Robert Rotenberg (1) (1953–)

It's an excellent thriller: plenty of suspense with a fast-paced style through short chapters. The plotting is good too, with a surprise twist at the end. Some purists may object to it as an unfair trope. There's good character presentation too. It's historical fiction, being set in the late 1980's, and there is a sense of authenticity in terms of the time and place: good job in presenting Toronto as it then was. Overall, an entertaining read.

I gotta say, I wasn't expecting much from this novel going in. I've read fewer and fewer legal thrillers lately because, quite frankly, they were boring or unforgivably stupid in both premise and execution (I'm looking at you Mr. John "I used to give a shit about my readers but not any more" Grisham).

But with this novel, I was taken in almost immediately. Rotenberg got to the action quickly, set up the main storyline immediately, and then brought in the key characters cleanly. Were some of show more the cast a touch wooden? Maybe a touch, but it's also a reasonably large cast, so that's forgivable. On the other hand, were most of them well-drawn? Yes.

And the story was immediate and gripping. So, now that I've started with book three in the series, I'll definitely be going back and checking out the rest. If you enjoy legal thrillers, then this is a fantastic author to look into. show less

Rotenberg's last two mysteries were excellent but somehow this one ended up collecting dust, which was a pity because it was even more gripping than the others. Right from the beginning we know who will be charged with murder and the ensuing courtroom drama was intense. The back story involves the election for Toronto's mayor. That the frontrunner is a (former Ontario premier) Rob Ford lookalike is barely concealed. Who said Canadian elections are boring?

I had heard about Robert Rotenberg's novels on NPR recently. Old City Hall was available in my local library. I
thoroughly enjoyed it. The story started out with a fact, or what think is a fact: man kills his wife. The story unfolds slowly and beautifully. Bits of information are added and references are made to Canadian life and culture and the story line kept my interest. The characters are representative of the diverse population in Toronto: a retired Indian rail engineer, a son of show more Holocaust survivors, a Chinese Canadian, and a son of political refugees from Chile. Even past beliefs and practices regarding the care of people with Autism is featured and Bruno Bettelheim makes an "appearance". The depiction of the Canadian legal system was interesting. Overall, this was a satisfying read. show less