Showing posts with label legal thriller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legal thriller. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Movie Review - Illegal

I'm a big fan of black and white classic films. And I think Edward G. Robinson is a great actor. So when my aunt recommended a film with him I'd never heard of, I had to check it out.

Illegal is a 1955 legal drama film. It is unrated and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good


Story. The story was very strong. A prosecuting attorney finds out a man he sent to the death house was actually innocent, so he becomes a defense attorney.

Took a Different Route. The movie too a few turns I wasn't expecting that were very interesting and helped keep the film interesting.

Humor.While this is a series drama with several deaths, there were some pretty good humorous scenes that were very unexpected but helped add to the film.

The Bad


Ending. I like how the film end, but the final scene was a little too melodramatic for an otherwise serious film.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


...

Overall


Illegal is an entertaining legal thriller with a great mix of serious drama and unexpected humor. A prosecuting attorney finds out a man he sent to the death house was actually innocent, so he becomes a defense attorney. The story is strong and the film moves at a good pace. This film is an underappreciated gem. I give it 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.


   

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086G6FKRV/

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Book Review - Good Intentions by J. D. Trafford

While I'm not a fan of legal shows and movies, I really enjoy legal thriller books. Most are about lawyers and their criminal cases. To read one about a judge and family law was refreshing.

Good Intentions by J. D. Trafford is a legal thriller about a judge and family law. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good


Concept. The idea of exploring family law and the way it is handled in the courts is something not usually done in fiction without a lot of heavy handiness. This book treated it as a fact of life acknowledging both good and bad and not trying to force a certain position down the readers' throats. Also dealing with it from a judge's perspective and the twist about innocence and guilt made for a story I haven't read or heard a dozen times.

Story. The story is very solid. The characters are well developed. The mystery is well constructed. Nothing felt like it was coming out of left field or was a cheat. It is well paced and held my attention the whole time. I'm excited to read more by this author.

Twists. This book took several twists I wasn't expecting but that made perfect sense. It was nice not knowing the ending of the book before I even reached the middle.

The Bad

Consequences. The author made several unusual choices about plot points taking unexpected turns, people not being as clear cut as TV tends to make them, and being more honest about situations, that the resolution at the very end where the judge learns the consequences of his actions seemed untrue to the tone of the rest of the book.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish the very end where the judge learns the consequences for his actions was handled with as much thought and realism as the rest of the story.

Overall


Good Intentions by J. D. Trafford is a legal thriller about a judge and family law, something really unusual for a legal thriller. The story is very solid. The characters are well developed. The mystery is well constructed. Nothing feels like it was coming out of left field or is a cheat. It is well paced and held my attention the whole time. This book took several twists I wasn't expecting but that made perfect sense. It was nice not knowing the ending of the book before I even reached the middle.
I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.


   

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086G6FKRV/

Friday, August 9, 2019

Book Review: The Reversal (A Lincoln Lawyer Novel Book 3) by Michael Connelly

I watched the movie The Lincoln Lawyer and thought it was good but not great, so I had no interest in reading any of the books. I do love the Harry Bosch stories by the same author and accidentally bought one of his Michael Howler books on a sale from Audible. What a great mistake!

The Reversal (A Lincoln Lawyer Novel Book 3) by Michael Connelly is a fiction legal thriller. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good


Story/Mystery. The story begins with an inmate who gets released from prison because the California Supreme Court reversed his conviction due to new DNA evidence. Michael Howler, a defense attorney, is convinced to be the independent prosecutor for the DA and has to cross to the other side. The story is intense from the beginning with each new reveal only pulling the reader further and further in. While there aren't any big twists or shocking reveals, each step is completely engaging and absorbing.

Characters. The author does a really good job exploring the personal lives of many of the main characters and advancing the story of Harry Bosch and Michael Howler growing a little closer after finding out they are half brothers and their daughters are cousins.

The Bad


Narration. The narration was good, but not great. It was the only weak part of the whole experience.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I would like to have seen what Harry Bosch does after the end of the book.

Overall


The Reversal (A Lincoln Lawyer Novel Book 3) by Michael Connelly is one of the best fiction books I've read in a long time. The story is intense from the beginning with each new reveal only pulling the reader further and further in. While there aren't any big twists or shocking reveals, each step is completely engaging and absorbing. Even when events or twists turn out like you guess, you're still interested because they are handled so well. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.


     

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Book Review - Year Zero by Rob Reid

I love satirical science fiction stories, but there have been so many written, it's hard to find one that feels fresh and new and clever. Hard, but not impossible.

Year Zero by Rob Reid is a satirical, comedic, science fiction legal thrillerIt is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good


Writing. The writing is good clean prose that moves at a great pace that never rushes the story nor feels sluggish.

Concept and Execution. The idea of using copyright and music file sharing as the basis of a space opera-type story was one I hadn't heard before. It was a good, original idea that the author executed brilliantly.

Characters. The characters, the alien species, the galactic organization were all well thought out, interesting, and well developed. I cared what happened to everyone, how the problem would be solved, and how that would affect all parties involved.

Alien Technology. One of the fun things about science fiction and space operas is the opportunity to invent new alien technology. Coming up with something believable, likely, and interesting is a challenge these days, but the technology introduced int his book fit all three criteria.

