Suspicion of Vengeance

Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana #6

by Barbara Parker

When Anthony Quintana and Gail Connor are asked to take on the appeal of a death row inmate, they encounter opposition from the community where the crime took place and suspect that their client is the victim of a conspiracy.

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

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Barbara Parker was an American mystery writer. She wrote 12 novels, the first of which, Suspicion of Innocence, was a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first mystery novel by an American author. Parker was on the national board of the Mystery Writers of America and was the chair of its membership committee for two years.

Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[JBradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

There I go, bypassing my own rules again. Why is this rated 4 stars? Because it is an excellent story, told by an excellent writer, and will teach you about legal issues and interpersonal relationships. It is always a pleasure to find a new writer that I have not read before and find extremely readable, but that pleasure was somewhat marred by the fact that I just checked on Wikipedia to see what else he had written and learned that she died five years ago at two young an age and won’t be writing anymore — but I will definitely be looking for others of her works. I picked this book off the hospital book swap shelf, choosing it instead of another book largely because there was a comment the rear cover by Tony Hillerman (whose works I also respect highly) stating “a real find for those who love taught, highly literate yarns.” Having finished it this afternoon while babysitting three of my grandchildren, I am very glad I did.

This book is the sixth in a series about two Florida attorneys, Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana. I do not know what has passed with them in the past, but in this particular novel they are lovers just getting over a broken engagement. When Gail was a young girl, she and her cousins were cared for by a family retainer named Ruby, who now reaches out to Gail soliciting legal help, as her own grandson is about to be executed for a murder 12 years in the past. Anthony, who is a very highly regarded Cuban attorney, is absolutely opposed to any involvement (which does not help their troubled relationship), but Gail agrees to try to help, thinking it is a way of paying Ruby back for her care in the past. The basic outline of the story is that Gail’s examination of the 12-year-old case leads her to question how things worked back then (with a part of the problem being that the person in charge of the investigation was the husband of her mother’s deceased sister, and that her beloved cousin, Jackie, is now a rookie patrolman on the local police force. The story opens with an account of the death of Jackie’s mother, which at first seems to have nothing to do with the ongoing story, but you know, of course, that it is going to get wrapped into it by the end. As Gail finds more and more that is questionable about the original conviction, Anthony becomes involved despite himself, as their investigation expands from a simple murder committed during a burglary to an extraordinarily convoluted story involving of the past murders that had not been noticed.

Reading through the story, I was impressed by the amount of detail – not only of the scenery and material things but also of the philosophy surrounding the whole process of execution. I put that down at first is simply the result of the fact that Barbara Parker had been a lawyer in fact and was a state prosecutor before operating her own legal practice for eight years (her interesting although brief biography, by the way, reports that she then decided to become a writer and hired herself out as a paralegal to a law firm without telling them that she was an attorney in order to have time to master her writing craft). Reading her acknowledgments section at the end of the book, however, made it clear that she had in fact done a tremendous amount of research in the process of writing this book, and it shows, from the front cover to the back.

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gail Connors is a competent attorney in her field. But once again she bites off more than she can chew when she agrees to take on a case everyone warns her she can't win in another Florida county. Anthony Quintana, her criminal attorney boyfriend, comes to the rescue by agreeing to aid her on the criminal aspects. She teams with Anthony and her cousin to try to save a man's life who they believe was convicted of a crime he did not commit. The details of the case clearly reflect that the judicial system is flawed.

[Hapzydeco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara Parker is a terrific storyteller. This legal thriller is proof. While the first half tends to be repetitive and the legalese is at times overwhelming, the second half is well paced and believable. Plus, Gail and Anthony’s tempestuous relationship takes a turn towards understanding. Parker uses this novel to point out that the criminal justice system is flawed and to show that when the police and the courts make mistakes that they rarely admit them.

[Iniye · Rating 3 out of 5]

“So many cases screwed up because the cops had an idea going in. Best keep an open mind. Just use your eyes. Pay attention to the evidence. It will speak to you.”

A tale of an “innocent” man, Kenny Clark, who was accused of murder based on the eyewitness of a neighbour who wasn't very certain of the person she saw.

It's really sad thinking how many people in prison today are locked up without a single evidence pointing towards them, but rather the testimony of an eyewitness only, without proper investigation to rightfully convict the perpetrator.

This is the first time I'm reading a Barbara Parker book, it had a good plot, but it drifted off when the supposed lawyer starts taking matters into his own hands, killing someone in the process. I expected more courtroom scenes, but I was disappointed.

[Della Tingle · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Not a one of us can’t look back and see things we ought to have done different, but what’s past is past. The Lord has given me another chance. He set my feet on the path...” (84).

I have never read any of the other Suspicion books. This one is number 6, but it can stand alone and be read without having read the others. However, I enjoyed it so much, I have added all of the others to my Want to Read list. I believe there are currently eight, in total.

[Richard Guerrero · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am enjoying the series but man, Gayle drives me crazy. She is everywhere. Don’t do this but do this, stop but go, I don’t need you but I do. As the series moves on her character is becoming even more extreme.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at criminal justice, great characters, plot moves right along for the most part, with a good number of "I didn't see that coming" twists and turns. Would like to read more of hers.

[Mayre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best of the series, so far

[Lisa Waterhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this book down!!! Great read!!

