In a clever mix of the legal suspense genre and the psychological thriller, this first effort by David Ellis irritated me at first. But only because I became so impatient with the narrative in the first 100 pages that I questioned whether I could continue to read while hating to put the book down. Ellis builds the suspense exquisitely. In fact--the reaction to reading this book mimicked a caffeine high as my heart pounded and my palms grew sweaty.

When you think you know where the plot is going, Ellis throws a curve at you from a whole different direction. This is not your run-of-the-mill legal suspense book. The lead character, Marty Kalish, is immediately likeable, even though the reader knows he has done and will do some frightening things. The author does a great job of weaving Marty's childhood issues and his complicated relationship with his sister and her family as his current legal dilemmas transpire. His devotion to Rachel is believable and gives him the motivation to do the things that he does. The supporting cast of Marty's legal team, the prosecution, his friends, co-workers, and family come across as individuals. There are very few cliches in this book. Even Rachel as the tantalizing temptation and reason for being manages to take on more than one dimension.

As Marty changes his story for the reader and his defense team, past and present versions of what truly happened the night of November 18th become murky but only manage to intrigue the reader more. And even when you think he has given you the final version of the murder of Dr. Reinardt, there has been enough versions along the way to make you have a lingering doubt that this is it.

If you like Turow, Grisham, Lescroat, and Scottoline definitely pick this one up. And pick it up when you have time to finish it.

Lucius Beebe Memorial Library - This page last updated 3/12/01 - lme.