James Grippando

What's It About?
Defending a woman accused of murdering the man who sexually assaulted her, Miami lawyer Jack Swyteck must uncover where the truth lies between innocence, vengeance, and justice in this spellbinding tale of suspense—based on shocking true-life events.
According to the FBI, the most dangerous place for a woman between the ages of twenty and thirty is in a relationship with a man. Those statistics become all too personal when Jack Swyteck takes on a new client tied to his past. show more It begins at the airport, where Jack is waiting to meet his old high school buddy, Keith Ingraham, a high-powered banker based in Hong Kong, coming to Miami for his young daughter’s surgery. But their long-awaited reunion is abruptly derailed when the police arrest Keith’s wife, Isabelle, in the terminal, accusing her of conspiring to kill the man who raped her in college. Jack quickly agrees to represent Isa, but soon discovers that to see justice done, he must separate truth from lies—an undertaking that proves more complicated than the seasoned attorney expects.

Inspired by an actual case involving a victim of sexual assault sent to prison for the death of her attacker, James Grippando’s twisty thriller brilliantly explores the fine line between victim and perpetrator, innocence and guilt, and cold-blooded revenge and rightful retribution.

What Did I Think?
I have been a long time fan of this series. It seems that it just gets better and better with each additional episode. You are eager to find out more from the very first page. Rape has more than one victim...entire families, marriages and relationships suffer often irreparable damage that can lead to revenge that often sets off a disastrous chain of events. Thus is the case of this young woman....but is she truly only a victim or is she as much a predator as her attacker? A complex plot with so many twists and turns that Grippando pulls off beautifully. show less

In this, the 20th installment of the Jack Swyteck series (and the first I have read), the Miami defense attorney faces a maddening client. Elliott Stafford, the main suspect in a murder investigation, ignores Jack’s advice, testifies before a grand jury, and gets indicted. Remanded into custody, Elliott decides to stop talking. He refuses to speak to anyone, even his own attorney. As Jack digs deeper into the case, trying to save Elliott despite himself, he uncovers a complicated personal show more history as well as other deep, personal secrets that hint Elliott might be protecting someone else.

This was great legal suspense and the tension is palpable as the courtroom theatrics play out and the investigation starts to uncover discrepancies and issues that make the situation quite unique. Although not entirely unpredictable, there were a few twists that took me by surprise. I loved the legal technicalities and the procedural points that really emphasized the legal aspects of the situation Elliott was in as well as how Jack handled the setbacks. There was definitely a lot more going on than a murder and all of those side plots made the story even more interesting. I am definitely going to have to go back to the beginning and read more of this series as I liked the writing style and the focus on the law.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, Jonathan Davis, did an excellent job of giving every character a distinct personality. His ability to vary his tempo, pace, and accents to match the situation and the various roles felt authentic and real. His performance definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book. show less

I previously read and liked (not loved) Grippando's When Darkness Falls, so I thought I knew what I was getting into when I picked up Need You Now. I expected an engaging mystery with decent characters who make logical choices. In other words, my expectations weren't too high. Boy was I disappointed! This thing is a mess. Cardboard cutout characters, unbelievably convoluted plot lines, and cliche after cliche.

There's a fad among popular authors these days to re-release their earlier works show more once they have established an audience. Recently I read a newly-released early Harlan Coben book where the author actually apologized to the reader in the intro, basically saying, 'please forgive me, this isn't my best work, but isn't it fun to see how I've grown?' That's what this book reminded me of: a book written by an author who will, with some seasoning and lots of practice, eventually be ready for prime time. Unfortunately, this is the latest product from an author with at least a dozen other published books.

Bottom line: if you are already a fan, you'll probably think this isn't his best work, but think I'm too harsh. If you aren't already a fan, save yourself the time and pick another book to read. show less

"But most of all," she said, her voice shaking, "I want to thank Linda, my lovely sister and maid of honor." She glared to her right.

"For sleeping with the groom last night."

Under Cover Of Darkness by James Grippando

Man oh man, I loved this book. This was one tightly wound, intense read. This was a fresh take on the "wife is missing" plot and wow did I enjoy it. My eyes couldn't leave the page.

The writing is great, the mystery original and the pacing is excellent.

Usually, with this type of show more book, I do sort of expect something average, maybe a bit dated, cliche. No way! This was a fresh plot that always managed to keep the reader guessing.

Also, the book grabbed me from the start. And yes I'd recommend it. That's a given!

The writer is great at crafting tension. It is a fast paced story that I could not pull myself out of. But also the dialogue keeps coming and it never goes the way of to bizarre or to crazy. I loved it.

It doesn't fall apart at the end either. I liked the gritty feel of the book which had unexpected moments of wit as well. Good choice for a mystery fan! show less