Eight stars
A longtime fan of William Bernhardt and his legal thrillers, I was pleased to get my hands on the latest in the Daniel Pike series. It was, however, less Pike-centric and more a combined talents piece with Bernhardt's other famed protagonist, Ben Kincaid,. Together, these two lawyers are tasked with trying to help a man who has been convicted of a murder he vows he did not commit, while a new murderer is out killing people seemingly connected to Pike's practice. Bernhardt offers up a great thriller that has many twists, with the law taking second chair to all the action the two protagonists find. A great read for readers who enjoy either (or both) protagonists from Bernhardt's series work.
Daniel Pike has proven himself to be a level-headed defence attorney down in Florida, but is dismayed when his office is ransacked. Legal files are scattered all over and his intimate partner, Maria Morales, has been kidnapped. Across the country in Oklahoma, Ben Kincaid is enjoying life as a semi-retired lawyer, whose life is turned upside down when he's pulled into the investigation surrounding the Morales disappearance, while his own loved ones are put in danger.
As Pike arrives to speak with Kincaid, the former forcefully brings the latter on a cross-country trip with him to get to the heart of the abduction and a murder conviction that is creating a great deal of headlines in California. When Pike learns that some of his clients have been killed, he wonders if it has something to do with the legal files that were left scattered all over the floor. What does the killer want and how will they get it?
As Kincaid and Pike seek answers, they come across a number of skirmishes and problems, putting themselves in significant danger. They connection on many levels as well, discovering more about one another than they thought they could have. The law makes for strange bedfellows and these two are certainly lines who fit the bill.
With the aforementioned case in California heating up, Pike and Kincaid agree to represent the accused in a last-ditch effort, though there is a great deal of reluctance. With a killer on the loose and another man who is set to be sent away for life, Pike and Kincaid will have to pull out all the stops to protect themselves and their client. A gripping thriller that has everything but the kitchen sink, Bernhardt weaves quite the story here.
I discovered William Bernhardt a number of years ago and have never been able to shake my fascination with his legal thrillers. This is a great addiction to the Daniel Pike series, though it differed greatly from the other novels. Bernhardt does what I always enjoy seeing authors do, have protagonists from their popular series combine talents and work together. The effect worked and the story gains momentum as needed to keep things clipping along. The novel is strong, the character help keep it propelling to the climactic reveal, and the reader cannot help wanting to know more.
Daniel Pike and Ben Kincaid have grown quite a bit in their respective series, though that is also the case here. Both men have a passion for the law and will stop at nothing to ensure justice is done. They have their families and personal lives, which are questioned during their extensive time together. Bernhardt delves deeply to show how great they are, while also making sure the reader gets a glimpse and some new materiel related to each, Adding some minor characters to move things along, Bernhardt offers up a great deal of what the reader needs to enjoy this piece thoroughly.
Legal thrillers are known for their twists and turns, as are good crime novels. This story had a few, though I found that the twists were spaced out and things needed a jolt on occasion to gain the needed momentum to keep the reader enthralled. Bernhardt is a master storyteller and proves it here, though his mashing together of two protagonists was less of a lethal thrill than I might have expected. Still, a great read for anyone who wants to take the plunge.
Kudos, Mr Bernhardt, for always crafting something worth my while.
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