Rating: 
Summary: In Her Defense...A Real Winner
Review: In Her Defense, Stephen Horn's debut novel, is a compelling legal thriller you won't be able to put down, no matter how hard you try. The story begins as Frank O'Connell, down on his luck defense attorney, is hired to represent Ashley Bronson, rich Washington socialite, accused of murdering an old family friend. To make her defense even trickier, Ashley admits to pulling the trigger. From this point on, the story pulls you in and never lets go. This is a fast paced, exciting, plausible thriller with plot twists that keep you guessing to the very end. The characters are terrific, well drawn and interesting. And, the writing is very entertaining, with witty and irreverent dialogue. Mr. Horn obviously knows his way around Washington, the Justice Department and the courtroom and his insight lends real credibility to the story. A strong climax and satisfying ending finish the story off and the last chapter is just icing on the cake. A great read that's destined for the best sellers list. I'm already looking forward to Stephen Horn's next book.
Rating:
Summary: In Her Defense
Review: Frank O'Connell has lost his family, his name, and a partnership in his father-in-law's prestigious Washington firm. He now has to comb the cellblocks for clients. One day while he is down in the cellblocks talking to a client, a woman in the next cellblock notices Frank, and when she gets out of jail, she goes to him and hires him. Ashley Bronson is the client and she is accused of killing Raymond Garvey, former Secretary of Commerce. In the beginning, it appears to Frank that the most difficult thing about the case is that Ashley confessed. He soon finds out that there is more to this case that meets the eye, and it started years before the murder. This is Stephen Horn's first novel and what a great read it is. This is not just your typical mystery. There are Russian American spies involved. The courtroom scenes were as up and down as a roller coaster. This was a fast-paced legal thriller with a tale of betrayal and murder all wrapped up in one suspenseful story. Kudos to Stephen Horn. I cannot wait for his second book.
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Summary: I can't wait for the next book
Review: In a few words, Stephen Horn captured me on the first page and held me until the last. He has that rare ability to spin an outstanding yarn.
Rating: 
Summary: An Interesting Debut
Review: Legal thrillers are pretty much of a sameness--young, beautiful damsel in distress, down-on-his luck attorney, twists, turns, yawns. In Her Defense includes all these elements with the exception of the yawns and the addition of a genuinely likable protagonist. I admit to enjoying this book a great deal inspite of my reservations for the genre in general. Frank O'Connell's relationship with his ex-father-in-law is terrific and his "operatives," wonderfully, are people I would like to meet. The flaw--and it's not a small one--is that Ashley Bronson is a complete throw-away. (Writers and publishers take note: the client needs to be neither young nor beautiful. In fact, if a book's dustjacket or blurbs include "beautiful" in a character's description, I won't buy it.) Anyone or anything, including goldfish that provide haircuts at reduced rates, would have been more interesting in place of Ashley, the obligatory femme fatale. Having said that, however, I still recommend In Her Defense as an interesting, fast-paced legal thriller with very human and appealing characters (save one), and great plot twists. I hope to see more from this author.
Rating: 
Summary: Not nearly as good as Law of Gravity, but...
Review: Stephen Horn's first novel has one of the best scenes I have ever had the pleasure to read and visualize. In Chapter 10, the main protagonist, Frank O'Connell, a somewhat down-and-almost-out lawyer, who also happens to be a Vietnam combat veteran, takes on a very snooty, highly pretentious old school attorney by the name of Robert L. Burnside. O'Connell puts the ol' sourpuss neatly in his place after sitting through a sermon of threats by this blowhard barrister to sue our hero for slander. You can almost see the sweat on Burnside's brow and smell the soiling of his neatly pressed pants when O'Connell finishes with him. John "Lilly" Lelankevitch of EVIL, BE GONE (also available on Amazon.com) would really like Frank O'Connell. This book is worth buying just to read this scene (pages 148 to 153).
Rating:
Summary: Attorney Stephen Horn has just written...
Review: his second novel, and I caught up with his first, "In Her Defense", recently. The book is a great read. The legal plot is complex and takes a simple case of murder and mixes it with a government plot. You're not sure who the bad guy is until the very end! One thing you do know is that Horn's hero, Frank O'Connell, is a principaled attorney who has left the comfortable life of his father-in-law's law firm in order to pursue criminal matters, his passion from his days in the NYC D.A.'s office. No one, not Frank's estranged wife Moira, his son, his beloved father-in-law, a Washington D.C. "fixer", his client, or his investigator really understands what makes Frank tick, and why he's pursuing the kind of court appointed criminal cases he's taken. Enter a society homicide, complete with ethical temptations, and O'Connell & the story are off and running. Fast paced, great characters, and the promise of more to come from Frank O'Connell make "In Her Defense" a worthy read!
Rating:
Summary: A wondeful debut!
Review: How do you prepare a defense when your client openly admits that she killed someone? That's what we're about to find out. Frank O'Connell's life is in shambles. He walked away from a profitable position in his father-in-law's firm and his marriage is in the dumps. He's wondering how he's going to make ends meet and continue on when a rich socialite walks into his office and tells him she wants him to defend her against a murder charge for which she is guilty. From here, the author takes you on a roller-coaster ride of murder, deceit, and a government secret that has been kept buried for half a century. I definitely look forward to reading more by this author.
Rating:
Summary: 3. 5 stars - Mixed Feelings
Review: I have mixed feelings about this book. In parts, it really had me hooked, but in other parts, I felt the story was weak, and some plot points were slightly implausible. The plot is relatively familiar; a talented lawyer with problems of his own must "rescue" an accused damsel in distress. Of course, his defense team will consist of the all-too-familiar grizzled-but-wise ex-cop or PI, and at least one fresh-behind-the ears intern. But a few interesting angles are thrown into the mix. Ultimately, I felt that the main character's relationships with the 2 main women in the story weren't quite right. And I found the wrap-up to the main mystery in the story to be a little unsatisfying. But overall, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to fans of the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Fun Example of the Genre
Review: Is this a five-star book? Of course not. The Bible, Hamlet and The Grapes of Wrath are five-star books. But, among the genre, this is a four-and-one-half to five stars. It is fun. I cannot wait for this authors next book.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't want this book to end!
Review: Our book club chose this as our November selection. I didn't know what to expect and even dreaded the length of the book. It hooked me from the first page, and it was hard to put down as I followed the twists and turns of the plot. The main characters in the book are the kind of people I'd love to meet, and the DC location was comfortably familiar. Loving a mystery, this didn't disappoint me at all. It would be great to read the continuing story of Frank... maybe another case?
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