Premeditated Murder

Zack Wilson and Terry Tallach Mystery #1

by Ed Gaffney

In a New England courtroom, two young defense lawyers face a trial they cannot win. For attorneys Zack Wilson and Terry Tallach, partners and best friends, it seems an open-and-shut case. Their client confessed to a horrific multiple homicide–and Zack and Terry have only one to spare him from the death penalty. But even that is a long shot…until the case takes a sudden, strange turn.

The two lawyers may have stumbled on a their client had a secret motive for his indefensible act–a motive that might even free him if Zack and Terry can pull off an ingenious defense.

But as the media descend on a quiet Massachusetts town, and as Zack and Terry fight to save their client’s life, a surprise witness turns the trial into something no one could have predicted. Because only he can put all the pieces of an astounding puzzle together–and expose a conspiracy that is more shocking, far-reaching, and treacherous than anyone could guess.

Genres: Fiction

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Ed Gaffney took ten years of work as a criminal lawyer, added an overactive imagination, and came up with a new career as a novelist. This has led to an unexpected number of requests from his softball teammates to appear with Terry and Zack in future books. Ed lives west of Boston with his wife, New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann, their two children, and their anxious, but ever-loyal dogs, Sugar and Spice.

Series:
* Zack Wilson and Terry Tallach Mystery

Reviews

[Xenos · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I decided to read a book by Mr. Suzanne Brockmann, aka Ed Gaffney. I figured the publishing company bankrolled him as a thank you to SB for the millions of dollars she has brought in over the years. But -- what the heck -- I thought I'd give EG's first novel "Premeditated Murder" a shot. If it sucked, I'd set it aside and move on...If it was good, well then I found another author to enjoy and follow. The verdict? To aforementioned publishing company I say, "great investment!"

I'll admit, it was hard to follow and get into at first. There were SO many different storylines introduced and SO many jumps back and forth in time that I thought my head would explode trying to keep it all straight. But then I decided to embrace my inner ADD (attention deficit disorder) and go with the flow. And what do you know -- I finally got in the groove and all the pieces started coming together. I was hooked! BIG TIME! Even dreamed about it at night, for Pete's sake!

Fantastic and timely story about terrorism and the moral dilemmas that arise while trying to keep us safe. Four-and-three-quarters stars!!!

[Stephen Brayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot

In a New England courtroom, two young defense lawyers face a trial they cannot win. For attorneys Zack Wilson and Terry Tallach, partners and best friends, it seems an open-and-shut case. Their client confessed to a horrific multiple homicide–and Zack and Terry have only one hope: to spare him from the death penalty. But even that is a long shot…until the case takes a sudden, strange turn.

The two lawyers may have stumbled on a loophole: their client had a secret motive for his indefensible act–a motive that might even free him if Zack and Terry can pull off an ingenious defense.

But as the media descend on a quiet Massachusetts town, and as Zack and Terry fight to save their client’s life, a surprise witness turns the trial into something no one could have predicted. Because only he can put all the pieces of an astounding puzzle together–and expose a conspiracy that is more shocking, far-reaching, and treacherous than anyone could guess.

My Analysis

I’m not sure where to begin. The above blurb is fine, but it doesn’t tell the entire story. And it shouldn’t. How does this case in Massachusetts relate to a death of a man in Michigan and the subsequent reporter who covers the suspicious circumstances? How does the President of the United States get involved with either of these stories? How about a Boston police officer weary of his job and thinking he’s a nobody? Well, surely the terrorist planning an attack is obvious? Right? Maybe.

The author does a marvelous job of weaving all of these stories together. Just snippets here and there withing the chapters. Little moves for each that keep the pieces going forward. Through over half the book this happens before you start to see answers to the puzzle.

I was hooked from beginning to end. The author writes in a way that keeps you hooked, wanting to know what’s next. How do these stories finally relate to each other. They have to, right? Otherwise, the author cheats the reader. Never fear, everything is revealed…okay, but you have to wait for a final surprise.

The subtle humor of the attorneys was enjoyable. Just enough cynicism from each to make you smile. You have to after learning that this defendant has zero chance of a not guilty verdict. But, also, you wonder…is there the very slightest chance that maybe…

Enjoyable book all around. No wasted space, characters that you latch onto (Hey, the First Lady plays detective), and writing that pulls you in and makes you want to turn the page.

I thought about the rank of blue but thought that it went a step up. The quality of the writing and the story are that good.

My Rank:

Brown Belt

[Sassafrass · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was soooo good! It's unlike anything I usually read (aka romance), but I loved this book. Gaffney took all of these seemingling unrelated stories and weaved them together in a way that had me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down because I just had to knwo what was going to happen next.

I picked this book up because the author is married to Suzanne Brockmann, but I will read the next in the series based on his merit alone!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this story is a good one. The disjointed way in which it is told is very aggravating. The threads of the story are not ever really pulled together by the author, but left to the reader to discern. At the very end, there is some suspense, but all in all it was just an okay novel.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually, I gave up on it. A little too Tom Clancy for me.