Supreme Justice

Dana Cutler #2

by Phillip Margolin

"New York Times" bestselling author Phillip Margolin returns to the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., with an exciting thriller about a ghost ship and the President's nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sarah Woodruff, on death row in Oregon for murdering her lover, John Finley, has appealed her case to the Supreme Court just when a prominent justice resigns leaving a vacancy.

Then, for no apparent reason, another justice is mysteriously attacked. Dana Cutler, one of the heroes from Margolin's bestselling "Executive Privilege," is quietly called in to investigate. She looks for links between the Woodruff appeal and the ominous incidents in the justices' chambers. It eventually leads her to a shoot-out that took place years ago on a small freighter docked upriver in Shelby, Oregon, a dead crew, and illegal drugs. The only survivor on board? "John Finley."

With the help of Brad Miller and Keith Evans, Dana uncovers a plot by a rogue element in the American intelligence community which includes the president's nominee to the Supreme Court. Soon the trio is thrown back into the grips of deadly danger.

With nonstop action, "Supreme Justice" picks up where "Executive Privilege" left off, putting readers right back where they were - on the edge of their seats.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Legal Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime

312 pages, Hardcover

First published May 18, 2010

Reviews

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very light but good legal thriller. Second in the Series featuring Brad Miller.
To be honest, I read the first book but don't remember it at all. No worries though, I didn't feel like I missed anything crucial in the story line. Easy to pick up from this point.

Brad, a supreme court clerk saves his assigned supreme court judge, Justice Moss, from an attack in the parking garage. With the assistance of Dana Cutler, a private investigator, they are determined to find the true reason for the attack. Is it personal? Or is it related to a case they are discussing in the supreme court?

At times I found this book difficult to follow. There were so many characters and story lines, I felt that I needed a scorecard to keep track! On the positive side there were a few twists that I never saw coming. An easy read with quick short chapters.

Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next in the series.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

There seems to be no limits to the criminal activity that authors are willing to attribute to factions in the USA’s government!

Sarah Woodruff’s appeal of the death sentence and her conviction for the murder of her lover has now reached the Supreme Court. The vacancy created by an unexpected resignation from the court leaves Felicia Moss, the most vocal left-wing justice, in the obvious position of being the swing vote on the appeal. In a story that reeks of the reality of last year’s political events, the rush is now on to complete the nomination and confirmation of a far right-wing judge who will be beholden to those who most dearly want to see Sarah Woodruff show up for her date with the executioner. When an assassination attempt is made on Ms Moss, questions begin to arise as to whether there is a criminal element within the CIA itself that is working (with extreme prejudice, one might say) to ensure that the details of Sarah Woodruff’s case and the death of her lover die with her.

As I write this review, the media are suggesting that Cyrus Vance, the Manhattan District DA, is, quite literally, within hours of issuing a criminal indictment for Donald Trump. Whether it will be for tax evasion, obstruction of justice, fraud, or something else is certainly a hot topic of discussion but not really relevant here. The point is that scandal and criminal activity are clearly possible at the highest levels of government. This is no longer something that occurs only in the fecund imaginations of overwrought, hand-wringing thriller authors. Add in Mitch McConnell’s knee-jerk obstruction of the confirmation of Merrick Garland, Obama’s Supreme Court nominee and, more recently, the rushed appointment of Trump nominees, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, and SUPREME JUSTICE becomes a credible, jaw-dropping, and, even frighteningly realistic possibility that will simply take your breath away.

Well written, excellent plot construction, some cleverly crafted twists and turns, and some very interesting and quite human character developments make SUPREME JUSTICE an easy legal thriller to recommend. Dana Cutler, a dark, noir, and somewhat bizarre, damaged anti-heroine à la Lisbeth Salander makes is a particularly interesting character study.

Paul Weiss

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book of a series but can be read as a stand alone. This book is a political thriller. In this one, there is an attempt on a Supreme Court Justice's life and she suspects it has something to do with her recent ruling on a particular case. She enlists her clerk, Brad, who is a returning character from the previous book to look into it.

This is a decent offering from this author and is a quick read. I really enjoyed the political thriller aspect of this book and that is what draws me to this author. It is a nice look into corruption at the highest level and shows no one is above the law. The reason I could not give this a higher rating is the way the story was told. It was a little disjointed. Sometimes, we would have a scene that was nowhere near to the action and I was left wondering why. I knew in the back of my mind that it was going to tie in at the end. The problem is that these scenes were just a quick pop and we didn't return to them for a long time and these scenes seem to lose their importance. Also, there was a flashback in the middle of the book that halted some of the book's momentum. I believe this story would have been better off if it was told in a linear fashion instead of jumping all over the place.

