Beyond Suspicion
James M. Grippando
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
2002 HarperCollins
ISBN: 0066213444

After Jack Swytek defends an ex-girlfriend in a damages suit, a terminal illness turns into murder.

Advocate & Sr. Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

James Grippando returns with a powerful & well-told legal mystery that reaffirms his position as a top legal thriller author of this Millennium.

In Beyond Suspicion, Grippando reintroduces his first protagonist, lawyer Jack Swytek, of The Pardon fame.

This time around Swytek is called by his ex-girlfriend, Jessie Merrill, to defend her in a damages suit. Merrill had been diagnosed with the deadly Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) & had been given just two years to live. In exchange for quick money, Jessie had sold her life insurance to Viatical Solutions, a company having veiled connections to the Russian Mafia; after her death, as Merrill's beneficiary, Viatical Solutions would collect on the insurance.

However, it is soon found out that Merrill has been misdiagnosed; she is actually suffering from lead poisoning, & she isn't going to die anytime soon. Viatical Solutions wants her to return the money they had advanced. Swytek successfully defends Merrill, & she gets to keep the $1.5 million.

After the trial, Swytek learns that Merrill & the doctor who diagnosed her are having a relationship that does not exactly fall within the purview of “doctor-patient relation.”

It dawns on the attorney that he has been defrauded, & to make matters worse, within days of the verdict, Merrill is found murdered in Swytek's bathroom. Naturally, he becomes the prime suspect.

His fiancée also believes him guilty, & it is a lone fight for Swytek to prove his innocence, until unexpected help comes from Theo Knight, an ex-convict whom Swytek had once helped.

Beyond Suspicion is superb. The chilling suspense & taut narration makes interesting reading. I knew that there was going to be a twist in the tail of the tale, but the actual “twist” was totally unexpected. I really, really enjoyed it.

More from James M. Grippando: Under Cover of Darkness; A King's Ransom; Found Money
(12/29/02)

Narayan
2002©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