Social Commentary. Of course there is a healthy dose of social commentary. This is a hard balancing act to present something clever, witty, but not mean spirited or two political. Other than claiming the moon landing was faked (seriously, if you're dumb enough to believe it was faked you're not smart enough to get the jokes), the author did a good job making insightful comments on everything from copyright law, penalties for music sharing, to Windows.

The Bad

Narration. The narration was good, but it wasn't great. It was a little too dry for this story.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish they would have better explained why North Korea was left out.

Overall


Year Zero by Rob Reid is a clever, witty, legal thriller about copyright laws and music piracy disguised as a science fiction book. It is well written, well paced, and contains interesting characters and an interesting galaxy with its own peculiar set of laws and customs. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.


    

Monday, July 17, 2017

Book Review: Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

I'm a big fan of classic science fiction from the mid-1900s and John Scalzi, so I was curious to see the combination of the two even if the subject matter wasn't the most interesting.

Fuzzy Nation is John Scalzi's retelling of an earlier science fiction story by H. Beam Piper. It's available in all formats: eBooks, Audiobooks, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

Overview

A prospector working for a large corporation discovers both a large mineral deposit and a sentient species on a remote planet. The discovers cause major legal woes for all.


The Good


Writing. John Scalzi is a master of words. The words don't interfere with the story, which I always appreciate. The story moves at a good pace and is always interesting.

Characters. The characters were all very likeable and sufficiently developed for this story. They were all memorable enough that I cared what happened to them.

Narration. Wil Wheaton does his usual great job with this story. His voice and approach really fit the types of stories John Scalzi writes.


The Bad


Melodramatic, "They Lived Happily Ever After" Ending. The story was pretty good up until the very ending when suddenly the little guy who keeps losing throughout the story suddenly completely and utterly defeats the giant, all powerful corporation through a short preliminary hearing with a few Perry Mason-style legal maneuvers. It was just too much. The character, while a lawyer, was never shown to be at Perry Mason's level, and his arguments in the book would never fly in a real court of law.


Soft Science and Pedestrian Legal Battle. John Scalzi is a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none, as this book shows.
While I appreciate how varied and genre-crossing his stories are (one of the reasons I read them), it's clear his understanding of most topics doesn't extend beyond what he's read or watched on TV. This book is mostly an environmental sob story, but becomes a legal thriller at the end. The environmental story is the same standard propaganda one sees on popular TV shows with little read science or thinking behind it. The legal battle at the end has about the same level of credibility.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish John Scalzi would spend more time preparing to write the stories by obtaining the necessary technical knowledge in the subjects he chooses to write about instead of using a pedestrian level of knowledge on gains from reading and watching fiction and mainstream media coverage. His writing is really good, his ideas and take on subjects are always interesting and fun, but the stories always suffer from a lack of real expertise that would turn enjoyable stories into masterpieces.


Overall


Fuzzy Nation is an enjoyable read with interesting characters, but nothing I haven't read before. The science is fairly pedestrian and the legal battle at the end little more than a back Perry Mason parody. I give it 3.5 out of 5 eReaders.



   




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Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Book Review: The Heavens May Fall by Allen Eskens


Legal thrillers are fun for several reasons: 1) There's always a mystery to solve, and who doesn't love a mystery, 2) One of the lawyers usually ends up solving the crime and exposing the guilty party instead of the professional detectives, police, etc., 3) The reader is treated to a fictionalized version of the justice system that is usually both entertaining and just, unlike the real thing.

The Heavens May Fall is a legal thriller mystery byAllen Eskens. It's available in all formats: eBook, audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

Overview


A woman is found dead in an alley wrapped in a child's quilt. Her husband, a highly-paid criminal defense lawyer, is the prime suspect. A cop who had previous negative dealings with the lawyer is in charge of the investigation. The case brings back many memories of his own wife's killing three years earlier.


The Good


Backstories. The characters were fairly standard for this type of story, but each had enough unique quirks to keep them interesting. They each had a backstory that not only added interest and helped developed the characters but was a fun little tale on its own.

Not Too Easy, Not Too Hard. Sometimes the mystery is solved too easily because of convenient plot twists or a main character that is so smart they're practically prescient. This story was very logical with events unfolding in a realistic manner and no convenient plot points.

Twist Ending. I wasn't all that surprised at the twist ending, but there was an extra kink I didn't see coming but should have that made it a satisfying payoff.


Satisfying Ending. While the ending was pretty much a "happy ending", there were a few twists and struggles that made it feel like the characters had to work for it and earn it with not everything working out perfectly.

The Bad


Subplot Resolution. There is a subplot involving the main character's wife that is resolved at the end a little too quickly, a little too neatly, and a little too unsatisfactory.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish there had been something really compelling or gripping in this story. It's a solid story, but it doesn't really stand out as an incredible story. I'll probably read another book by this author, but I won't feel bad if the cast of characters is completely different, because these were interesting enough for one book, but I'm not sure they could sustain a series.



Overall


The Heavens May Fall is a really good legal thriller, but not an exceptionally good one
. It has solid characters and a solid story with several plot twists to keep the story interesting leading to a not-unexpected ending that contained an additional turn to keep it above average. I give it 4 out of 5 eReaders.


      



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