alligator shoes. Now his herringbone jacket, blue shirt, loafers, and grey slacks made his statement, whatever that was these days. Burt pulled his backpack loaded with final exams from his VW and headed up the stone stairs to the law school library. He motioned across the courtyard to some of his students who waived back, one yelling, “Prof, remember all those late nights at the coffee shop discussing legal philosophy…be easy on me!” Burt yelled back as he got to the top of the staircase, “I’m sure all those discussions can only help you, Jason.” With a chuckle under his breath, Burt moved through the empty main floor of the library and remarked to himself how deserted the room looked on this sunny Sunday now that the semester had ended. Not a momentous several months for the man recently promoted to full professor, thought Burt, but his new manuscript on the rules of evidence was just about completed and he was ready to take a few weeks off. Unfortunately, once each semester, the criminal law instructor needed to record the grades and students’ data into his computer terminal, and today was the day. Sitting alone in his office, Burt was surprised by a faint tapping on his door. Being Sunday, he thought the library area adjacent to his office was still deserted. “Come in,” he said with a disinterested tone. He felt tired and wanted to get home to his condominium. On hearing the door slowly open, he glanced up, without any significant anticipation. A young girl, one he had not seen before, slid into his office. She was pretty and slim, with blond hair flowing down her shoulders. She wore jeans and a dark blue sweater. Black glasses rested on her nose. Her face was angular, and he observed her long legs, and little makeup. The girl stumbled against a pile of books near the door of the office, seemingly upset. She looked nervous and Burt saw fear in her face. “Do I know you?” Burt inquired with minimal curiosity. He knew she wasn’t a current student, since Burt had an excellent memory of attendees at the school. The stranger did not speak immediately. The girl looked around the office, which was surrounded by library stacks filled with law books and journals. Its small size and smoked glass windows, comprising half of the wall space, made the office slightly more than a cubicle. She stared at the pile of books and journals on the table behind Burt, many with yellow paper notes imbedded among the pages. Brushing against the only empty chair in the office, she moved Burt’s hat from the end of the armrest. Her silence now made Burt nervous. Several more awkward seconds passed, but Burt remained silent. There was something about this girl which was familiar, but no connection occurred to the professor. Then the girl spoke. “My mother has sent me.” “Do I know your mother?” asked Burt, somewhat coldly. He saw in this girl a haunting resemblance to a woman in his past, but he said nothing further. Burt now felt uncomfortable, and he rose from his chair. She stared at him, but still did not speak. He continued to feel awkward.’
The story progresses quickly and well and is distilled in the synopsis – ‘This story involves a young attorney who meets a beautiful blond woman, has a short affair, and then, reluctantly agrees to represent her in a murder trial. The woman is destroyed and the attorney feels it may be his fault, and leaves the practice of law. Five years later the attorney, now a small college law professor, is surprised by the woman's daughter who arrives and asks the attorney to represent her in a second murder trial. Again, the attorney is trapped by his guilt, and he agrees to represent the daughter which commences a mystery that must be solved if the daughter is to be acquitted. Perhaps even the mother can be saved. Personal relationships become intense and shift as the action and unraveling develop, and nothing is clear until the end of the story. This book involves two criminal trials, deceiving participants, car chases, mysterious notes, an unexplained key, and troubling actions by public officials. In the end it is a story of the great success of a young man, bad behavior, followed by an attempt at redemption.’
The stature of the important new author Richard Davidson climbs with each novel. Not only is his legal expertise a significant contributing factor to his dramas, but also his richly rendered prose rivals the best of our contemporary writers.
May 28, 2020
A legal thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page. Filled with suspense , romance, murder,
and courtroom drama.
Burt Arnot is a successful criminal lawyer whose life is changed when he meets beautiful Meg McBell and agrees to represent her in a murder trial. The two become romantically involved before the trial, and Burt is wracked with guilt at the way things turn out. He feels responsible for ruining Meg’s life and as a result gives up his practice and becomes a professor at a college. Five years later Meg’s daughter comes to Burt and persuades him to represent her in a murder trial. The two cases are unbelievably similar and Burt agrees to take the case against his better judgement. Burt discovers that the two cases are linked and he puts his life in danger to find out the truth. Secrets are revealed and nothing is as it seems.
I enjoyed this thriller that I received from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. The two criminal trials were interesting and the ending was totally surprising. Highly recommend!
and courtroom drama.
Burt Arnot is a successful criminal lawyer whose life is changed when he meets beautiful Meg McBell and agrees to represent her in a murder trial. The two become romantically involved before the trial, and Burt is wracked with guilt at the way things turn out. He feels responsible for ruining Meg’s life and as a result gives up his practice and becomes a professor at a college. Five years later Meg’s daughter comes to Burt and persuades him to represent her in a murder trial. The two cases are unbelievably similar and Burt agrees to take the case against his better judgement. Burt discovers that the two cases are linked and he puts his life in danger to find out the truth. Secrets are revealed and nothing is as it seems.
