Beyond Suspicion

July 29, 2002
Grippando might not be the most lapidary of legal thriller writers, but he certainly has the imagination and research skills to plot up a storm. Readers of his seventh book (after A King's Ransom) will find themselves riveted as Miami criminal lawyer Jack Swyteck—the hero of Grippando's first thriller, The Pardon—returns to discover himself and his family under attack from several corners. Jessie Merrill, a particularly hot old flame of Jack's who's now dying of ALS, has hired him in an unusual civil case involving a "viatical settlement," in which she sells an insurance policy in return for an immediate cash payment. But the doctors were wrong: Jessie isn't dying, and the shadowy consortium of Russian mobsters who bought her policy are now suing to get their money back. Jack and Jessie win the case; Jack realizes that he and the Russians have been scammed; and when a principal character turns up dead in the Swyteck bathtub, Jack's unstable wife—soon joined by a vengeful prosecutor—thinks Jack did the dirty deed. There's also a tough and dangerous young Cuban woman with reasons of her own for wanting the Russians brought down, a likable roughneck whom Jack once rescued from death row, and enough mean-spirited federal agents and prosecutors to settle a career's worth of scores for a lawyer-turned-writer like Grippando, who was a partner in Janet Reno's firm before he took up the quill.

August 19, 2002
Bedford was an established romance writer when she moved into the realm of religious fiction in 2001, with A Rose by the Door. Fans of her chart-topping secular romances will miss the sex, but Christian women seeking characters dealing with real-world problems will enjoy her second inspirational novel. Abby and David Treasure have the perfect marriage—they believe it, their nine-year-old son Braden believes it and their close-knit Christian community in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, believes it. But when a dalliance from David's past comes back to haunt him, their faith and the foundations of that marriage are tested. Susan, with whom David had an affair during Abby's pregnancy, appears bearing news of Samantha, the eight-year-old daughter David never knew he had. She's dying of leukemia and needs a bone-marrow donor: David and Braden may offer her only hope of survival. Abby and David battle with their consciences, their God and each other as they seek the right path. The novel's brisk pace is aided by Bedford's straightforward prose, a welcome relief from the flowery language typical of many romance writers. The novel's major flaw is that the characters are rather one-dimensional: their faith is too pat and their emotions, while duly noted, are never experienced fully enough by the reader to allow complete empathy. However, the issues Bedford addresses will ultimately win over inspirational romance readers. Her refusal to shy away from adultery and illegitimacy and her continued eye on God make her book an effective mix of the sacred and the profane.

Starred review from July 1, 2002
After the relatively weak" King's Ransom" [BKL Mr 15 01], Grippando has put himself right back on track. This sequel to his first published novel, " The Pardon "(1994), finds Miami lawyer Jack Swytek defending a former girlfriend against a charge of fraud (she's accused of bilking some investors out of a $1.5 million). She is acquitted, and Jack is feeling good about his work--until she tells him that she really did commit the fraud and is afraid that the people she conned are after her. Not long after her confession, she turns up dead--in Jack's bathtub. Now he has become the prime suspect in a homicide. Like such earlier Grippando thrillers as " The Informant" (1996), " The Abduction" (1998), and especially " Found Money" (1999), this is a top-notch adventure with plenty of supercharged excitement. And, even better, it promises to be the first installment of a new series featuring the tough, straight-talking Swytek. Although it is technically a sequel, readers don't need to know the first book to appreciate this one; the author reintroduces Swytek as though he were a brand-new character. The novel is chock-full of legal-thriller atmosphere and local color (Grippando was a trial attorney in Florida for more than a decade), and it's easily a match for anything written by big names such as Grisham or Margolin or Lescroart. If further Swytek adventures are anything like this one, keep 'em comin'.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)

May 15, 2002
All Jack wants is a simple law practice away from the tensions of being the son of Florida's former governor. But when a client tricks him and then ends up dead, Jack has to act.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2002
In his seventh book, Florida lawyer Grippando revives characters from his debut, The Pardon. After successfully defending a former girlfriend in an insurance case, Miami attorney Jack Swyteck becomes convinced that his client scammed everyone. The situation worsens when she is found dead in his bathtub. Swyteck is, of course, suspected of murdering her, and evidence making him look like a willing participant in her scam appears. Further incriminating information strains his marriage and leads him into a dangerous confrontation with the people who might be behind the killing. Grippando writes in compact prose, quickly moving from one situation to the next. The legal situations are clearly written and understandable, and the characters are well rounded-though Grippando never addresses Swyteck's alleged involvement in a different murder in the earlier book. Still, fans of legal thrillers will particularly enjoy this latest novel, which recounts important aspects from its predecessor. For most popular fiction collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/02.]-Joel W. Tscherne, Cleveland P.L.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.