Rating: 
Summary: Don?t let the unlikelihood fool you?.
Review: Into NOT enjoying Barbara Parker's 6th outing for the legal couple, Anthony Quintana/Gail Connor. It is certainly a stretch to believe that Connor, a civil attorney, and a sole practitioner at that, would become involved with a death-penalty appeals case. Forgiving that, sit back and enjoy what is Parker's most ambitious and well-written tale of the series! In it, some of the past jealousy dances over Connor's relationship with her ex-husband do not play a role, and her civil practice and single parenting responsibilities don't dominate the story line, as they have in past outings (this is positive; Quintana's jealousy does not become him). Nor does Quintana appear as self-assured and in control of situations in the "wilds" of northern Florida, as he does in his native
Miami. One of the most important and touching passages of the book deals with his realization and communication to Connor that she is a better attorney than is he, himself, because of the passion and dedication with which she serves her clients. The client, Kenny Ray Clark, is on his final stretch of death row in Florida for a murder it becomes obvious he did not commit. Central to proving this is the role played by a new character, Jackie Bryce, a local deputy, and Connor's cousin.
Connor's family relationships are the background focus of the tale, and the sense of desperation the group feels while racing the clock to prove that someone else killed Amber Dodson and covered up the murder by blaming Kenny Ray, is palpable. Although there are a lot of victims in this tale, few are as tragic as the Mendozas, a local immigrant family who found themselves in the way of a land grab by the real perpetrator's of Amber's murder. You'll find yourself unable to put the book down as Connor and Quintana peel away the layers of the cover up, in a race against death. Strong characterization, tense and thrilling plotline, and her signature byproduct of the incredible bond between Quintana and Connor all will heighten your enjoyment of this Parker
effort. Read all 6, Parker is a terrific storyteller!
Rating:
Summary: Don¿t let the unlikelihood fool you¿.
Review: Into NOT enjoying Barbara Parker's 6th outing for the legal couple, Anthony Quintana/Gail Connor. It is certainly a stretch to believe that Connor, a civil attorney, and a sole practitioner at that, would become involved with a death-penalty appeals case. Forgiving that, sit back and enjoy what is Parker's most ambitious and well-written tale of the series! In it, some of the past jealousy dances over Connor's relationship with her ex-husband do not play a role, and her civil practice and single parenting responsibilities don't dominate the story line, as they have in past outings (this is positive; Quintana's jealousy does not become him). Nor does Quintana appear as self-assured and in control of situations in the "wilds" of northern Florida, as he does in his native
Miami. One of the most important and touching passages of the book deals with his realization and communication to Connor that she is a better attorney than is he, himself, because of the passion and dedication with which she serves her clients. The client, Kenny Ray Clark, is on his final stretch of death row in Florida for a murder it becomes obvious he did not commit. Central to proving this is the role played by a new character, Jackie Bryce, a local deputy, and Connor's cousin.
Connor's family relationships are the background focus of the tale, and the sense of desperation the group feels while racing the clock to prove that someone else killed Amber Dodson and covered up the murder by blaming Kenny Ray, is palpable. Although there are a lot of victims in this tale, few are as tragic as the Mendozas, a local immigrant family who found themselves in the way of a land grab by the real perpetrator's of Amber's murder. You'll find yourself unable to put the book down as Connor and Quintana peel away the layers of the cover up, in a race against death. Strong characterization, tense and thrilling plotline, and her signature byproduct of the incredible bond between Quintana and Connor all will heighten your enjoyment of this Parker
effort. Read all 6, Parker is a terrific storyteller!
Rating:
Summary: Possibly Parker's Best
Review: Kenny Ray Clark is on Florida's death row for the 12-year-old murder of a young housewife. At the behest of his grandmother, known since childhood by Miami attorney Gail Connor, Gail reluctantly takes on his appeal case. Knowing that the case is beyond her expertise and that time is rapidly running out, Gail nonetheless dives into reinvestigating the murder and the desperate search for new evidence. Although Gail's fiance, Anthony Quintana, cautioned her against taking the case and getting involved, he, too, gradually comes to accept that Kenny Ray was wrongfully convicted. Putting themselves in harm's way to find the one witness or scrap of evidence that could get Kenny Ray a new trial, time is running out and somebody means to stop them at any cost. The pace of this novel is page-flipping intense as you find yourself rooting for Kenny Ray every step of the way. Will Gail be able to save him from execution? You know the answer to that -- you have to read the book! And you will love it. This is to my mind THE best Barbara Parker to date.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly Parker's Best
Review: Kenny Ray Clark is on Florida's death row for the 12-year-old murder of a young housewife. At the behest of his grandmother, known since childhood by Miami attorney Gail Connor, Gail reluctantly takes on his appeal case. Knowing that the case is beyond her expertise and that time is rapidly running out, Gail nonetheless dives into reinvestigating the murder and the desperate search for new evidence. Although Gail's fiance, Anthony Quintana, cautioned her against taking the case and getting involved, he, too, gradually comes to accept that Kenny Ray was wrongfully convicted. Putting themselves in harm's way to find the one witness or scrap of evidence that could get Kenny Ray a new trial, time is running out and somebody means to stop them at any cost. The pace of this novel is page-flipping intense as you find yourself rooting for Kenny Ray every step of the way. Will Gail be able to save him from execution? You know the answer to that -- you have to read the book! And you will love it. This is to my mind THE best Barbara Parker to date.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining!