I enjoyed this thriller that I received from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. The two criminal trials were interesting and the ending was totally surprising. Highly recommend!
October 14, 2018
This book is a study in human relationships and how far we will go to alleviate the guilt and pain we carry around every day. Burt gets caught up defending a woman he had an affair with during her murder trial. Years later her daughter Meg runs into him while he is a professor and asks that he defend her in her murder trial as well. Burt, against his better judgement, agrees reluctantly to do it. He feels guilty for how events turned out with her mother all those years ago and he is invariably pulled into the mystery of what truly happened to Meg. This book is a dramatic crime and mystery story that is written very well. The mysteries surrounding Meg and her mother will keep you guessing just what happened and how much do they truly know? I know a few of my guesses as to the motives were false, so I was pleasantly surprised that this book was not predictable.
July 27, 2019
I absolutely loved this book! The author Richard Dodge Davidson really brought the characters to life in this book. This book was very hard to put down. First the main character Burt represents his ex lover in the murder of her husband then years later after leaving the court room he returns to defend his ex lovers daughter in another murder trial. The author goes into great detail into what happens in the day to day life of a trail attorney with all the behind the scenes digging up information, tracking that information and finding evidence of his clients innocence. The author describes the courtroom trial procedure in detail so the reader can understand exactly what is going on. This is a great crime drama/mystery that I highly recommend!
I received a free Amazon Kindle edition of The Second Encounter by Richard Dodge Davidson from Goodreads giveaway interchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you to Goodreads, the author and publisher for this opportunity to read and review this book.
I received a free Amazon Kindle edition of The Second Encounter by Richard Dodge Davidson from Goodreads giveaway interchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you to Goodreads, the author and publisher for this opportunity to read and review this book.
October 24, 2018
The Second Encounter draws the reader in as Richard Davidson begins with the meeting of Linny McBell. She is the daughter of a client Burt Arnot once had. He remembers Meg McBell well though he still felt he failed her. Now Linny is asking for legal work, Burt is reluctant but feels he owes this to Meg. This novel recounts the interaction Burt had with Meg and the trials both these ladies faced. The question is will this lawyer be able to redeem himself of his mistakes?
I truly found The Second Encounter enticing as these women rely on Burt with their freedom. Richard Davidson outdoes himself in setting up the plot and scheming through scenarios the reader didn’t see coming. The author is a master in convincing his audience, the reader, of the outcome to expect, only to change it. Those who enjoy legal mysteries will find this novel alluring and its characters fascinating.
I truly found The Second Encounter enticing as these women rely on Burt with their freedom. Richard Davidson outdoes himself in setting up the plot and scheming through scenarios the reader didn’t see coming. The author is a master in convincing his audience, the reader, of the outcome to expect, only to change it. Those who enjoy legal mysteries will find this novel alluring and its characters fascinating.
August 17, 2019
This book kept my attention from the first page to the last
June 17, 2019
The Courtroom Drama
I thought the book had a lot of drama, first Meg was accused of her husband's murder then her daughter was accused of her uncle's murder.
I thought the book had a lot of drama, first Meg was accused of her husband's murder then her daughter was accused of her uncle's murder.
October 29, 2018
This fun fall read is excellent if you are having trouble deciding between a mystery and romance novel. It is filled with drama but has plenty to satisfy your mystery novel craving. The way the author writes really makes you feel what these characters are going through and the emphasis on the emotion that is pulled out of this book makes it a worthwhile experience.
October 23, 2018
The Second Encounter by Richard Dodge Davidson is a great book written with flair by the author. His background as an attorney certainly shows in this fine book about a young woman seeking an attorney. The catch is, her mother had a relationship with that same attorney, and that attorney failed. Now he just wants to teach law, and nothing more. With that ominous beginning, we delve into the story. The author has taken the time to thoroughly describe courtroom trial procedure and courtroom drama in an accessible way, making it easy for the reader to grasp. This in turns helps the plot move forward, while you hang on for a wild ride. Tense, gripping, and subtly written, this book is a great example of what a good legal thriller should look like. Emotions get tangled up for our main character, Burt Arnot, as he struggles to come to grips with his past, as he deals with the present. Highly recommend for a powerfully riveting story.
October 27, 2018
From the first lines I plunged into the story of the interesting and unusual life of Burt Arnot. I was impressed by the plot of the book, it is saturated with actions, relationships, secrets and emotions. You live this "storm" of passion until the end of the book. Based on the biography of the author Richard Davidson, one can understand that he wrote this book deliberately and perhaps based on his own experience.
The book deals with a lawyer, a woman named Meg McBell and her daughter. An intriguing story that links all the characters and carries through the entire book. Exciting plot and unpredictable, unusual outcomes - this all lures the reader and it is difficult to stop.
The author’s beautiful style and simplicity even for such a serious subject as a criminal case and murder do not diminish the charm of the book. I think that everyone will read this genre and everyone will enjoy as I did. Highly recommended.
The book deals with a lawyer, a woman named Meg McBell and her daughter. An intriguing story that links all the characters and carries through the entire book. Exciting plot and unpredictable, unusual outcomes - this all lures the reader and it is difficult to stop.
