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Harlan Donnally #2
A Criminal Defense: A Former Detective Confronts a Conspiracy of Murder and Betrayal
"A Criminal Defense is a compelling and strikingly intelligent thriller thatcrackles with legal and psychological authenticity. The story is rich,gritty, and terrifically twisty." Lou Berney, author of Whiplash River and Gutshot Srtaight .What do you calla criminal defense attorney hanging by his neck? When he's MarkHamlin, every cop in San Francisco calls it justice. Over three decades, Hamlin'spractice devolved into just another intimidating witnesses, suborningperjury, destroying evidence, laundering money. But is he the victim ofmurder--or of a dangerous sexual encounter gone wrong? And when law enforcementbelieves justice has already been done, who can be trusted to find out? Once again in the city where hiscareer came to a shattering end, former detective Harlan Donnally resolved itwouldn't be him. He had no desire to immerse himself in the deceit that wasHamlin's career . . . nor entangle himself in the corrupted loyalties that turnedthe dead lawyer's associates into both co-conspirators and suspects . . . normake himself the proxy for the hatreds and betrayals Hamlin left behind. But the presiding judge demandedotherwise--and that might cost Donnally his life.
357 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2013
About the author
Steven Gore
10 books30 followersSteven Gore is the author of the Graham Gage thrillers and a former private investigator in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been honored for his investigative achievements, has been featured on 60 Minutes, and has lectured to attorney and investigator organizations on subjects ranging from police misconduct to the design of investigative databases.
Series:
* Graham Gage
Series:
* Graham Gage
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 5, 2013
Betrayal wounds.Revenge destroys.
Over three decades, Hamlin's practice devolved into just another racket: intimidating witnesses, suborning perjury, destroying evidence, laundering money. But is he the victim of murder—or of a dangerous sexual encounter gone wrong? And when law enforcement believes justice has already been done, who can be trusted to find out?
Once again in the city where his career came to a shattering end, former detective Harlan Donnally resolved it wouldn't be him. He had no desire to immerse himself in the deceit that was Hamlin's career . . . nor entangle himself in the corrupted loyalties that turned the dead lawyer's associates into both co-conspirators and suspects . . . nor make himself the proxy for the hatreds and betrayals Hamlin left behind.
But the presiding judge demanded otherwise—and that might cost Donnally his life.
My Thoughts...
First off I need to say in defense of the author, Steven Gore, a few times each year I choose to read a few books out of my "Comfort Reading Zone." "A Criminal Defense" is one such book.
Being a country girl all my life I need to say I am not familiar with how the justice system works, especially as far as private investigators, defense attorneys, prosecutors, and lawyers work goes. I lack the knowledge about such things, therefore, I feel I cannot give this book the proper kind of review it needs... I found the book a bit difficult to keep up with. Honestly, I was lost a lot of the time. There was just so much going on, and to try to keep pace with all the goings and comings of the story taxed my little old gray blob of brain to the max.
However, I managed to read the book to the finish and must say as I think about the story, and how he arrived at finding out 'whodunit' and why, made the ending quite interesting and what a surprise the ending was with just enough of a twist to keep me on the edge of my seat. That is the best description I can think of for the ending, without giving it away.
All-in-all this little country girl received an education on how the justice system works some of the time. That doesn't mean I agree and like how it works, but must confess I learned things I never knew went on behind the scenes, so in that sense I think I can safely say I was educated in areas of life I never knew existed.
I would like to thank the publishers for providing this book for me to read and give my honest review. I liked this book enough to award it 3 stars.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers and authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review.
Over three decades, Hamlin's practice devolved into just another racket: intimidating witnesses, suborning perjury, destroying evidence, laundering money. But is he the victim of murder—or of a dangerous sexual encounter gone wrong? And when law enforcement believes justice has already been done, who can be trusted to find out?
Once again in the city where his career came to a shattering end, former detective Harlan Donnally resolved it wouldn't be him. He had no desire to immerse himself in the deceit that was Hamlin's career . . . nor entangle himself in the corrupted loyalties that turned the dead lawyer's associates into both co-conspirators and suspects . . . nor make himself the proxy for the hatreds and betrayals Hamlin left behind.
But the presiding judge demanded otherwise—and that might cost Donnally his life.
My Thoughts...
First off I need to say in defense of the author, Steven Gore, a few times each year I choose to read a few books out of my "Comfort Reading Zone." "A Criminal Defense" is one such book.
