Michael C. Eberhardt

Hawaii's governor has been brutally murdered - savaged with the trappings of the island's ancient warrior rituals. The D.A.'s office wastes no time in arresting the most obvious suspect, Peter Maikai, popular leader of the Hawaiian grassroots political movement. But Dan Carrier, the prosecutor assigned to the case, objects. Not only is the case flawed, Peter Maikai was for Dan the only father he ever had. When Maikai dies before the trial begins, Dan launches his own unofficial show more investigation. With the help of Maikaii's daughter, Lily, he unearths secret after secret.It turns out that Lily's brother Michael was the murderer - he framed his father. The family homestead is worth $50 - $75 million. Also there was a daughter of Lily & Dan who was murdered with the governor - she stood to inherit show less

Attorney Hunter Dobbs is in deep trouble. He's representing a low life who cons another prisoner into providing him with a false alibi. When Hunter refuses to put the liar on the stand, his client tells the judge that Hunter was the one who tried to get the guy to lie. He's suspended from his public defender job and, to fill the time, works with his own attorney on her first murder case. These two cases weave interestingly through this story. I'd never read any of Eberhardt before but after show more finishing this one, went out and got his two former books. I love finding a new author! show less

I tend to like legal thrillers more than other types of thrillers. This one, not so much.

Public defender Hunter Dobbs is faced with a "witness" who is happy to testify falsely to help keep Dobbs' client from being convicted. Dobbs soon figures out that the guy is lying and says no thanks.

The thanks he gets for this action is an accusation that he tried to force the witness to lie on the stand.

Meanwhile, Dobbs lands another case, thanks to the daughter of a judge who had caused Dobbs no end show more of trouble before the judge retired. A friend of the judge is accused of kidnapping a boy. The friend and the judge were both in the military years ago, and the friend has since become a drifter. He was staying on the judge's farm, helping out, when accused.

Dobbs is faced with having to defend himself in a peculiar sort of proceeding. He is prevented by client-lawyer ethics to reveal what actually happened between him and the witness. So he has to look elsewhere for corroboration of his innocence. As for the kidnapping case, there are rumors that the judge himself might be involved. What's true here and what's not?

Some interesting legal issues but not enough. The writer is also not as skillful as I would have liked. He creates a character, Dobbs, who is not all that likable, who flies off the handle rather too easily (and probably too easily for any court to accept in real life), who has a two-dimensional view of women (not uncommon among these legal thriller writers, unfortunately), and just isn't that interesting. I'd set it somewhere below Grisham, maybe a grade or so. show less

Chad Curtis is charged with his girlfiend's murder. Only problem is - there's no body. Sean Barrett takes on the case. Turns out that the girlfriend is not dead, just in hiding because she helped in a stock fraud and took all the money. Usual complicated plot, okay characters. Girlfriend turns up dead, because p.i. Barrett sends to find her, finds her and the cash and that's just too tempting to pass up.