Murder One

Robert Dugoni's latest David Sloane legal thriller is actually more of a mystery than a thriller. But that isn't a bad thing. The author is in top storytelling form, weaving a complex plot that has the reader turning pages and trying to guess whodunit right up to the very end.

In previous novels, Sloane has gone up against government and corporate conspiracies with long arms and deep pockets that threaten his life and the lives of the people he cares about. There seemed to be dangers at every turn. Now, a year after his wife was murdered by someone involved in one of those cases, he goes back to work and tries to get back to living.

Before he knows it, he's romantically involved with Barclay Reid, another lawyer and former adversary. show more She's accused of murdering a drug kingpin she blames for the tragic overdose death of her daughter. Sloane is put in the position of defending her in a criminal case, something he's never done. As the investigation unfolds, all of the evidence indicates that Barclay is guilty. Sloane and his private investigator friend Charles Jenkins struggle to make the all the pieces fit and find the real killer. At least this time the adversaries are straight-shooting cops and the legal system and some uncooperative witnesses. Sloane's heart and integrity are on the line, even if his life is not.

Murder One is a fine addition to the David Sloane series. Dugoni has filled it with colorful characters and local details that add life and depth to what might otherwise have been a dry police procedural. Highly recommended. show less

David Sloane is a highly successful lawyer who specializes in wrongful death civil cases. But when a fellow lawyer, the beautiful Barclay Reid, is arrested for killing a known drug dealer, he agrees to take her case despite having little experience in criminal defense.

This is not the first book in this series but it's the first one I've read, thanks to a freebie offer from Kobo. It contains a pretty big spoiler to earlier books, but unlike Karin Slaughter's Grant County series, I wasn't bothered by being inadvertently spoiled because I don't have any urge to read the rest of the series. It's not that the book is bad, but in the world of legal thrillers there was nothing about it that stood out from the crowd and made it worth seeking show more out. The characters are nice enough, the plot was nice enough (although it owes a little too much to the Scott Turow classic Presumed Innocent), but none of it grabbed me.

And in a minor peeve to end all minor peeves, what the heck is up with giving a female main character such an ambiguous name? I could never keep track whether her name was Barclay Reid or Reid Barclay, and I'm not sure the author could, either, because he referred to her as simply "Barclay" or simply "Reid" seemingly indiscriminately, sometimes even on the same page. That would not have been enough to turn me off the series, but it was an added irritation in a book that ultimately couldn't carry the extra weight. show less

Robert Dugoni's MURDER ONE involves David Sloane, a lawyer renowned for never losing a case,` and a woman he literally bumps into. The woman, Barclay Reid, is also a lawyer. Both she and Sloane are civil attorneys, but Reid insists that Sloane defend her when she is accused of murder. And, of course, he does, and he does a fine job at that.

Sloane is a recurring character in a series. MURDER ONE is good but not great, unlike Dugoni's later book in this series, THE CONVICTION. That book was unputdownable. So MURDER ONE is a bit of a disappointment. Still, THE CONVICTION was such a great thriller, Dugoni is obviously moving in the right direction. Therefore, it stands to reason that his next book will be worth getting in line for.

David Sloane, who normally takes on civil cases, agrees to defend Barclay Reid when she is accused of murder despite a clear conflict of interest and the fact that he does not usually take on murder cases. Barclay Reid says she wants him in court for her as he is known never to lose a case.

There's plenty of tension in this thriller as the court case proceeds, and just little inklings of what the truth might be. I found it also gave me a view of the American trial system, and the roles taken by prosecutor and defense, which differ quite markedly it seems from both British and Australian systems. The setting is Seattle. The "American-ness" of the novel obviously annoyed a previous borrower of this library book who had assiduously marked show more out differences in spelling and colloquial expression.

Recommended. show less

This is what I think of as a "lawyer procedural," just as detailed as a police procedural but without any action. That's not to say it was boring. It was a quick read, and moderately interesting but I was pretty sure how it was going to end about 2/3 of the way in. I just didn't buy the red herrings.

And there was one very, very, very annoying tic in it. Most of the local stuff was just fine, quite accurate, but referring to "Puget Sound" as "the Puget Sound" was very irritating. No one calls it "the Puget Sound." It's either "Puget Sound" or "the Sound" so I don't know where this oddity came from but it made me pause every time I came upon it. Kind of makes me wonder if the author has lived here for more than six months.

This is another good mystery/suspense by Robert Dugoni. This legal thriller has many twists in the story and leaves the reader guessing until the end. Story dragged on in the first half.... I just wanted it to move on. second half was thrilling. I enjoyed it.

I enjoyed MURDER ONE. Dugoni has a fluid writing style and a confident voice and shows them both in good measure. I was less impressed with the story though - a little too much coincidence and suspension of belief for me. Still, worth the effort. Recommended.