The Jury Master
Robert Dugoni
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
2006 Warner Books
ISBN: 044657869X

How are the nightmares David Sloane has had all his life & the package that's just arrived connected?

The best wrongful death attorney in San Francisco, Sloane's a lawyer who can make juries do anything. But despite his professional success, he's been plagued by a nightmare he cannot consciously remember. When he receives a package from a White House confidant who then turns up dead by apparent suicide, the contents reveal a history he never could have imagined.

Now, in search of justice, Sloane must depend on two men he's never met: Charles Jenkins, a former CIA agent turned recluse who suffers the same nightmare; & Tom Molia, a police detective willing to take on just about anyone -- including the US Department of Justice. Together, these men must expose a 30-year conspiracy so insidious that it may reach as far as the Oval Office & topple a presidency -- if they can stay alive.

Sr. Associate Reviewer Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

Scott Turow started it, & the ball started rolling at a furious pace with John Grisham until today legal thrillers are the in thing. Each year at least 50-60 lawyers enter the fray, & the majority of them fizz away soon. But among the lot we got at least three classics -- Stephen Carter's The Emperor Of Ocean Park, Margaret McLean's Under Oath & Kermit Roosevelt's In The Shadow Of The Law easily the best legal thrillers I read over the last three years. When I finished reading The Jury Master, I was sure of one thing, this is going to be the legal thriller of 2006, & Dugoni sure is gonna give them all tough competition.

With tense courtroom action & intense legal suspense The Jury Master proves, to put it mildly, to be an astounding read. Through the protagonist, the suave, debonair attorney David Sloane, the author delivers a punching legal thriller.

Sloane is archetypal trial lawyer, one who can make juries eat out of his hand. A wrongful death attorney in San Francisco, Sloane knows that he is the best. But his personal life is in turmoil & he is ‘disturbed’. But when Sloane is caught in a political controversy & when many persons with whom he comes into contact with are killed, Sloane begins to realize that he might just be next in the line. He knows that he can trust no one, not even his two “friends” -- a former CIA Agent & a police detective. But to stay alive he needs their help & together they bring to light a three decade old political conspiracy that just might topple big heads. What the conspiracy is... well, read the book!

Dugoni has adopted a stylish taut yarn which is a fine blend of political & legal thriller mix.

More from Robert Dugoni with Joseph Hilldorfer: The Cyanide Canary
(02/26/06)

Narayan
2006©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org