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Tex Hunter #1

Power and Justice

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An innocent man is accused of murder. His enemies want blood.

And criminal defense attorney Tex Hunter is the only hope he has left.


Robert Sulzberger appeared to have a perfect life—a respected position in the City Council, a lovely family, a house with all the trimmings—but behind the façade, his life was crumbling. Drawn into a world of crime and corruption, Sulzberger couldn’t find a way out. He couldn’t escape. And when he tried to walk away, he found himself behind bars.

The trial captures the media’s attention and the dark forces of politics are thrown into the limelight. As the son of a convicted serial killer, Tex Hunter knows just how dangerous those forces can be.
In the first instalment of the Tex Hunter novel series, Hunter battles against deception, fraud, and cover-ups; risking everything in the most difficult case of his career.

Can justice triumph against corruption?

Or will the dark side of politics bury the truth forever?



This thrilling story will take you for a ride through the courtroom, and end with a twist that you didn’t see coming.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 2, 2019

5382 people are currently reading
527 people want to read

About the author

Peter O'Mahoney

39 books346 followers

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5 stars
3,087 (45%)
4 stars
2,499 (36%)
3 stars
969 (14%)
2 stars
200 (2%)
1 star
96 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
Profile Image for Rich.
297 reviews28 followers
April 3, 2020
For a authors first book it was decent it could have been much worse. The story was decent but not great and never explained how it was done. I would give this book a 3.0 on the dot it just escaped the 2 star rating but not by much. The main character was ok but I at times had a hard time believing he was a top notch lawyer and the case was kind of boring and the defendant was meah . The story did move at a good pace considering it has too much fluff and padding to it and too many other side stories. The dialogue in the book was decent. I do give him credit for one maybe twist in the book that I did not see coming. The ending was ok but nothing great and maybe a little over the top in credabilty. I do not think I would read another boo in the series. If you low on reading material and need something to read yo9u could do worse but I would not rush out to give this one a spin.
t
Profile Image for Michael Slavin.
Author 8 books282 followers
November 5, 2022
Tex Hunter is a lawyer with a history of serial killer parents. He takes a case of a man who he is sure is innocent but has to prove it.

What I liked:
-Interesting story, with twists and turns.
-Enough suspects you really don't know who did it. (the murder)

What I didn't like:
-Courtroom scenes seemed a little long to me, but okay.

Overall very good.
Profile Image for Perm Clark.
155 reviews12 followers
February 24, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is my personal 5 star rating system because I’m too lazy to write a review for every book.

5 stars -> OMFG. I couldn’t stop listening. I was engaged from beginning to end. The story & narrator was amazing. I 100% recommend this book & author. I was able to clearly follow each and every character.

4 stars -> It was pretty good. I would’ve rated 5 stars, But either the ending was lacking, I struggled to keep up with characters, or the story didn’t keep me fully engaged. The narrator was pretty good as well. I’m on the fence about recommending this book, It could go either way.

3 Stars -> It was boring at times & I missed chunks of the story. I most likely struggled to keep up with character developments. The only way I would recommend this book is if it was part of a series. The narrator was most likely average or just couldn’t fix a mediocre book.

2 Stars -> It was pretty horrible. I used it as background noise because I hadn’t had a chance to search for another book. The book either had a bad narrator, The character development was non existent, or the story was hot garbage. I would not recommend this book.

1 Star -> The absolute only reason I listened to this book was because i had no time to search for another one & I needed background noise. It was 1 step up from listening to the radio. I wouldn’t recommend this book to my worst enemy. Everything about this book was terrible. This is only recommended for people on death row and have absolutely nothing else to read.
Profile Image for Chaplain Stanley Chapin.
1,978 reviews22 followers
April 8, 2019
Another Lawyer

This one is at least a bit more like the average and not out emitting brilliance unmatched by anyone else .
54 reviews
July 23, 2019
Tex Hunter is a defense attorney with a history of getting high profile figures off on charges that look like it is impossible by proving that they actually are innocent and not finding loop holes if they are guilty.

