Book Review: THE GIRL FROM HOME, by Adam Mitzner

Adam Mitzner
THE GIRL FROM HOME
Gallery Books, 2016
321 pages
Thriller / Crime / Legal

In Adam Mitzner's latest novel, THE GIRL FROM HOME, the author detours a bit from his past three straight-forward legal thrillers, and puts out a head-on suspense novel. There is a legal aspect, and some courtroom drama, though. For the most part, however, it is not a novel where attorneys are the central characters. Just putting this out there as a simple disclaimer. However, as a suspense novel, it works. And it works well.

Jonathan Caine is a big shot. He makes millions on Wall Street. His hectic lifestyle comes with many rewards. A hefty bank account, a beautiful wife (fifteen years younger than he), and the potential to purchase some prime waterfront real estate in the Hamptons. East Hamptons.

Everything is going well, that is, until it is not.

When an investor wants their money back, it starts an almost Jenga effect. Best way I can think to describe it, Jonathan now has to rob Peter to pay Paul. In the Wall Street world this is illegal. He pushes and pulls without backing with the hope everything will balance out in roughly two years --before most investors realize what game Jonathan has been playing.

Jonathan's father is sick. Dementia. He took a bad fall, and is in the hospital. It is likely he will never be discharged. Having family issues since he was young, Jonathan isn't sure how he feels about it. When his firm fires him, pending federal securities charges, and his marriage becomes quickly unstable, Jonathan heads home to New Jersey to spend time with his father.

During a twenty-five year class reunion, Jonathan reunites with Jackie, an old classmate. They were from different cliques. Jonathan the nerd. Jackie the Prom Queen who --in typical cliche fashion-- married Rick, the high school football star. Jackie's in an abusive relationship. No way out. Rick has made it abundantly clear that if she tries leaving him he will kill her. She has more to think about than herself. Their two kids are equally at risk should she try anything stupid, like divorce.

When Rick is murdered, both Jackie and Jonathan are the prime suspects. They both know the truth. But will they keep the secret from the prosecutors, or turn on each other to get a deal from the District Attorney?

THE GIRL FROM HOME is both filled with suspense, and humanity. It is a novel about people. Mitzner fills the book with emotions. He's done it before. Here, however, he pours it on. The result is powerful. Caring about the characters kept me turning pages, and re-reading paragraphs to better grasp everything ... felt. There isn't much room for reprieve, as so much is always happening, and the tension constantly building.

THE GIRL FROM HOME is tragic, heartfelt, and almost depressing. There is some hope, some light at the end of the tunnel, though --and for me, it was just enough so that when I finished the book I felt . . . closure.

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: LOSING FAITH, by Adam Mitzner

Adam Mitzner
LOSING FAITH
Gallery Books, 2015
368 pages
Legal Thriller

I have just finished reading LOSING FAITH, my third Adam Mitzner novel. I am on a legal thriller kick, and Mitzner is more than satisfying my literary cravings!

In LOSING FAITH, attorney Aaron Littman has secrets. He hopes to keep them buried. His affair with the Honorable Faith Nichols is over. She made ending it perfectly clear when Littman defended a client in her court. Faith found the client guilty, and gave him an extreme sentencing, as if only to punctuate the finality of the affair.

When the notorious Russian terrorist, Nicolai Garkov is arrested, Littman's past is about to catch up with him. After the apparent suicide of the judge slated to preside over Garkov, Faith is assigned the to hear the case. A man with many means, Garkov insists on having Littman in his corner. The threat for representation is clear. Either Littman gets Faith to play ball, and acquit . . . or he will destroy both of their careers revealing his evidence that the two were having an affair.

Littman brings new firm partner Rachel London in on his team. Again. Although she is in love with her boss, she is a confident, and damn good attorney. As the two begin working on Garkov's defense, the unthinkable happens. Faith Nichols is murdered. All evidence points directly at Aaron Littman.

Forced to confess his infidelity to his wife, his kids, and his firm Aaron finds himself on trial for murder. He risks losing his career, his freedom, and his family if convicted. Putting his faith in a senior partner, and father-figure to defend him against all odds, his hope at walking free is not at all optimistic. The nightmare of going to prison for life is now a realistic possibility!

Said it before, and I will say it again. Adam Mitzner has restored my faith in intense legal thriller fiction. Well-crafted characters, nail-biting courtroom drama, and twists that never stop making the reader's stomach flip-flop fill the pages. Not just in this book, but in the previous books I've read as well. My verdict on LOSING FAITH? Another winner!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: THE BROKER, by John Grisham

John Grisham
THE BROKER
Doubleday, 2005
448 pages
Thriller

I will never forget reading THE FIRM. It was decades ago. John Grisham exploded on the scene, a new hero in legal thrillers (on the heels of Scott Turrow's PRESUMED INNOCENT, if I recall correctly).

An instant fan, I followed his work, buying up his books. And then, about ten years ago, I just found myself tired of legal thrillers. Took a break, and moved on to other genres. Back into legal thrillers, I picked up where I left off. And I read THE BROKER.

The synopsis is as follows: In his final hours in office, the outgoing President grants a controversial last-minute pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison. What no one knows is that the President issues the pardon only after receiving enormous pressure from the CIA. It seems that Backman, in his heyday, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world’s most sophisticated satellite surveillance system.

