Proof Positive

This was a good, not great, book. The characters were interesting but not fully engrossing. The one I really had hope for (not revealing names to avoid spoilers) ended up dead. The plot was good, but could have been done better, I feel there was a lot of missed opportunity with it. Also, a lot of simple "clues" and what have you were missed at first by all the investigators, I mean, come on, it was right in front of you in black and white, shouldn't have been that hard. But honestly, I'm being a bit harsh on it. It was a good book, like I said, just could have been better.

This book is billed as the third Amanda Jaffe mystery, but it seems more of an ensemble piece. We begin in the mind of defense attorney Doug W, watching a client being executed. Other stories involve a drug war, a mentally ill homeless man who becomes Doug's client, and forensic scientists who are called "criminalists," one of whom is murdered. Amanda becomes involved in trying to extract the common thread that explains all the cases. Initially, of course, she doesn't realize that they're connected.

The main story is only partially a mystery; we see what happens and watch the attorneys and others figure it out. And we sure hope they do, because the criminal is despicable. Most of the story is an intricate working out of the logistics show more that the murderer uses to carry out his plot.

I don't think I missed much by not having read the previous books in this series. Margolin refers to some history, but it doesn't seem that we need to know it in order to enjoy this volume. Neither the writing, which grates occasionally, nor the characters are anything special--other than Doug and Jacob, I didn't care at all about any of the characters--but the story flows pretty well and I didn't have trouble staying with it. I won't race out to look for more by this author, but I wouldn't warn you away from him either. show less

Margolin's plotting is good, but it's a thriller only - no whodunnit here. The dialog doesn't feel natural in spots and there's no real character development. On the other hand, it did keep my intention. Final call: great beach or airplane read.

Phillip Margolin is one of my favorite authors of legal thrillers. In this story, he has definitely crafted an intricate, page-turning view into the world as experienced by a criminal defense attorney. His work should not be missed!

Very good legal thriller. It seems that a lot of cases are being closed with perfect evidence. Doug Weaver has to attend the execution of his client whose last words were that he didn't kill his mother.

Frank Jaffe has a client who is a mob hit man and guilty of many things but swears he's not guilty of the one he's arrested for currently.

In this story we know who the guilty party is but it seems almost impossible that he will ever be caught. He becomes so sure of himself that he commits a grisly murder and another murder when a colleague becomes suspicious and an attorney puts the pieces together.

The plot was good and the story had great characters, but it was a little too gruesome for me with the forensic aspects and the murders involved.

Forensic expert Bernard Cashman falsifies evidence in several cases to assure the that the person responsible for the crime is punished. He goes to far when his ruse is discovered and he himself becomes a suspect. Will justice prevail?