Tex helps solve another murder mystery when his client is framed for murder because he voted against building a Veteran's center. He voted to save his career versus what was right and it cost him.

He is set up for murder and Tex figures out who the actual killer is.

This book is fast paced and you have to be sharp to eventually figure out who the killer is.

Good book. Worth the read.
460 reviews2 followers
August 13, 2019
Down and Dirty

This was a fast read - not a quick read but a fast read. The difference? A quick read takes a short period of time to complete. A fast read, on the other hand, reads fast but takes time to complete. I like fast reads. The action didn't lag. The characters were colorful and complex enough to make you think about them, not just read about them. There were more than a few twists and turns but the nice part was you didn't see them coming. So, overall I give this book a strong 5 stars and encourage you to read and enjoy it. The bonus chapters for the next book were riveting as well.
19 reviews1 follower
August 24, 2023
Well, this is my first read of Mr. O’Mahoney and I have to tell you, I really, really liked it. This kind of book, a murder mystery thriller, is generally not my top genre read. I usually like science fiction and fantasy. I grew up reading Robert A. Heinlein, J. R. R. Tolkien, and other great Syfy authors. But for a change of pace, I tend to go to Mr. O’Mahoney’s genre. Anyway, this book was tremendous, great characters, great storyline, great twists, and turns. And reading it to the end, I was fooled, because I thought it was somebody else. So it was a terrific ending. I highly recommend it. And I will, for sure, read more books by this wonderful author and storyteller.
406 reviews1 follower
January 26, 2020
True th :

This was amazing story that kept u thinking can be solve the murder ad get to t he truth .? It kept u thinking that each situation would lead to the point of solving the case I like expense of who real was guilt of just a crime. Enjoying the Spence of the way thing went through t the book.
Profile Image for Jkane.
719 reviews2 followers
October 22, 2025
This novel was free on Audible, and I had never read anything by the author, so I thought I would give it a shot. Based on this novel, I'll read another one of Peter's books, but I have one reservation, which I will discuss below.

The novel is very good, as are the characters, and the plot. Moreover, the pace of the novel is great, with no wasted verbiage, or unnecessary tangential plotlines that do not add anything. Any backstory is very relevant and adds to the plot and/or the characters. So many authors would not be content with a 320 page novel and would add in 100 or more pages of fluff unnecessarily. While I have no problem with long books, and I read scores of them every year, I very much appreciate concise, succinct novels, as they are so rare.

Overall, I would've rated this book at 4/5 given the above positives. However, given a few negatives, I had to bump this down to 3/5.

First, the author is NOT a lawyer, and this becomes evident if you are a trial lawyer, like me. I generally try not to read legal fiction for these reasons, but sometimes, I veer off course. This is not a spoiler, but during the trial, the judge lets in evidence of unrelated "violent" acts, having nothing to do with the crime charged, which do not provide evidence of a pattern or similar modus operandi. This is highly prejudicial, and while judges do make mistakes, this is a pretty obvious mistake that criminal judges would not make. I can allow one judge to make such an error, but if the author continues to have similar errors in trial, then I'll probably have to move on. There were a few other areas of the witnesses testimony that would never have come in. The protagonist didn't object to a lot of obviously objectionable questions, as a good lawyer would have. One witness was not allowed to offer opinions, but then the protagonist did not object to another witness offering other objectionable, not relevant opinions.

Second, there were too many twists at the end. The novel was very good, and it didn't need the twists. Forcing them into the novel made the novel feel like less, not more. If the characters, plot, and pace of the novel keep the reader engaged, you don't need tricks in order to satisfy the reader.