Backman is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after he has settled into his new life, the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis. Then the CIA will do what it does best: sit back and watch. The question is not whether Backman will survive—there is no chance of that. The question the CIA needs answered is, Who will kill him?

Sounds good, right? The book was boring as hell. It was more like A tour guide for people visiting Italy. The last fifty pages or so held some excitement. Even then it was blah at best. The thing is, the storytelling is wonderful. The characters are well-crafted. The concept is intriguing. I think when you expect a thriller the reader hopes the tale will be ... thrilling.

I am not giving up on the legendary author. In fact, I am currently reading THE CONFESSION ... and loving it. So. Yeah. THE BROKER, a bit of a disappointment. So much so, I would call it skippable.

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series
and The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: DARKNESS, TAKE MY HAND, by Dennis Lehane

DARKNESS,TAKE MY HAND is the second book in the Kenzie & Gennaro series. It was a whole lot darker than the first. A bit more disturbing. Many cogs in a mysterious wheel spinning at once. And I loved it.

Diandra Warren is worried. She is a professor and psychiatrist. When a young woman, Moira Kenzi, comes to her for help nothing adds up. Things get worse when the doctor receives a photograph in the mail. It is of her son. She now finds herself worried about his safety, as well as her own.

If the Irish Mob isn’t directly behind the silent threats, it could be Kevin Hurlihy, Jack Rouse’s right hand man. Either way, Kevin’s involvement spells trouble. The man has no heart, and is known for his unorthodox ways of dealing with things. Delivering pain, resorting to torture, and even killing people doesn’t faze him in the slightest.

Kenzie and Gennaro are hired. Diandra wants to be absolutely sure no one is after her son. The investigation involves a lot of shadowing, keeping the doctor’s son under constant surveillance. The best the private eyes can tell, there is nothing for the family to worry about.

Nothing to worry about, that is until a young girl is found dead. Crucified. Her hands and feet were nailed into the ground. On her was Kenzie’s business card. Although seemingly separate from Kenzie and Gennaro’s initial investigation, sins of the past are brought to the present.

Someone is killing people from the old neighborhood. And before each person is killed a photograph of that person is sent to someone they love. A serial killer is on the loose. The police and the FBI find one common factor in all of the cases. Patrick Kenzie. He is in some way tied to nearly each and every one.

When those Kenzie loves are threatened, are put into harm’s way, the joint investigation is stepped-up, but it may not be enough. Finding the one responsible is no easy feat. Bodies keep turning up. And it is clear that time is running out. Kenzie receives a simple threat, not everyone you love can live.

A fantastic, fast-paced, and gritty crime novel! DARKNESS, TAKE MY HAND just grabbed me from the depressing opening scene, until the very last page. I am finding this is common in the Lehane books I’ve read recently. He is quickly working his way up as one of my favorite authors!

PhillipTomasso

Author of the Severed Empire Series

and theVaccination Trilogy

Book Review: AN HONORABLE MAN, by Paul Vidich

Paul Vidich
AN HONORABLE MAN
Atria / Emily Bestler Books, 2016
288 pages
Spy / Thriller

AN HONORABLE MAN takes place during the early 1950s. America is in panic mode. Anything Russian, Communist-related, or homosexual is bad. Knee-jerk decisions, and chaos propel the government. In the middle of it all, and at the end of his rope is C.I.A. Agent George Mueller.

Operatives in the field, and confidential information is being leaked to the Russians. They seem constantly one step ahead. They know every turn before the US makes it. The only conclusion is a mole exists inside the agency, a traitor, a ... double agent. The C.I.A. has a name for the unknown traitor. They call him Protocol.

Mueller wants out. He's had enough. Too many people who became collateral damage haunt him. The things he's done, seen, it is more than he can take. However, the director needs his help. One last time. They must root out the mole, and expose the double agent. The safety of so many depend on the revelation!

Working within a group known as The Council, a list of likely suspects has been comprised: screw-ups, drunks, overspenders, those who held grudges against the agency. Mueller's connections can get him in close with Colonel Yuri Vasilenko. Mueller's peer, and somewhat of a friend, becomes his go-to guy in a time when trust is meaningless, and true identities are masks worn over masks.

Unexpected romance keeps Mueller off-balance. Handling feelings he otherwise kept concealed, and locked, and stored far from his heart, he finds his own mission compromised. Figuring out who is on the right side, and who is on the wrong side is not as easy as black and white. As the Council closes in on the identity of Protocol, Mueller realizes swift, and not-so-easy actions must be taken . . . It is the only way he can get out of the C.I.A. in one piece, it is the only way he can retire and live out his life as close to a normal person as possible.

In a taut cat and mouse game between governments, and dangerous politicians, AN HONORABLE MAN comes out the winner. What I first find most interesting is that this is Paul Vidich's first novel. Vidich has crafted a simple spy novel that is well written, tight, and kept me turning pages. He made me care about the characters. I had to find out what happened next. When an author can do that, the author has done their job. And Paul Vidich has done it well. I do hope he has more tales in the works. I will be anxiously following his literary career!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy