In Grippando's rousing ninth Jack Swyteck legal thriller (after Born to Run), Jack successfully defends a supposed Somali prisoner in his mid-20s held at Guantánamo. But then the prisoner is identified as an American, Jamal Wakefield, and is transferred to Miami, Fla., where he's charged with the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend, McKenna Mays, three years earlier. In his defense, Jamal offers a wild story of kidnapping and covert interrogation. As witnesses who could confirm Jamal's alibi are eliminated, Jack and his dwindling circle of friends, and not always trustworthy allies, must race to uncover a sadistic killer and his bosses before the conspirators can silence everyone who might speak against them. Working with a cast that includes depraved sexual deviants, corrupt private military contractors, and wannabe jihadis, Grippando transforms what might have been a conventional genre novel in lesser hands into an exciting tale of revenge. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Starred Review Jack Swyteck, the Miami defense attorney who has starred in several of Grippando's novels, has a particularly tough case on his hands. Acting as a pro-bono lawyer for a young man accused of being a terrorist, Jack is shocked to learn that the man is also the prime suspect'in fact, the only suspect'in the murder of a girl and a subsequent house explosion that robbed a police officer, one of Jack's close friends, of his sight. But the murder of which Jack's client is accused is only the first of many, and Jack, perhaps the only person who thinks his client might actually be innocent in the girl's death, has to decide if he wants to risk his own life to save his client's. Of all the Swyteck novels, this one comes closest to matching the power and drama of Grippando's best stand-alone novels. Fans of the Swyteck series will definitely want to check this one out, and readers who have found the series lacking a certain oomph may be surprised at this novel's ability to tap into their deepest fears. Grippando has definitely reached a new level with this series entry. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Grippando has long had a devoted following, but he has hovered a notch or so beneath the thriller genre's biggest names. Will his latest, one of his best, be the one to catapult him upward? Could be. --David Pitt
Description:
From Publishers Weekly
In Grippando's rousing ninth Jack Swyteck legal thriller (after Born to Run), Jack successfully defends a supposed Somali prisoner in his mid-20s held at Guantánamo. But then the prisoner is identified as an American, Jamal Wakefield, and is transferred to Miami, Fla., where he's charged with the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend, McKenna Mays, three years earlier. In his defense, Jamal offers a wild story of kidnapping and covert interrogation. As witnesses who could confirm Jamal's alibi are eliminated, Jack and his dwindling circle of friends, and not always trustworthy allies, must race to uncover a sadistic killer and his bosses before the conspirators can silence everyone who might speak against them. Working with a cast that includes depraved sexual deviants, corrupt private military contractors, and wannabe jihadis, Grippando transforms what might have been a conventional genre novel in lesser hands into an exciting tale of revenge. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Starred Review Jack Swyteck, the Miami defense attorney who has starred in several of Grippando's novels, has a particularly tough case on his hands. Acting as a pro-bono lawyer for a young man accused of being a terrorist, Jack is shocked to learn that the man is also the prime suspect'in fact, the only suspect'in the murder of a girl and a subsequent house explosion that robbed a police officer, one of Jack's close friends, of his sight. But the murder of which Jack's client is accused is only the first of many, and Jack, perhaps the only person who thinks his client might actually be innocent in the girl's death, has to decide if he wants to risk his own life to save his client's. Of all the Swyteck novels, this one comes closest to matching the power and drama of Grippando's best stand-alone novels. Fans of the Swyteck series will definitely want to check this one out, and readers who have found the series lacking a certain oomph may be surprised at this novel's ability to tap into their deepest fears. Grippando has definitely reached a new level with this series entry. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Grippando has long had a devoted following, but he has hovered a notch or so beneath the thriller genre's biggest names. Will his latest, one of his best, be the one to catapult him upward? Could be. --David Pitt