Being a country girl all my life I need to say I am not familiar with how the justice system works, especially as far as private investigators, defense attorneys, prosecutors, and lawyers work goes. I lack the knowledge about such things, therefore, I feel I cannot give this book the proper kind of review it needs... I found the book a bit difficult to keep up with. Honestly, I was lost a lot of the time. There was just so much going on, and to try to keep pace with all the goings and comings of the story taxed my little old gray blob of brain to the max.
However, I managed to read the book to the finish and must say as I think about the story, and how he arrived at finding out 'whodunit' and why, made the ending quite interesting and what a surprise the ending was with just enough of a twist to keep me on the edge of my seat. That is the best description I can think of for the ending, without giving it away.
All-in-all this little country girl received an education on how the justice system works some of the time. That doesn't mean I agree and like how it works, but must confess I learned things I never knew went on behind the scenes, so in that sense I think I can safely say I was educated in areas of life I never knew existed.
I would like to thank the publishers for providing this book for me to read and give my honest review. I liked this book enough to award it 3 stars.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers and authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review.
September 4, 2013
This is the second volume of a trilogy about a retired San Francisco cop, Harlan Donnally. I haven't yet read the first, Act of Deceit, but that didn't matter as this works well as a stand-alone. Having said that, I'll be reading the first book very soon because I want to know more about Donnally.
The book begins with Donnally and his friend, SF cop Ramon Navarro, in the shadows of the Golden Gate Bridge where they can see a body hanging. The victim's pants are down around his ankles and plainly visible is what for the sake of delicacy I will call priapism. Apparently the object was to humiliate him, something he richly deserved as a sleezy lawyer who never let the law or any sense of ethics stop him from making money. His name was Mark Hamlin. He had left word with his assistant and a note in his desk that if something happened to him, he wanted Donnally to investigate, no one else.
Donnally had been shot in the hip in the line of duty several years earlier. He had retired, left the city, settled in a small town in northern California, and opened a small restaurant there. Still he stays in the city a few times each month because his girlfriend, Janie, a hospital psychiatrist, lives in his home there. He is there visiting her and doing little repair jobs around the house when he gets the call about Hamlin's wishes.
The D.A., Navarro, Donnally, and a judge they trust decide to appoint straight arrow Donnally a "special master" to discover who murdered Hamlin, but not get into attorney-client privilege issues or complications. Ha! Just try to do that and still solve the crime.
I would call this one a thinking person's kind of legal thriller and it's a winner. Author Steven Gore gets into not only what happened but particularly why and looks deep into the characters' backgrounds for answers to who they are at the time of this murder. There is some danger and some shooting, but mainly it's the story of Donnally and the other major characters involved. And it's the story of corruption, a widespread evil that hurts mainly legal clients but also investigators and other lawyers.
Highly recommended
E-book released July 30, 2013
Source: HarperCollins, Publishers
The book begins with Donnally and his friend, SF cop Ramon Navarro, in the shadows of the Golden Gate Bridge where they can see a body hanging. The victim's pants are down around his ankles and plainly visible is what for the sake of delicacy I will call priapism. Apparently the object was to humiliate him, something he richly deserved as a sleezy lawyer who never let the law or any sense of ethics stop him from making money. His name was Mark Hamlin. He had left word with his assistant and a note in his desk that if something happened to him, he wanted Donnally to investigate, no one else.
Donnally had been shot in the hip in the line of duty several years earlier. He had retired, left the city, settled in a small town in northern California, and opened a small restaurant there. Still he stays in the city a few times each month because his girlfriend, Janie, a hospital psychiatrist, lives in his home there. He is there visiting her and doing little repair jobs around the house when he gets the call about Hamlin's wishes.
The D.A., Navarro, Donnally, and a judge they trust decide to appoint straight arrow Donnally a "special master" to discover who murdered Hamlin, but not get into attorney-client privilege issues or complications. Ha! Just try to do that and still solve the crime.
I would call this one a thinking person's kind of legal thriller and it's a winner. Author Steven Gore gets into not only what happened but particularly why and looks deep into the characters' backgrounds for answers to who they are at the time of this murder. There is some danger and some shooting, but mainly it's the story of Donnally and the other major characters involved. And it's the story of corruption, a widespread evil that hurts mainly legal clients but also investigators and other lawyers.
Highly recommended
E-book released July 30, 2013
Source: HarperCollins, Publishers
March 18, 2018
Don't miss this one
Excellent thriller. Fast-moving. Lots of twists. Will hold your attention through-out. Found myself reading first thing in morning and during the day, when other matters were calling.
Excellent thriller. Fast-moving. Lots of twists. Will hold your attention through-out. Found myself reading first thing in morning and during the day, when other matters were calling.
