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: 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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