I know going into this author's book that I am not going to be blown away by his work. For me, they are entertaining and usually a quick read. This one was likeable but had its flaws. I enjoyed the first offering in this series much more. I have no reservations about reading the next one.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. This one's close to the big 5. Just a touch disjointed. But here's my overwhelming recommendation: read the last 100 or so pages in one sitting. Surprise after surprise, twist after twist. Don't pause in that stretch; let "Supreme Justice" inundate you with shock after shock to the very end. The novel is not your standard thriller centred on one personality. Dana Cutler, that appealing young investigator, has little on her plate until the latter third of the novel. Different from most, there's a trio of heroes, Dana of course, but also Brad Miller who we met in the first entry when Dana and he brought down a President, and who is now clerking for a Supreme Court Justice in Washington, and Detective Daphne Haggard of Inverness, Wisconsin. One shouldn't forget Mary Garrett in Portland, Oregon doing her legal best to keep client Sarah Woodruff from receiving the death penalty for murdering her on-again, off-again boyfriend. Woodruff was charged with murdering him twice! Did I mention that the CIA is at the core of this great read with a tramp freighter called the China Sea and some hash they want kept off the books. Enjoy. (Ap2021/Ja2024)

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margolin has an annoying habit of introducing a seemingly endless cast of characters, and this book is no exception. Once he finally wades through and settles in with the characters of importance, he gives us a great tale of political intrigue. This quickly turned into a fast paced thriller with a shock ending, which was a great twist. He revisits quite a few characters from his previous book, Executive Privilege, and although it is not necessary to follow this storyline, I would recommend reading it first.

[Olivermagnus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The three main characters from "Executive Privilege," private investigator Dana Cutler, FBI Agent Keith Evans, and attorney Brad Miller, are back in Supreme Justice. Brad is now working for Supreme Court Justice Felicia Moss. One of the important cases of the session is one regarding a woman charged with killing her lover twice. The first case was thrown out after a jury was selected but the second time, Sarah Woodruff was convicted and put on death row. She is trying to get a new trial based on evidence the government kept out of the trial. Justice Moss wants to give the matter more consideration but one of the justices becomes enraged that she's even considering it. Soon after that, someone attempts to kill her and she's saved by Brad.

There are a number of plots and subplots going on that all merge and get tied together at the end. In this case the ending left me hanging a bit. Overall the book was a fast and fun read, especially because I'm a fan of legal based thrillers. While this book can be read as a standalone, there are references to events in the first book. I like the characters and plan to read the next book in the series, Capitol Murder.

[Terence M [on a brief old bloke's hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a re-listen to a book I read a few years ago. I can't remember why I liked it enough to put it in my "read again" pile, because it certainly did not deserve that allocation, in my current judgement. There appeared to be too many characters in the book with new players turning up at the drop of a hat. The story of the boat etc., in its second rendering, went on and on and life appears to be a pretty cheap commodity for Margolin - I lost track of all the killings by the end of the book. And the ending ... it also seemed to go on forever, before reaching its less than credible climax.
3.0 stars out of 5.0 stars

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

A US Supreme Court Justice is surprised when a colleague vehemently refuses to grant a new trail to a sarah Woodruff, a woman on death row. She is more surprised when there is an attempt on her life and it seems to be tied to the Woodruff case. There are lots of twists and turns and the Woodruff case connects to murders on a ship carrying drugs that mysteriously disappears with the help of the US government. Highly recommended.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margolin has a knack of taking a number of principles acting on their own and bringing them together to solve a crime—or several of them. This book dealt with the inner workings of the Supreme Court which I can only assume was more or less factual and I found interesting. Several characters from the first book by Margolin appear again and give us some exciting moments. I like Margolin’s writing.

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Phillip Margolin has been a favorite of mine since I read Wild Justice back in 2001, since then he has written more books featuring the characters of Frank and Amanda Jaffe (From Wild Justice) and several other solo books as well. The thing to note over here is that Margolin doesn’t write sequels unless of course his characters fit the plot[Twisted plots are trademark of his] so with every other Amanda Jaffe book we get a solo book which feature a different storyline. One such book was Executive Privilege, which was released in 2008 and featured both Brad Miller, Keith Evans, and Dana Cutler. So when Phillip Margolin found a plot which could expand on these characters, he wrote Supreme Justice and here we are.

