Move to Strike

David Cavanaugh #4

by Sydney Bauer

Perfect home, perfect family, perfect murder...Doctor Jeffrey Logan, daytime TV's most loved psychologist, has a top-rating talk show seen around the world - his picture perfect life completed by his talented lawyer wife, Stephanie Tyler, their 16-year-old daughter Chelsea, and 13-year-old J.T. But this image of domestic bliss is shattered when Stephanie is killed instantly by a bullet from a big game rifle in the family's pristine Beacon Hill kitchen - the consequences of her death catastrophic as Doctor Jeff confesses, despite all the evidence pointing decidedly towards his blood spattered son. Now Boston criminal defence attorney David Cavanaugh faces his most gruelling case to date - as fate steps in to see him appointed to represent the man charged with murdering his old law school friend. Cavanaugh soon realises that this family has a dark secret, but it may not be the one the popular Doctor Jeff insists on revealing to the world. With the Logan children unwilling to reveal what really happened, and Doctor Jeff always one step ahead of his defence team, Cavanaugh must race to uncover the truth, before more lives, including those closest to him, are lost.

Genres: Audiobook, Crime

477 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2009

About the author

Sydney Bauer (Kimberly Scott) is the author of the crime series featuring Boston based criminal attorney David Cavanagh. Her debut novel Undertow, also the first novel in the series, was published in 2006 and won the Sisters in Crime Davitt Award for the best crime novel by an Australian Woman.

Sydney's background is in journalism and television. While studying for a Communications degree in the 1980s she worked as a copy girl at a major Australian newspaper and then secured a cadetship that led to a position as a crime, legal and courts reporter. She eventually moved on to become a features editor for an young women's magazine before finally changing direction completely and moving to television.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this legal thriller. Intricate plotting kept me turning the pages. I would have given it a 5 star rating if it hadn't been for the occasional forced explanations that intruded into the flow of the text. But a great yarn!

[The Bookshop Umina]

I gave this up after a few chapters. I enjoy a trashy crime novel as much as anyone but this was not a good one - clunky descriptions that tried to blend into the story line were irritating and felt forced.



I like to support Australian crime writers but I think the time spent working with TV shows has been to the detriment rather than the advantage. I have seen other reviews that say that they don't like this as they don't like Law & ORder but I don't mind those kind of shows on occasion, and this still left me cold.



Try a Barry Maitland or even a Harlan Coben instead if you are after an escapist crime read.

[Geoffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an engrossing legal/crime thriller. The gradual development of a truly chilling killer keeps you turning the pages. As defense attorney, David Cavanagh, delves into the 'facts' to build a case for his client the level of psychological manipulation slowly emerges. He begins to wonder if he has the right client, and what the true 'facts' of the case really are. Tension builds without let up until the climax. If you like Grisham, this is better.

Geoffrey Lambert - author "The Morozov Inheritance"

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is probably no coincidence that this book is likely to appeal to fans of TV shows like CSI and Law and Order as the author says she is very fond of those shows and the book has a structure, subject matter and delivery which seems somewhat reminiscent of that style of show (or at least what I glean from others about them) - I don't watch them, probably for the same reasons that MOVE TO STRIKE isn't really my sort of book.

Perfect Home. Perfect Family. Perfect Murder. That's what is printed at the top of the cover of the book and there is a lot of the "perfect" about the setting. A perfect family picture to the outside world, an idyllic lifestyle that is (unsurprisingly) covering up something more sinister. Perfect Murder is an interesting choice however and it was that line that intrigued this reader the most.

Cavanaugh is invited to an horrific crime scene - where an old friend has been the victim of a shooting. Her husband, a daytime TV psychologist, is the person who has confessed, but his story is inconsistent with the evidence and it's too fantastic to possibly be true. Besides that, it doesn't explain why so much evidence points at his own son. Cavanaugh knew the victim a long time before she married her husband and he had seen a marked change in her personality. But whilst her husband tries hard to project her as the problem in the marriage, it doesn't take too long for the truth to be revealed.

There is undoubtedly a skill in the prose and the story-telling in MOVE TO STRIKE. The action moves apace with only the very occasional bogging down in way too detailed descriptions of characters clothes and other irrelevancies. There are some dramatic plot twists and a number of viewpoints are covered within the investigation.

Undoubtedly a book for fans of the author's earlier books, or for readers who like those sort of big blockbuster legal / forensic stylings of books, MOVE TO STRIKE didn't appeal to me at all. Perhaps it was that feeling of one step from a TV script, perhaps it was that blockbuster feel, maybe it was the incidentals of Cavanaugh's life which, as I've never read any of the earlier books, passed me by or were neither interesting or particularly engaging. In fact, the whole story was surprisingly uninteresting. Partially it was because I struggled to engage with any of the characters and I found the twists and turns too "convenient" to hold my attention. Partially it's because I'm still not sure what "Perfect Home / Perfect Family / Perfect Murder" is supposed to mean.

[Angela Lyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I've read any of Sydney Bauer's books. I thought the story was great. Right from the start I was engrossed with the characters. But it did meander a bit into the lives and problems of the other characters. Apart from that the plot unfolded and towards the end I couldn't put it down. The ending was a surprise but completely satisfactory.

[terpkristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough mystery thriller. It kept me guessing a bit as to how the WHOLE story came together, though most of it I guessed fairly early on. Still, it was entertaining enough, and a nice light read that required no real brain power.

[Gabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Grisham you'll like Bauer also!

[Conrad Toft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. It was okay but it took a long time to drag me into the story and then was a bit too unreal towards the end.

[Margot Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love any legal or courtroom drama. This held my interest right throughout. Loved it.

[Jess Broom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, exciting legal crime thriller.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read by Sydney Bauer. im do glad I discovered her as an author. Love David Cavanaugh's character. This story line had twist after twist. Worth a reread for sure.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great legal thriller. I will be reading another by this author.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, an excellent read. First by this author and will look for more - it reminded me of the early Grisham novels - it was a real page turner.

[Kate Loveday · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is the first time I have read this author but will definitely not be the last.This book kept me turning pages long after I should have turned off the light.

[Alfreda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read