Book Review: SEE ME, by Nicholas Sparks

 

SEE ME
Nicholas Sparks
Grand Central Publishing

496 Pages / October 2015
Thriller / Romance 

As a fan of Nicholas Sparks movies, I have recently started reading the books. I recently read Every Breath, and have just now finished See Me.

See Me was definitely more my speed. It is a taut thriller about revenge. Vengeance.

Maria used to work for the District Attorney's office. She landed the job when she graduated from law school. Prosecuting criminals was intense. Sometimes the work got to her. After one particular case went south, she decided it might be best to shift her specialty.

Colin spent some time in jail. He was arrested countless times for fights. Thankfully, he had a best friend who always had his back. Evan and Lily help Colin as best they can. For the last few years, Colin has kept out of trouble. He is enrolled in school with aspirations of becoming an elementary teacher. Keeping himself in line, Colin also fights for money. Mixed martial arts, MMA. He is also on five years probation. One wrong move and he knows he will be sent directly to prison.

Maria's sister, Serena, knows Colin and Maria might be perfect together. Playing matchmaker, she attempts to pull off the seemingly impossible. Just as things start to go good for everyone, Maria's past explodes on scene.

She has a stalker. Her life is clearly in danger. Colin is not one to sit by and do nothing. His involvement in trying to get to the bottom of the matter could get him in trouble, could land him in prison. Caring more about Maria than his own future, Colin is determined to find out who is bothering his girlfriend.

The problem is there are far too many potential suspects. Between the male lawyers at the law firm, and the old cases Maria worked on in her past, it could be any number of people after her, wanting to extol retribution for someone once done wrong.

Fast. Tense. And with great characters, See Me was a fantastic read. Gripping, and romantic, while also tender, and gritty! I highly recommend this book from readers who enjoy drama tales with romance and thrilling suspense!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the legal thriller, ADVERSE IMPACT

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