Review: Suspicion of Vengeance is one of Barbara Parker's best in the Connor/Quintana series. The character development was fantastic, and it was nice to see growth in the relationship between Gail and Anthony. Ms. Parker also gives us a great story. Whatever your viewpoint on capital punishment, she definitely makes you think and reevaluate. Unfortunately, now we have to wait another year for the next installment ...
Rating: 
Summary: Close but ...
Review: The political question of the appropriateness of the death penalty is intertwined in this complexly plotted but ultimately unsatisfying work. Without revealing too much, I will say that there are only two possible outcomes in any "innocent man on Death Row" work. The choice an author makes usually relates less to the appropriateness for the work itself than to the views of the author on what is ultimately a political question. Here other plot choices clearly could have been made. The problem is that the factual innocence of most of the newly freed from Death Row have come from DNA testing, and not lawyer theatrics. Parker commits to a lawyer-centric plot for obvious reasons, and it is in this mode the work and its ingenious plot slips a bit. Entertaining to the end, its at the end that you yearn for what could have been.
Rating:
Summary: A Gripping Legal Thriller
Review: The sixth outing for Barbara Parker's legal duo, Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana, is the best yet in this excellent legal thriller series. Gail and Anthony take a capital appeal case with time running out and the system running against their client. With an engrossing plot, intriguing characters, and great pacing, the reader is drawn into the story of this last-ditch effort to save an innocent man (or is he) from execution. As they pursue the case, Gail and Anthony find that the only way to stop the execution is a fraught-with-danger attempt to locate the real killer. If there is any quibble with this thought-provoking study of the death penalty and the legal system, it is that fans of the series might miss its usual Miami locale and also notice that the focus here on the legal partnership of Connor-Quintana leaves little time for focusing on the deliciously torrid side of their relationship. But then, perhaps, that's for the next "Suspicion" book. If you haven't read the earlier books in the series--Suspicion of Innocence, Guilt, Deceit, Betrayal, and Malice--do so. They shouldn't be missed!
Rating:
Summary: Connor/Quintana - The Dynamic Duo
Review: This is my first read of a Barbara Parker novel. Suffice it to say that I'll be buying other Parker novels. Gail Connor is a single mom and a civil attorney trying to make ends meet. Anthony Quintana is a high profile, well-to-do criminal defense attorney. While their interaction would lead the reader to believe anything but the fact they're in love, they certainly are. Gail is guilted by an old family friend into taking on the death penalty appeal warned by all, including Anthony, to be futile. Regardless these admonishments and excepting the fact that she's never handled a criminal matter, much less a death penalty appeal, Gail takes the case. She is representing Kenny Ray Clark who is scheduled to die in just a few short weeks. Gail is overmatched but a quick learner. To boot, she has the best teacher around in Anthony. Anthony agrees to help but only under the strict parameters of Gail's Trade Wind emotions. And, Anthony has a dark side--one that pays off. This story has all the essential elements: a bad guy, family squabbles, misdirection, deceit, murder, sex, reality, and...well, you get the idea. Parker has created an outstanding legal thriller. The only reason this novel didn't receive 5 stars was due to the level of legal jargon. While not overwhelming, I believe it detracted from the story somewhat.
Rating:
Summary: The best in the series
Review: This sixth entry in the Connor/Quintana series continues to develop the relationship of the main characters, while cleverly leading the reader into exploring their own feelings regarding the death penalty. The plot revolves around the grandson of a former family babysitter of Connor's. Kenny Ray Clark has been sentenced to death. Eleven years later, with Kenny almost out of time and hope on death, row his grandmother decides that he is innocent and turns to Gail (Connor) for help. Gail begins her crusade alone but before the last appeal is filed has called upon her almost and ex-fiance, Anthony Quintana, her cousin Jackie, her mother and assorted relatives and friends for help in this intriguing and thought provoking tale of justice gone wrong. I began reading late one evening and did not stop until I finished the book. My only regret upon waking after two hours of sleep was that I'd have to wait a while for Parker's next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great mystery novel
Review: This was my first Barbara Parker novel and I found it to be an exciting, action-packed, suspense-filled, legal mystery. It included romance, legal battles, family issues, honor, mystery, and corruption. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and the plot involved multi-generations of people. It really made me think about the death penalty. I don't read a lot of mystery novels, but this was the same type of enjoyment as a John Grisham or James Patterson book.
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