Temporary Sanity

When can a citizen become a killer? Is homicidal insanity ever a moral or legal justification for murder? And what should a jury do when the facts are clear but they don't tell the real story?

Cape Cod attorney Marty Nickerson, until recently a Massachusetts prosecutor, must ask herself those questions in her new role as defense attorney for client Buck Hammond.

The charge is murder one. When Buck's seven-year-old son was raped and killed by pedophile Hector Monteros, Buck took justice into his own hands. Unfortunately, the TV cameras were rolling as Buck aimed his hunting rifle at Monteros's head.

The only viable defense is insanity, but the grieving father refuses to say he was crazy when he pulled the trigger. Marty, teaming with Harry show more Madigan, her partner in love and law, has a tough case. How can the jury acquit Buck when the shooting is right there on the screen for all to see?

Marty and Harry and their young assistant, Kevin Kydd, are already stretched thin when, on the very eve of the trial, a battered and bleeding woman staggers into their office. She's in deep trouble -- her attacker's body has just been found, viciously stabbed, and he's an officer of the court. Now Marty has two seemingly impossible battles to win against her former colleagues.

But losing a verdict may be the least of Marty's worries, as her efforts soon lead to shocking revelations that bring fear to the Cape and devastating changes to Buck's trial. Well, who said being a defense attorney was going to be easy? show less

Marty Nickerson, the heroine of Rose Connors’ legal thriller set on Cape Cod, has changed sides: now she defends those she used to prosecute. She feels a bit insecure on this side of the courtroom in her first major case, a murder trial in which she is defending a man who killed the creep who tortured and murdered his son. Fortunately, she has a partner who takes the lead in the defense, a man who is also her sweetheart; and she is surrounded by a likeable cast of characters who add balance and humor to her life, and to the book.

Connors’ writing is sharp and occasionally witty, but the real sparkle in this book comes from the dead-on accurate trial dialogue. The trial scenes are unquestionably exaggerated for the sake of the drama show more and narrative flow, but the flavor, the emotion, the pacing are exactly right. Particularly intriguing is the way Connor portrays her judges, as complete humans who are autocratic within their arenas, who have irrational hatreds, who make rulings that are sometimes inexplicable – and who do that from both ends of the political spectrum. The grandstanding of the lawyers, usually waved away with a “Withdrawn!” on every weekly episode of “Law & Order,” results in a contempt citation in Connors’ universe, just as it would in real life. It’s obvious that Connors has been a practicing trial attorney for almost twenty years, and she puts that experience to excellent use in Temporary Sanity.

A major subplot in the book, while entertaining in itself, is unrealistic and detracts from the main event, the murder trial that drives the book. It introduces a level of drama, of action, that the strong trial writing does not need to sustain it. Perhaps Connors felt that she needed to endanger the trial judge in her book in order to introduce a genuine mystery to the book, since the murder trial is not mysterious; we know from the first page of the book that Marty’s client did, in fact, kill the man he is accused of murdering. But the puzzle is fairly easy to solve, and at least a touch ludicrous. Perhaps a stronger subplot, on an issue more closely related to the trial itself or arising from the same issue of a defense based on the hope of jury nullification, would have been a better choice here.

Nonetheless, this is a book that is well worth reading, and that will no doubt cause readers to seek out Connors’ first entry in what looks likely to be a strong series, Absolute Certainty. Temporary Sanity is a fine book from an author who, one hopes, will continue writing excellently about fascinating trials.

Originally published in The Drood Review of Mystery, Volume 23, No. 5 (Sept/Oct 2003) at pages 6-7. show less

When devoted father Buck Hammond's seven-year-old son is abducted and murdered by convicted pedophile Hector Monteros, Buck takes justice into his own hands. Unfortunately, the television cameras were rolling as Buck aimed his hunting rifle at Hector's head and shot him dead. The only viable defense for a charge of murder one is insanity, but the grieving father refuses to say he was crazy when he pulled the trigger.

Cape Cod defense attorney Marty Nickerson - until recently a Massachusetts prosecutor - must ask herself if homicidal insanity is ever a moral or legal justification for murder - when she takes on the defense of Buck Hammond. Along with her partner in law and love, Harry Madigan, Marty has to present a tough case. How can show more the jury possibly acquit Buck when the shooting is there on the screen for all to see?

Marty and Harry and their young assistant, Kevin Kydd, are already stretched to their limits when, on the very eve of the trial, a battered and bleeding woman stumbles into their office. She's in deep trouble - her attacker's body has just been found, viciously stabbed, and he's an officer of the court. Now Marty has two seemingly impossible battles to win against her former colleagues. But losing a verdict may be the least of Marty's worries, as her efforts soon lead to shocking revelations that strike fear in the residents of the Cape and bring devastating changes to Buck's trial.

I really enjoyed Temporary Sanity by Rose Connors. The plot was gripping and kept me guessing until the very end. There was a thread of comedy running through the story that I really appreciated, and I also could sense the tension that each character experienced throughout the story. I give this book an A+! and will certainly be adding Rose Connors to my Wish List. show less

Description
Marty and her lover, former Barnstable County public defender Harry Madigan, have plunged into private practice, taking on the controversial case of Hammond-a distraught father who shot, on live television, the man who raped and murdered his seven-year-old son. Then, to add to single mother Marty's impossible work load as Christmas approaches, a savagely battered woman client is charged with the stabbing death of her attacker, a brutal parole officer and live-in boyfriend. Now Marty has two seemingly impossible battles to win against her former colleagues.

This was a solid legal mystery that was mostly courtroom drama with a touch of humor. Parts of the law and legal proceedings are stated clearly when needed. Marty and Harry show more are likable and relateable characters. The only thing I didn’t like was twice when Marty did something risky when it wasn’t necessary. Otherwise, I enjoyed this and would read more by this author. show less

Nice to see that Marty Nickerson's legal career is progressing. She has moved from being a prosecutor in the first book of this series, to being a defense attorney, teamed up with Harry Madigan, and now working opposite her old mentor Geraldine Schilling. In this one a father has killed the man who attacked and killed his seven year old son. Marty must prove to the jury that the father should not be held legally culpable.

Well done, holding my interest to the end.

Really enjoyed this book; great writing; wonderful courtroom scenes; great characterizations; 'bad guy' was a little thin but overall, I loved it

I enjoyed this book. It's just a murder mystery, but I liked the twists in it. An enjoyable fast read.