Finally, and this one is admittedly petty, but be very careful, especially as a non-lawyer, from saying that the lawyer is the best cross-examiners another character has ever seen. It's just this one guy's opinion, so that's fine, but the cross examination was not so masterful that I'd expect anyone to say he's so good at interrogating witnesses that the CIA would want him. 'Show, don't tell,' as they say.
446 reviews4 followers
April 8, 2024
it’s a good start, highly recommend

I’m impressed with the beginning of Tex Hunter series. I love Tex character. I like his love and loyalty to his family regardless of their flaws. I have to admit, I was a little twisted about the true murderer but I was close. I guess the 2 women relationship early in the book. And I figured out who X was. I think she should’ve been punished by law for lying to the judge. She shouldn’t be allowed to prosecute any cases bc she’s is dishonest and she would do anything to win a case, including lying to a judge with no remorse. I hope Max gets himself together, he’s so young, needs a better life.
Profile Image for Nan Christine  Borton-Smith.
555 reviews12 followers
November 14, 2019
Could not put it down literally! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I’ve changed the way I review books recently I was giving out a lot of 5 star reviews for books that told a good story and were edited and proofed well but didn’t stay with me. So for books I enjoy I rate 3-4 stars, for books with poor editing and proofing but with a good story my highest rating is a 3.
This book is the first, I believe, I’ve read from this author, the storyline was tight with interesting characters and plenty of twists and turns. The editing and proofing were top notch and I cant wait to read the next in the series
Profile Image for Julie.
654 reviews18 followers
August 2, 2020
I might read the next one just to see if it improves.

I found it mostly unbelievable. The whole story line was thinly fabricated, the conflicts contrived, and the only thing unpredictable about it was Tex Hunter getting a witness to confess on the stand. I didn't get the impression his legal acumen and courtroom skills were up to the task.

I wasn't expecting John Grisham, John Lescroart or Victor Methos, but I was expecting... more.

So benefit of a doubt, I'll probably try something else by this author with the hope that this was a one-off or a rough start.
6 reviews1 follower
November 2, 2021
Waste of time

"I believe plotting is my strength" says the author. It really isn't.

When A says at the beginning of the book that her child was taken away for adoption, then a little while later B says she was adopted, you don't expect the big reveal hundreds of wasted pages later to be that A is obviously B's mother - but it is. We meander through politics until we lose the will to live. Add some woeful plotting and poor proof reading to a main character that has no points of interest and you have to wonder how this became a series.
Profile Image for Tracie Crane.
201 reviews3 followers
January 2, 2022
Politics and Family

Great story with likable characters. I will definitely be reading more from this author.
The main character, Tex, is a lawyer with a family past that makes him work hard to help the innocent. When a politician is accused of murder after making a political decision that ruined his reputation, Tex does everything he can to help him.
A story full of family drama, politics and a handsome hard working lawyer. What’s not to love. Go read it, you’ll be glad you did.
13 reviews
July 1, 2022
Too much British for an American based story with no stated British connections

Neither the author nor his editor (?) cared enough to have the all-American characters or the narrator speak American English. For anyone who went to school in the USA when language was still taught, these "errors" detract repeatedly from the flow of the story. Too bad, because it could have been an enjoyable read. Suggest the author write books where the action takes place in Oz, as the local phrases flow from him.
299 reviews
December 14, 2020
Ehhhhh, There was never any doubt about what,who and where the book was going. No suspense, no longing to pick the book up to find out what was going to happen next.
The author should have taken 5 minutes and researched courtroom procedure, simple law and police tactics. He had no clue which in turn made the book unrealistic and elementary. I would pass this read and look for a more educated author.
ps. the ending was simple and stunk.
Profile Image for gerry.
458 reviews5 followers
August 12, 2022
Legal thriller worth reading

The lead character has a troubled past, a father who is a serial killer. He copes by going into the practice of law, but always hopes to find proof that his father is innocent. The circumstances cause significant stress, but he remains dedicated to the justice system and is an excellent practitioner of the law. Interesting twists and turns that contribute to a good read.

