Felony Murder

by Joseph T. Klempner

When a homeless drifter is fingered for the murder of the police commissioner, small-time attorney Dean Abernathy knows there is more to the case than meets the eye. Reissue.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Audiobook, Legal

368 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

His full name is Joseph Teller Klempner, and he is also published as
Joseph Teller , at which web site further biographical information may be found.

Joseph T. Klempner is a former undercover agent for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (now the Drug Enforcement Agency) and later as a defense attorney in New York City.

Reviews

[Tulay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot, but....

This book is over 400 pages, it could have been edited down to less than 200. Some very detailed climbing comes at the end as useful information, but it didn't need to be that detailed. Homeless man rubbed NYPD Police commissioner, but he died before being rubbed. Some very crooked police, innocent people killed and kidnapped. Defending lawyers life is in danger too. You can skip read almost 70% of the first part, still understand what is going on.
2.5 star.

[Jeremy Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

wove a good tail, but it seemed to be missing something. i hoped the ending would capture that lost nugget, but it fell short. a decent read, but nothing to really immerse yourself in.

[Hayden KirbySmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Well-written & could have been authorized by John Grisham himself! I can't wait to read more from this author! Recommend it highly..

[Joe Rodeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow set up, runs in place sometimes, and the girl he falls in love with is no prize. (He takes a ski trip that has nothing to do with anything!) There are also a few too convenient plot devices; ex, an unnecessary idiotic mistake by the bad guys just before the trial.

But if a story is only as good as its villain, this novel passes with flying colors. They;re scary; they hold many intimidation cards. They're also part good, though capable of murder; refreshing in itself. It takes an extremely brave person to challenge them.

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m toying between three and four stars here, but think I’m going to have to settle on three. The story is well told and certainly interesting but there’s something missing here. I think it might be how abruptly it ends - the author has covered so much in so much minute detail, you’d expect the same to be said of the main trial and it just stops instead, leaving you with an epilogue to wind things up. Never keen on epilogues; it’s essentially admitting that you didn’t actually finish your novel. A snapshot epilogue is one thing, but a didactic, this is what happened to each character in turn is boring.

I think the other crucial element here though is that that toward the end, the entire thing becomes less court drama thriller and more James Bond action. It feels rather out of place and doesn’t fit with the rest of the novel at all. On the other hand Klempner does well at turning all of my assumptions on their head and the characters are well written and depiction. I quite enjoyed reading it in honesty, but I don’t think I’d make an effort to find more by the author.

[Judith Golderer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great legal thriller by Klempner set in NYC about the murder of the police commissioner by a homeless man.

[Kelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. Not for me.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Rate Legal Thriller

This was one of the best legal thrillers that I have read in the past few years. Meticulously plotted, with well rounded and believable characters, it was a page turner that can take its place beside the very best in the genre. I highly recommend it to all who like legal novels and thrillers. You will not be disappointed. As for me, I will be looking for everything else written by this extremely talented author.

[Susannah Carleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book with a likeable hero readers will relate to and root for, interesting secondary characters, and nasty bad guys, including a number in the upper echelons (detective and higher) of the New York City Police Department, but not the Police Chief, who is poisoned by some of his men to prevent his publicizing their misdeeds. The police blame the Police Chief’s death on the homeless man who robbed him after he collapsed on the street late at night.

A riveting tale. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but it won’t be the last.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A down and out NY City lawyer is assigned as a public defender in the case of a homeless vagrant accused in the wrongful death of the City Police Commissioner. What starts out to be an open and shut case soon expands into a much more serious conspiracy taking place at the highest levels of the NYPD. The story includes a good plot and interesting characters but tends to get bogged down in with too much detail on rock climbing and other unrelated topics. Overall though "Felony Murder" is a worthwhile read for fans of legal novels.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, fast-paced read! I thoroughly enjoyed the main character here, Dean Abernathy. He is intuitive, smart, laid back, and brave. Attorney Abernathy is assigned to defend a homeless ex-con, Joey Spadafino, in a felony murder charge. What transpires after this appointment is mounting evidence that Joey is being framed. Dean's prime witness is a delightful woman as well. Great read!

[Jacquelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost a John Grisham book. Somehow I enjoyed learning about the intricacies of rock climbing because I have a friend who climbs; otherwise, I might have been scanning quite a bit. Between a 4 and 5 star. Guess it was a five!

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpected find

This was a book I got as a freeby. I really enjoyed the book as while. It's a little long winded and wrapped up quickly. Overall an enjoyable story with likable characters

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

The American justice system (like its political system) terribly confuses me. However, I did enjoy this slow moving legal drama/thriller. The second book of Joseph Klempner and I have enjoyed them both. Cheers

[Sabrina S · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 ............

[Teresa Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy mysteries that have twists and turns in it. This is one such book. I really enjoyed this book

[Diane Dooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

the mystery part was good but some of the trial discussion really dragged.

[Candace Tally · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time I have read a book by Klempner, I would like to read more! Was a very good read!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this was an excellent book of this genre. The characters were sympathetic and I had to admire the defendant standing up for what he thought was right. Interesting plot and twist. I've never read anything by this author before, but will be looking for more.

[Sherry Connelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

It was a very good book. However, it took way too long to get to the intrigue. The first half was pretty slow.

[Rica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding.

This was Klempner's debut novel. It's the third of his books I've gobbled up since discovering him a few months back. (Previously, I read _Flat Lake in Winter_ and _Best Intentions_.)

And I'm now writing my third glowing review of his work. His stories are at least as deftly plotted as anything I've read by Grisham, but I find that his characters seem more well-developed. I always particularly enjoy his descriptions of his protagonists' connections with children--in this case not his own, but the infant daughter of another character.

I've got another Klempner (_Fogbound_) lined up on my Kindle app, ready to go.

Highly recommended for fans of legal thrillers.