The author’s beautiful style and simplicity even for such a serious subject as a criminal case and murder do not diminish the charm of the book. I think that everyone will read this genre and everyone will enjoy as I did. Highly recommended.
October 23, 2018
Suspense at its height!
An interesting, page turner murder trial mystery, deep with human emotions, guilt and baggage of guilt that we carry, that could change our life course. A lawyer defends woman for a murder trial and fails, lives with this guilt, leaves his practice and then after many years the circumstances repeat. There are a lot of suspense moments, events that keeps the interest going. The book will let you guess but when truth reveals you may not be correct.
An interesting, page turner murder trial mystery, deep with human emotions, guilt and baggage of guilt that we carry, that could change our life course. A lawyer defends woman for a murder trial and fails, lives with this guilt, leaves his practice and then after many years the circumstances repeat. There are a lot of suspense moments, events that keeps the interest going. The book will let you guess but when truth reveals you may not be correct.
June 18, 2020
Exciting and suspenseful, with a great storyline that's easy to read and hard to put down. Never boring and an enjoyable read.
May 15, 2022
(El)burt is a young brash criminal defense attorney. However, Burt gets more than he can handle in representing the sultry Meg McBell. In an interesting twist (as revealed in the book's opening pages), Burt encounters Meg's daughter five years later, accused of a crime very similar to the crime that sent her mother to prison. The first half of the book examines Meg's trial, while the balance is spent on Burt trying to solve the daughter's case and examining the similarities between the two.
In my opinion, the book is not well written or edited. Burt is a caricature of all single male attorneys, chasing women and the high of being in court. The other characters are not well developed or adequately described. Facts seem much more important details of the plot or the relationships between characters. There are a number of typographical errors: Judge Hathaway is suddenly Judge Harrington; the Cilbron Partnership, the Cerbron Partnership; Donny Brackenship, Donny Blankenship. Words are misplaced, sentences do not make sense. If you want me as a reader to engage in the story, these type of mistakes are a huge distraction.
It is hard to identify the time period for the story. It references cell phones, but at the end of the book reveals the first crime was in 1988.
In my opinion, the book is not well written or edited. Burt is a caricature of all single male attorneys, chasing women and the high of being in court. The other characters are not well developed or adequately described. Facts seem much more important details of the plot or the relationships between characters. There are a number of typographical errors: Judge Hathaway is suddenly Judge Harrington; the Cilbron Partnership, the Cerbron Partnership; Donny Brackenship, Donny Blankenship. Words are misplaced, sentences do not make sense. If you want me as a reader to engage in the story, these type of mistakes are a huge distraction.
It is hard to identify the time period for the story. It references cell phones, but at the end of the book reveals the first crime was in 1988.
November 28, 2020
Amateurish
It was difficult to develop any interest in the characters. I did not care in the least whether Meg or Linny went to jail. Burt was terminally stupid regarding Meg. If I managed to pull the descriptions of Burt together correctly he was a tall, handsome man but I could not help but picture him as short, with overly curly brown hair, a bit overweight and a bit untidy.
The best part of the book was when Burt was a law professor.
Besides being dull the book was full of varied and annoying grammatical errors.
It was difficult to develop any interest in the characters. I did not care in the least whether Meg or Linny went to jail. Burt was terminally stupid regarding Meg. If I managed to pull the descriptions of Burt together correctly he was a tall, handsome man but I could not help but picture him as short, with overly curly brown hair, a bit overweight and a bit untidy.
The best part of the book was when Burt was a law professor.
Besides being dull the book was full of varied and annoying grammatical errors.
August 9, 2019
Thank you to Richard Dodge Davidson and Goodreads.com I won this book in a Giveaway.
This was a good read, the flow was kind of choppy, there were some legal ease that I really didn't understand and at times the voice of the story was robotic. I did enjoy how the story progressed and the overall story line. It did keep me guessing as to who did what and what the heck was going on !
This was a good read, the flow was kind of choppy, there were some legal ease that I really didn't understand and at times the voice of the story was robotic. I did enjoy how the story progressed and the overall story line. It did keep me guessing as to who did what and what the heck was going on !
May 4, 2021
Absolutely wonderful journey of life and trials
This was an amazing adventure to read. I absolutely enjoyed this excellent novel very much from beginning to end. The characters were awesome and the story line with adventure, thrilling action was amazing. I highly recommend reading this wonderful story. It's incredibly well written. Congratulations.
This was an amazing adventure to read. I absolutely enjoyed this excellent novel very much from beginning to end. The characters were awesome and the story line with adventure, thrilling action was amazing. I highly recommend reading this wonderful story. It's incredibly well written. Congratulations.
July 13, 2020
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway, thank you to the author and publisher. I found the book to have all the elements of a top legal thriller. The authors writing is tight and pulls all the plots together nicely. It was a pleasure reading this book.
May 25, 2020
loved this book could not put it down.
June 3, 2020
Very good suspense book.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews