Wrongful Death

When Sloan sets out to sue the federal government to obtain benefits he believes belong to the family of a National Guardsman killed in the Iraq War, he must overcome a formidable barrier--the doctrine that prohibits soldiers or their families from suing the US government for injuries received serving while in the line of duty. The complex story unfolds stateside, but also in a series of flashbacks on the part of the troops involved in the battle.

In some ways, this book reminded me of Rules of Engagement, which also used flashbacks to unravel the events surrounding deaths in the first Gulf War. However, while Rules of Engagement focused on the war experience itself, Wrongful Death is a richer experience because it develops not only the show more characters of the squad members, but also the character of Sloan, his investigator (Charles Jenkins) and their respective families.

Although the general nature of the solution to the puzzle presented in this book seems predictable, the actual details were not at all what I expected. show less

I'm glad I wound up liking this book. Local author - check. Met the author - check. Signed copy - check. Thriller - check.

Then I started reading and felt disappointed. There was an exciting prolog, but Mr. Dugoni had already told me it was related to the story, but not the main character. So it didn't engage me. Immediate shift to a courtroom where a trial is ending. Then some setup, some new characters, more setup, some flashbacks - large and small, more characters and setup and shifting points of view, did I mention the flashbacks? I kept falling asleep after just a few pages.

About a fourth of the way in, that all changed. The book became a thriller. No more flashbacks, except to 'the incident'. Few new characters. Nice crisp show more writing. Setups that seemed to be headed in one direction and then surprisingly, but logically, taken in another. Now I was being kept up reading way too late. I have several more of the author's novels in my reading queue and will definitely get to them. And I'm looking forward to his next book. show less

The second book in the David Sloane series, it uses two hot button issues to create a masterful story -- the feres doctrine (military cannot sue the government) and military contractors, who supply the military with functions not available internally. There are lots of characters and keeping them separate is not easy. The book was well written and uses flash backs to tell some of the story. There seemed to be no useless details and it was quite engaging.

David Sloane, the trial lawyer with a brilliant record of delivering justice to his clients, takes up a seemingly unwinnable case of wrongful death claim by a war widow against the government of USA. Little does he know that the case will drag him into a grand conspiracy involving the rich and the mighty, putting his own life and that of his loved ones in peril. Tenaciously, Sloane fights, both off and on the court, with the help of his ex-CIA friends, to bring the conspiracy to light while trying to protect his family from harm.
Robert Dugoni has taken a complex and important issue as the theme of this novel and has executed it grippingly. The lead characters, and the secondary ones, are well etched and intriguing. The fast paced action show more is quite exciting and has many twists that keep the reader hooked. However, the narrative suffers somewhat due to the frequent reminiscences of Sloane's troubled past that do not have any active role in the present happenings. Also, the legal intricacies of the case are a bit incomprehensible and would have benefited by some more explanation.
Overall, I liked Wrongful Death and would rate it 3.5 out of 5. show less

This time David Sloane is approached by Beverly Ford who asks him to help her win a wrongful death suit against the government for her husband who was killed in Iraq. Although soldiers are not eligible for these payments due to the Feres Act which prohibits the government paying for a soldiers death while engaged in combat, David takes the case anyway, especially after her reads four witness statements which are remarkably similar--too similar. He is targeted almost immediately by the Augus Corporation, a chemical manufacturer. Once he starts investigating, he and his family are threatened and the remaining members of the military group involved are killed.

This is the second book in the David Sloane series. David is a wrongful death attorney with an incredible records of wins. When Beverly Ford approaches him with a request to take on her case, he's intrigued but can't give her much hope. Beverly's husband, John, was killed in Iraq during an operation, and soldiers are exempt from suing the government if they are killed during a wartime battle.

David, a Marine veteran, feels like he can at least look into Ford's death to make sure there are no options. Almost immediately he discovers things might not be right. Statements from the other soldiers in the unit look like they are all identical. When he goes to interview the witnesses he discovers at least two have died under suspicious show more circumstances.

Overall, Wrongful Death is an exciting, fast moving story of deceit and lies. The author did a great job of taking the reader through the intricacies of how the military legal system works. This book can easily be read as a standalone, but it does use several of the same characters we met in Book 1, Jury Master. I'm definitely planning to continue this engrossing series, and probably start series Dugoni writes, featuring homicide detective, Tracy Crosswhite. show less

Wrongful Death pits the jury master, David Sloane--now a plaintiff's lawyer in Seattle--against no less than the United States military. Sloane is hired by the widow of a National Guardsman killed in Iraq. Her claim that his death could have been prevented seems destined to fail, particularly in light of the Feres doctrine, which protects the military against wrongful death suits.

Sloane grudgingly agrees to take a look at her case, but quickly comes to see that there's more to it than meets the eye. He uncovers lies and deceit of all sorts, up to the top levels. There's corruption in the government, there's corruption in big business...are Sloane and his team the only good guys left in the country? Well, not quite, but still...

Dugoni show more writes a pretty deft thriller, twisty and turny, with a satisfying bang! at the end. If his writing is choppy and not particularly original, well, we've read worse. And since his publisher is working hard to set him up as the next book-a-year bestseller, he'll have plenty of opportunity to smooth out his rough edges.

Recommended as a quick, juicy read. show less