June 29, 2019
Twisted machinations revealed
The intrigue of drug dealing double crosses and the eventual predictable outcome of the criminals veniality kept me guessing. Hopefully, Harlan will not go back to flipping burgers; I’d like to read more of his puzzlers.
The intrigue of drug dealing double crosses and the eventual predictable outcome of the criminals veniality kept me guessing. Hopefully, Harlan will not go back to flipping burgers; I’d like to read more of his puzzlers.
November 10, 2019
A great murder mystery, some of the characters are really from the underbelly of the legal system. The string of murders doesn't seem connected but in the end it all comes together with an unexpected twist. A good example of the murder mystery genre.
February 6, 2014
In this newest novel by Steven Gore, he takes on the dark side of one aspect of the American criminal justice system, exposing practices including, e.g., suborned perjury, manufactured evidence, witness intimidation, and corrupt attorneys, investigators, and expert witnesses such as psychiatrists called to bolster claims of diminished capacity. And it should be stated that he does do quite a convincing job of it. (He promises that in his next book he will take on the prosecutorial side of the same coin.)
Former San Francisco homicide detective Harlan Donnally, now 48 years old, has for the last 10 years been running a small café in Mount Shasta, just north of his old turf. But when Mark Hamlin, a prominent 55-year-old attorney, is found hanging under the Golden Gate Bridge, half naked and in a state of sexual arousal. Donnally is shortly thereafter appointed the Special Master to investigate the case and protect any attorney/client privilege that may be discovered, he is drawn back into a world he thought he had left behind. The judge makes clear that Donnally’s brief is just to “let the facts be known and the truth be seen.” As the judge advises, “Hamlin had enough enemies to make up a firing squad.” And Donnally finds that he is putting himself in harm’s way in the process: “By accepting the role as the special master to investigate Hamlin’s murder, Donnally realized that he had become a proxy for the man, the living dead, and he didn’t want to become the dead dead.”
Donnally is an interesting protagonist. He began life, for the author, as a “bit player” in Mr. Gore’s earlier novel, “Act of Deceit,” a standalone, which evolved into the series in which this is the next entry. Equally interesting is his significant other, Dr. Janie Nguyen, the psychiatrist who had done the mandatory psych evaluation following his killing of a suspect in the line of duty after the incident in which he was shot and seriously wounded, leading in turn to his retirement. The next installment in the series should be equally engaging.
Former San Francisco homicide detective Harlan Donnally, now 48 years old, has for the last 10 years been running a small café in Mount Shasta, just north of his old turf. But when Mark Hamlin, a prominent 55-year-old attorney, is found hanging under the Golden Gate Bridge, half naked and in a state of sexual arousal. Donnally is shortly thereafter appointed the Special Master to investigate the case and protect any attorney/client privilege that may be discovered, he is drawn back into a world he thought he had left behind. The judge makes clear that Donnally’s brief is just to “let the facts be known and the truth be seen.” As the judge advises, “Hamlin had enough enemies to make up a firing squad.” And Donnally finds that he is putting himself in harm’s way in the process: “By accepting the role as the special master to investigate Hamlin’s murder, Donnally realized that he had become a proxy for the man, the living dead, and he didn’t want to become the dead dead.”
Donnally is an interesting protagonist. He began life, for the author, as a “bit player” in Mr. Gore’s earlier novel, “Act of Deceit,” a standalone, which evolved into the series in which this is the next entry. Equally interesting is his significant other, Dr. Janie Nguyen, the psychiatrist who had done the mandatory psych evaluation following his killing of a suspect in the line of duty after the incident in which he was shot and seriously wounded, leading in turn to his retirement. The next installment in the series should be equally engaging.
October 8, 2013
My whole problem with the crime-mystery-suspense genre has always been that it ends up being little more than a puzzle that is to be solves as quickly as possible. Rarely any books focus on the motives and psychological aspects and even fewer books talk extensively about the procedures involved in solving a crime. Anyone could get up and write a police procedural novel these days, throwing in just enough jargon, with the help of the hundred crime dramas on television. Steven Gore's A Criminal Defense, though, surprised me.
Hamlin was a corrupt lawyer known hatefully for intimidating witnesses, suborning perjury, laundering money and destroying evidence. At the very start of the book, he is found murdered in the most gruesome way; it is hard to tell if he's a victim of murder or of a sexual encounter gone awry. Former detective Harlan Donnally is assigned to the case. As Donnally immerses himself into the mystery, he ponders over the what makes someone lead a career of such deceit. We are exposed to a world of intricate lies and betrayals and are shown the inner workings of, ironically, the justice system. Towards the end, the excitement increases and the final blowout and resolution, and how Donnally got there, are quite intriguing.
