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Summary: In Her Defense
Review: Move over John Grisham...The new legal thriller sensation is here! Stephen Horn debut novel, In Her Defense, has it all: great characterization, daring plot lines, edge-of-your seat courtroom drama, with just the right amount of romance thrown in for good measure. I am recommending it to our Salt Lake County Library System as a "Reader's Choice" nominee. We select 20-25 books twice a year that are so good, you can't put them down; and when you do finish, you immediately recommend them to friends and family. "In Her Defense" certainly qualifies on all counts! Hope we see more legal thrillers from Mr. Horn soon!
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Summary: A Trial Lawyer's Book.
Review: Not since John Grisham's early work A Time To Kill have I read a book that tells the tale from the standpoint of a real trial lawyer.We meet Frank O'Connell, a criminal lawyer with a doubtful future, largely the result of his own pride and arrogance. Handling CJA (Criminal Justice Act) cases in the DC Superior Court, Frank manages to insult a young corporate litigator assigned to appear for the celebrity defendant of the year, the lovely Ashley Bronson, painter and self-admitted killer. This chance meeting proves fateful as she appears in Frank's office to retain him. Only a trial lawyer would understand his response when she hands him a list of defense counsel and asks if he is as good as the people whose names are on the list. "Yes" he replies, never looking at the list. We learn that the prosecutor is pro, two Yale degrees, and three prosecutions so important that the courtroom artists sketch of him in action hang in his office. Frank fails to flinch, despite his modest circumstance. It is only then we learn of his own sterling credentials, the Manhattan DA's office, thirtysomething murder trials (all convicted) and the head of the white-collar crime section before moving to Washington to join his father-in-law's bigtime practice, only to leave as his marriage crumbled. What follows is the perspiration of trial practice, punctuated by sudden insights, and luck-both good and bad. Consumed by the desire to win, the need to win, Frank prepares himself for the battle. Like every good trial lawyer, he never gives up, he never commits to a strategy so completely he cannot revise or abandon it on a dime, he never loses faith in his ability to deliver a verdict in the courtroom (well almost never). I enjoyed it greatly.
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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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Summary: A legal thriller with a heart and soul
Review: Rarely have I read an action-packed legal thriller set in such an emotional context. The author manages to create a whoddunit that is filled with suspense and mystery, in the classic sense, and a hero that is not only a brilliant lawyer but an inspiring and complex character. The satisfaction at the end comes not only with the resolution of what appears to be a clearcut murder case, but with the peace that the main character achieves with his own inner demons. The combination is fulfilling and the end stays with you long after you've finished the book. I'd reccommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good courtroom drama and a riveting thriller, but who is also looking to find the purest notions of real love in the genre. This is an absolutely fantastic, mesmerising novel!
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Summary: courting risk
Review: readers of legal fiction will welcome this new voice.despite a somewhat shopworn plot (a formerly acclaimed lawyer, down on his luck, gets a celebrity murder case starring a rich, beautiful and unattatched defendant),clear prose and steady pacing structure very solid depictions of trial preparation and courtroom jousting-essential elements of compelling legal fiction.a promising debut.
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Summary: The Best First Novel of the Year!
Review: Stephen Horn has created a unique blend of characters so real that you can see them vividly in your mind's eye. He is most certainly the next John Grisham, if you like Grisham, you will love Stephen Horn. This is a great mystery, court room drama with a unique twist of romance and comedy. Don't cheat yourself and wait for the paperback, order this book today!
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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: 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: Strong Recommendation
Review: Stephen Horn's In Her Defense is as good as the best of Turow, Patterson, Grisham or other established authors of legal thrillers. The characters are fresh and funny and appealing, and the well researched plot has interesting twists and is more plausible than most. It's a fun read. I bought it expecting to take it on a trip but read late to finish it in one sitting. I recommend this book without reservation to anyone who likes this genre or is interested in trying it out. And I'll by the next Stephen Horn book without even reading the blurb.
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Summary: Has it all over Grisham!
Review: Stephen Horn's In Her Defense, is debut novel, is a terrifically written and plotted book about a woman accused of a murder she did commit. The story revolves around the attorney and his client, their relationship, the relationship of the attorney and his ex-wife and his defense of her. I thought it was brilliant and am anxious for his next novel.
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