[Kathei · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a part of a series and if they’re all as fun as this one…I have some on-line shopping to do. ASAP

[jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a totally dignified, gripping, engaging legal procedural/thriller. it's a shame that the characters shouldn't be less anodyne, more individualized, but we'll leave that to the masters of the genre. and even though it's set in south florida, i didn't recognize *anything*. intracoastal? we have an intracoastal? i have never seen it. no one has ever told me. it's not on the map. what the heck is an intracoastal, anyway? damn, it even has a wikipedia entr.. yup, it's totally there. i don't know this state. i think i don't know this state because it's florida and i refuse to get to know it better. f*ing florida.

it doesn't help at all that after all the mad work of his wonderful attorneys, the innocent man is executed anyway. what kind of thriller is this? isn't the conventional legal thriller wisdom that the bad guys get it?

and so and and so forth.

death penalty: ugh. ugh. double ugh. ugh.

[Melba Bennett Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read the "Suspicion Of...." series when they were published. I've reread these first seven now in about a two weeks time period. I now better appreciate the interweaving of characters and complex plot. I think she peaked with Suspicion of Vengeance and this Madness book was a far slide downward. At her best I would compare her to John Grisham's early works. A little murder, a little romance. I am sensitive to sexism and displays of machismo, but Gail and Anthony are both flawed characters. He has the old world "protect my woman" mentality and she's a bit of a nagging harpy.....but this is a contrived subplot designed to keep interest by the tension of opposites. Ultimately their passion and magnetic attraction makes them a classic, if not idyllic, couple. I can suspend irritation and credulity for a Scarlett-Rhett kind of couple.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have recent decided that my time is too valuable to spend on books that aren't that good. I had to keep reminding myself to read this until I decided that I just didn't like it enough to finish. Quintana was arrogant and uninspiring and Conner was wishy-washy and boring. Maybe if I had read this series in order and started at the first one I would have liked them more but I cannot cheer at all for them. Ill skim the book to see what happens with the court case but not taking more than 5 mins to do it.

[Lorin Cary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barbara Parker is a new author for me, and I enjoyed this novel. 3.5 stars really. It's fast paced and nicely plotted and the characters are developed well. Briefly: Gail Conner takes on a capital case which has been denied several appeals. The process of developing a last minute appeal opens new evidence and leads Gail and her macho Cuban-American boyfriend Anthony Quintana into some scary places. A good read.

[Debbie Heaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Parker’s mystery novel, Miami attorney Gail Connor takes the case of a wrongly convicted troublemaker accused of murdering a young wife and mother in Stuart, Florida years before. Against the advice of her fiancé, Gail enlists the aid of her cousin, a rookie Stuart cop, and heads out determined to solve a brutal crime to save the life of an innocent man.

The story maintains a high level of suspense that will keep the reader engrossed until the last page.

[sriram · Rating 5 out of 5]

totally liked the story from the start to the very end. With Gail and Anthony the relation was perfect, Just loved the way in which Anthony did the stuff. Such a cool guy. Gail was just perfect. Loved them both , how could i forget rusty. Good'ol Rusty. I donno what that guy was but he made me remember Haymitch abernathy for some reason i couldn't figure out y. This story had me at the edge till the end....

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of a series. It was a long book, but good from start to finish - no slow parts. A solid "who-done-it", young female lawyer tries to get a prisoner off death row as a favor to an old family friend. When she becomes convinced he's innocent, she finds the only way to save him is to find the real killer.

[Su · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I know that Barbara Parker, the author, has a series of Susupicion books that feature Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana, but this was the first I have read. Unlike some other series, this one was easy to grasp the characters and their situations without having read all of the earlier books. It was a good mystery, although the ending wasn't the best.

[Bumbershootbears · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant read. Lots of legal technical details. Main character Gail was crazy about the boyfriend who could be great, or a condescending jerk. Interesting info about death row inmates & the system in Florida. If you read through to the end, the author admits to opposing capital punishment but the book is not preachy or over bearing on the issue.

[Kasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a little frustrated with the characters in this book. The male lead was incredibly self--centered jerk. Here he is supposedly so in love with the female lead but kept putting her down at every turn. Otherwise it was a good read. Fast paced and exciting. Good twists & turns.

[Rhod · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had read another book by Barbara Parker that I enjoyed, but this effort was much too wordy and almost predictable. Okay, so I did speed read it, but could find o reason why it took over 400 pages to tell the sad story about a man wrongfully imprisoned who had been in jail already 11 years.

[JoAnn Ainsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The action got lost in too many words. The plot was interesting so I kept reading. The foreshadowing was very nicely done.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

06/18/10, I'm finished and it was good. I really like the characters of Gail and Anthony. Barbara writes them very romantically.

06/17/10, almost finished! It's good so far.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a good mystery basically, however, the ending was not tied together well. I also did not feel the romance of the main characters was very believable.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #66 read in 2008

I found the case in this story interesting, but I find Gail herself to be annoying at times. It was a bit predictable. I will continue this series.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good thriller! Enjoy the two main characters.

[Jackie Simons]

Read 2/03

[Heather Reardon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an easy read, but never really gripped me. Took longer then usual to read just because I had no problem putting it down & leaving it for a few days.

[Joycebrosnahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was suspenseful and kept my attention. It makes you feel that justice is not always served.