35 reviews
January 25, 2023
hard read but worth it in the end

So this book was difficult to read but for some reason this storyline kept me coming back. As you keep reading your unsure of what answers will be waiting but once you think you have figured it out there are more questions. In the end you will be able to take what you know and learn the ultimate answer or 2.
Keep reading it is worth it in the end
Profile Image for Jacob Peled.
522 reviews11 followers
January 19, 2024
While this marks his inaugural entry in the 'Tax' lawyer series, it was my second encounter with the author. The initial one was the seventh book in the series, and I undeniably enjoyed the content. This prompted me to delve into the author's debut book.
My expectations were met satisfactorily. While the seventh book surpassed it, I am now unequivocally committed to reading all of the author's works. In essence, enthusiasts of the legal genre will find no reason for disappointment
3 reviews
December 15, 2024
Waste of time

I struggled with this story from the beginning all the way to the end. I rarely do not finish a book. Too bad I stuck with this one. The holes in the story were just too large to be fixed. I realized early on but kept hoping for something to save it. In the end it did come but it was clumsy. Reminded me of Perry Mason's courtroom finishes but that was decades ago. Today we want something better.
Profile Image for Donna ~ The Romance Cover.
2,907 reviews323 followers
December 30, 2024
I have read this author's books out of order and have completed his next series before starting this one. I could tell that this one was his first as it was not as accomplished as the subsequent series, however, still a cracking read. Refreshing to have a lawyer whose parents come from a criminal background. Also, Tex is just a normal lawyer, no bells and whistles, just hard work and gets the job done.
70 reviews
May 4, 2019
Riviting

Riviting in spots. Engaging throughout. I could not skip a word. Plot twists made this a page turner. The relationship of Robert with X puzzled this reader. Despite how absurd and unlikely it seemed, I remained anxious to find out who was X. I look forward to Tex Hunter #2.
Profile Image for Dave.
151 reviews
November 12, 2020
Kind of complicated, with a few nice twists. I figured out one of the main mysterious characters about 40% in, but it turned out that this character wasn’t the main culprit. The last line of the book was very interesting, and explained a lot. It did get a bit tedious with the constant re-hashing of the accused’s career and political stances.
32 reviews
March 14, 2022
The Twists in Life

There are many twists in the lives of many people in this world. No matter what station of each person. This is found to be true in each person in this well-written story by Peter Mahoney. I certainly will recommend this book and his series to each and every person that is interested in following a well-written author.

60 reviews
August 20, 2022
I enjoy reading this author. Previous read the Joe Hennessy series. Writing and detail is excellent. Chapters are short (which I like). Character profiles are well defined. Easy to read as you say, okay, one more chapter.

As good as this was, my preference would be the Joe Hennessy series
Again, a solid read and would recommend.
David
Profile Image for Chuck Clowdis.
Author 1 book102 followers
August 9, 2023
Maybe it was just my mood during reading this novel. But it seemed it foretold. The next steps and what should have been surprising simply wasn't.

I likely expected more. It kept my interest but the telegraphy noise was too loud.
Ill another O'Mahoney novel th see if this one was on me.
Profile Image for Tammy.
2,237 reviews81 followers
March 28, 2024
3.8 stars
This is the first book that serve more as an introduction to Tex Hunter. Not much of courtroom drama but I can see that will be more in the future. The most interesting part is Tex Hunter's personal agenda in trying to clear his father's name. And that's what hooked and reeled me in to the next book!
2 reviews
June 7, 2024
inconsistent plot

I liked his southern lawyer books, but I think he forgot to write a story arc or character bios for this. He has a 40 year olds mother jumping and lunging and fighting. The story just doesn’t develop well. No character development. Just repeated “she would get her revenge” 100 times.
Good idea. Poor execution.
3 reviews
July 31, 2025
I've read many of his books from Southern Lawyers to Dean Lincoln to Bill Harvey and just read the first book of Tex Hunter. While they had suspense and twists at the end, the story line is always the same. The real killer is always revealed in court and always succumbs to the verbal assault by the hero attorney by admitting guilt. It has become mundane and no longer a surprise. So, I'm done.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews

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