This book like other Margolin books is divided into several parts which are set in different time periods, for example the first part opens in 2006, the 2nd part in 2012, the third part in 2006, the 4th in 2007, the 5th again jumps to 2012 and the last two continue in the same vein. Each chapter begins with a different POV character and the characters are mentioned above. The story begins with John Finley surviving an attack on his ship, the next chapter then introduces us to Tom Oswald who happens upon an empty ship which has dead bodies and drugs. They are told to keep a lid on it by agents of Homeland security who abruptly confiscate the case. The narrative then shifts to Brad Miller in the year 2012 as he’s preparing for his Clerkship with Supreme Court Justice Felicia Moss. The Supreme court is in a bit of upheaval as one of the Judges retires suddenly and the vacant spot causes an issue as people from various factions try to fill it with their candidate. There’s also an attack on Felicia Moss which Brad foils. To gain more ideas about this he enlist the help of Dana Cutler.

The next part moves on to a previous murder trial which was dismissed the first time but now Sarah Woodruff has been indicted again for the murder of the same individual. Plus the prosecutor Max Dietz was never convinced of Sarah’s innocence the first time around. It’s from these varied plots that Phillip Margolin spins his web for the reader to decipher. The tale and the multi-character cast might seem a bit daunting but it’s to Margolin’s forte that he pulls it off with aplomb. The reader will be sucked into this tale as clues and misdirections are presented and the saga unfolds exquisitely.

Phillip Margolin is quite a storyteller. This can be gleaned easily from this book as he presents three dimensional characters and gives each chapter from a different POV. This allows the reader to have a very omniscient view into the story but at the same time not everything is as it seems. It also allows the reader to race right along side the characters as they uncover the actual mystery and not feel as if it's happened in the past and told to them later.

Even though this book contains characters from a previous book, this story is a standalone and can be read as such. There are very few spoilers for the previous book and so readers who like this book’s characters can also check out their previous appearance in Executive Privilege. Phillip Margolin once again deftly shows how mystery/thriller writers can keep their books fresh for long time readers with enticing plots and mesmerizing characters. A very good thriller for those who like reading plots in the vein of those by Agatha Christie, Arthur C., Doyle and recent greats such as Jeffrey Deaver.

[Hans Brienesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this quite a good book with a substantial plot and an ending most will not see coming. If anything the novel suffers from the "superhuman" element where by either a fortuitous chance or by benefit of their superior skills the heroes overcome high odds. But the plot has several twists and turns and the characters are fleshed out well. A good high paced read.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that I have read all 3 of Phillip Margolin's Washington, DC novels, Supreme Justice being the 2nd, his stories become just a bit clearer to me. This is another DC thriller featuring Brad (a clerk to a Supreme Court Justice and his wife,Ginny (part of a leading DC law firm) along with Dana(a private investigator) and best friends with Ginny and Brad.
The story involves dishonest lawyers, intrigue among Supreme Court Justices, murder, and cover-ups.
Margolin is a pro at writing involved stories that appear different from one another, and then end up being tied together.
Unless you have a great memory, it would be helpful to keep a list of the characters' names and their jobs. This way, when events that occur in 2006, 2007, and 2012 (as in Supreme Justice). you will be able to connect the events in an orderly fashion. Otherwise, it is very possible to become confused with Margolin's writing. He does spin intriguing yarns that make for exciting reads. Supreme Justice is one of those.

[Loretta Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fast paced thriller with a lot of twists and a few surprises along the way. Our main character is a private investigator, as well as female, Dana Cutler. Dana is thrown into this mix of murder, drugs, sex, betrayal and politics. All the major and not so major law enforcement agencies get involved. You need to read Executive Privilege to get a closeup of cutler. Thank you, Margolin, for creating a strong female protagonist, who has been victimized, yet more than survives and comes back fighting.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Margolin, who knows how courts work and always places his stories around Portland, Oregon. This is an intricately plotted thriller with an unexpected final twist and plenty of smart powerful female characters. But it’s a bit too plot driven— the characters remain so cardboard that it’s sometimes hard to remember who’s who. And there are hardly any courtroom scenes, a major reason to read most Margolin books. So just a three star rating from me.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of characters to keep track of.

[Flash Floyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had trouble following all the characters of this book. It focused down on a few by the end. Story was a bit unrealistic also. Not among the better books I've read of this type.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of characters and stories that finally connected all together in the end.

[Nikki Neuman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another thrilling chase

I have fallen in love with Margolin's writing style. Great character development, lots of twists and turns, a plot that you'd see in the headlines, and a masterful summation that ties up loose ends you didn't realize were there. Excited to have found a storyteller reminiscent of Grisham's early works.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying to clean up my ever-increasing to-read list, and I remember appreciating Margolin's clever thrillers, possibly mostly from the 90s, like Gone, But Not Forgotten. This one isn't his best, but I appreciate twisted storyline and interesting characters (especially investigator Dana Culter). A reliable political thriller.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting & scary

[Jakki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating as I read. Right off the bat, way too many characters.
Too many balls in the air. Decent storyline but I might not be reading any more of the series.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Winner

An absolute winner! I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

It was a great example of an outstanding suspense novel. From relatable characters, too nonstop action, this was a Winner.

I recommend highly.

[Jo Hanahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read that's hard to put down. Really enjoyed it.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Margolin jumps back in forth in time to tell a story about a court case going to the US Supreme Court for Cirt.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margolin gives us hope that ordinary people can defeat the megalomaniac, corrupt people in power who try to get by with all sorts of illegal shenanigans by doing all sorts of illegal things … do we buy it? Good read!

[Marshall Chapman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mid. Kind of all over the place. Quick, mindless read but tough to follow.

[Toni Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is an exciting thriller, a puzzling murder mystery involving a ghost ship and the President’s nominee to the U.S Supreme Court. The story leads us in a twisted tale that opens more questions than answers involving a real soup mix of law enforcement officers: local police, state police, CIA, FBI, Homeland security and the U.S. Supreme court….. (Hahaha it seems the only group missing is the keystone cops….:) )

This is quite an involved story with numerous characters, plots and sub-plots weaving in and out.

The main plot involves an attack on Felicia Moss, a Supreme Court Justice, who has the swing vote concerning a death penalty case reviewing the fate of Sara Wooddruff, a police officer, convicted of murdering her boyfriend, John Finley. When the officer’s appeal reaches the top court, shadowy links begin to surface to a mysterious ghost ship and several cold case murders. Reopening the case threatens to uncork a bubbling mess hidden within the justice system.

Private investigator Dana Cutler, FBI Agent Keith Evans and attorney Brad Miller are brought in to determine why the murder case is causing shockwaves in Washington. As they search for answers, they are forced to pull out every trick in the book, jump many hoops and cross many avenues. The result will inevitably leave a warm spot in the heart of any demanding mystery reader.

This book is sharply written with an interesting and charming cast. Although some recurring characters from “Executive Privilege” have the lead roles, not knowing their past history did not deter my interest, the non-stop action kept me on the edge of my seat and entertained for hours.

[Jay Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had given up on Philip Margolin after a series of particularly gruesome outings with the lead Amanda Jaffe character. This despite really enjoying his plotting and pacing in several novels beginning with his break out: "Gone, but not Forgotten."

Thank goodness from remainder tables.

While cruising a remainder table in a B&N on the West Coast, I found a hardcover of his 2010 "Supreme Justice" on sale for less the the e-version or paperback - $6.98. So, what the heck?

The book flap promised suspense and the Supreme Court as a main setting. Great for a political junkie like myself. I wasn't disappointed. Good read. Margolin was never good with believable characters, and he's remained true to that deficit. But great plot. It might come close to banging its head into a fairly low credulity ceiling but it does it with a wink and sufficient pace to keep you running forward.

Good enough read to get me back to the remainder table but probably not to the next Margolin first edition.

[Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

A good, fast, and entertaining read about a ship full of hashish, murder, and the attempt assassination of a Supreme Court Justice to keep the details of a rogue covert CIA op from becoming public. Dennis Masterson has no qualms in what he is doing and so be it if an innocent woman, a former cop, is put to death for a murder she did not commit. The Woodruff cert must be denied at ALL costs. He has the power to go to great lengths to keep the events of the China Sea buried and will bury ANYONE who gets in the way. Justice Moss, Brad Miller, Dana Cutler, and Ginny Skinner are as determined to get to the truth as Masterson is to bury it. Miller, Cutler, and Skinner brought down the former President after all.

As I said, Supreme Justice is fast-paced and very entertaining. The writing style is easy. The last twist of the novel blew me away!

[Susannah Carleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book, but not as good as the first one in the series. The story moved more slowly, especially the long flashback in the middle. It was essential to the story, but, in my opinion (as both an author and a reader), it was longer than it needed to be.

I enjoyed seeing the main characters from the first book again, and seeing how their characters developed, several of them in a new setting. I also liked the primary Supreme Court Justice's character. I don't know if she will appear in the next book in this series, but I hope she will.