As I said, the book is written by someone who knows what he's talking about, which comes as a pleasant surprise. That being said, the language, to my disappointment, became a bit too meticulously informative and dreary for a while. While the events of the book never lost their excitement, the writing had little beauty. The book could have used a little editing; there were moments when I thought, I didn't have to know that, I could have done without this; and the story would have worked just as well without some details.
Hamlin was a corrupt lawyer known hatefully for intimidating witnesses, suborning perjury, laundering money and destroying evidence. At the very start of the book, he is found murdered in the most gruesome way; it is hard to tell if he's a victim of murder or of a sexual encounter gone awry. Former detective Harlan Donnally is assigned to the case. As Donnally immerses himself into the mystery, he ponders over the what makes someone lead a career of such deceit. We are exposed to a world of intricate lies and betrayals and are shown the inner workings of, ironically, the justice system. Towards the end, the excitement increases and the final blowout and resolution, and how Donnally got there, are quite intriguing.
As I said, the book is written by someone who knows what he's talking about, which comes as a pleasant surprise. That being said, the language, to my disappointment, became a bit too meticulously informative and dreary for a while. While the events of the book never lost their excitement, the writing had little beauty. The book could have used a little editing; there were moments when I thought, I didn't have to know that, I could have done without this; and the story would have worked just as well without some details.
November 27, 2013
This was my first read of Steven Gore and therefore my first Harlan Donnally read. It was definitely a well plotted mystery as I was clueless until into the last 100 pages or so. The writing was intense and a bit overwhelming with the number of characters introduced.
I felt the writer presented those of less than ethical character well. I didn't feel that same representation for Donnally's character. Other than I perceived he was ethical and faithful to his girlfriend. I just didn't feel he came across as strong as the bad guy.
I did enjoy the novel, once things started to be narrowing down to who had actually committed the murders and why.
I will definitely try another Harlan Donnally novel to see if I get a better sense of the main character.
I felt the writer presented those of less than ethical character well. I didn't feel that same representation for Donnally's character. Other than I perceived he was ethical and faithful to his girlfriend. I just didn't feel he came across as strong as the bad guy.
I did enjoy the novel, once things started to be narrowing down to who had actually committed the murders and why.
I will definitely try another Harlan Donnally novel to see if I get a better sense of the main character.
August 26, 2013
As the book opens Mark Hamlim, famed defense attorney, is hanging by his neck from the Fort Point lighthouse. Law enforcement believes justice may have been served.
Hamlin began his career standing up for people who were wrongly accused or persecuted by dirty cops. But somewhere over the decades, his practice devolved. He started intimidating witnesses, suborning perjury, destroying evidence and laundering money.
The police need to know whether this is a dangerous sexual encounter gone wrong or murder. The judge assigns Harlan Donnally as the Special Master to investigate the murder.
For the rest of the review see: http://www.examiner.com/article/read-...
Hamlin began his career standing up for people who were wrongly accused or persecuted by dirty cops. But somewhere over the decades, his practice devolved. He started intimidating witnesses, suborning perjury, destroying evidence and laundering money.
The police need to know whether this is a dangerous sexual encounter gone wrong or murder. The judge assigns Harlan Donnally as the Special Master to investigate the murder.
For the rest of the review see: http://www.examiner.com/article/read-...
August 16, 2013
This author thinks that criminal defense lawyers are really criminals, worse than their clients. They use knowingly perjured testimony to win. Lots of local San Francisco and Northern Cal. color, and good pacing. The key point is the character interviewing a witness; the hero realizes this is the killer. Why? I reread the interview twice. I have no idea why anyone would think he was the killer. Lots of red herrings and irrelevant plot twists.
October 13, 2013
This is the first S.G. book I read. (Yeah, I know it's the second in a series). The author paints a vivid picture of certain (il)legal practices and it was interesting to follow their unraveling. San Francisco is described proficiently and the book moves along nicely. My main complain is his writing style: Many phrases I had to re-read several times to understand what he is trying to say. The long sentences and liberal use of commas don't help either. 3 1/2 stars.
October 17, 2013
I haven't yet read the first book in the series, Act of Deceit, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything and felt this read well as a stand-alone. A Criminal Defense is the second volume of a trilogy about a retired San Francisco cop, Harlan Donnally. I was drawn into the story and the characters were engaging. There were plot twists and turns, which I really enjoyed. I was in the mood for this type of read and it satisfied the need for action and thrills! 3.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews