Supreme Justice by Max Allan Collins (book review)

Supreme Justice

Author:  Max Allan Collins

Published:  July 1, 2014

Publisher:  Thomas & Mercer

Pages:  336

ISBN 9781612185309

Genre:  Legal thrillers, crime drama, fiction

Source:  a copy was provided by the publisher and TLC book tours in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

A new standalone thriller from the creator of The Road to Perdition and the Nathan Heller series. 

After taking a bullet for his commander-in-chief, Secret Service agent Joseph Reeder is a hero. But his outspoken criticism of the president he saved—who had stacked the Supreme Court with hard-right justices to overturn Roe v. Wade, amp up the Patriot Act, and shred the First Amendment—put Reeder at odds with the Service’s apolitical nature, making him an outcast.

FBI agent Patti Rogers finds herself paired with the unpopular former agent on a task force investigating the killing of Supreme Court Justice Henry Venter. Reeder—nicknamed “Peep” for his unparalleled skills at reading body language—makes a startling discovery while reviewing a security tape: the shooting was premeditated, not a botched robbery. Even more chilling, the controversial Venter may not be the only justice targeted for death…

Is a mastermind mounting an unprecedented judicial coup aimed at replacing ultra-conservative justices with a new liberal majority? To crack the conspiracy and save the lives of not just the justices but also Reeder’s own family, rising star Rogers and legendary investigator Reeder must push their skills—and themselves—to the limit.

My Thoughts:

I don't believe I've read Max Allan Collins previous to Supreme Justice but I have seen some of the movies made from some of his books and scripts such as:  Saving Private Ryan and Air Force One.  He has also written graphic novels including Road to Perdition from which a movie was made.  So, obviously he's a very accomplished writer.

Supreme Justice is a stand alone novel featuring Joseph Reeder, a former Secret Service agent who took a bullet for a president he didn't like and later left to run a highly successful security firm.  He ruffled a few fellow agents when he criticized the president for whom he took a bullet.

When a supreme court judge is killed in an alleged robbery; Reeder's friend, a police detective, cajoles Reeder (aka Peeps) into looking at the footage of the robbery.  Played frame by frame, Reeder sees what others didn't.  This was an assassination made to look like a robbery. Because of his extensive training, including being able to read body language, and his intuition, Reeder is invited to act as an advisor with the service in relation to the shooting. 

Shortly thereafter another judge is murdered in his yard and it is obvious he had been followed and his routine memorized.  The more Reeder investigates and watches, the sooner he realizes there's a conspiracy at play and the leaders within the conspiracy are likely people he is now working with.

Supreme Justice is definitely driven by the plot rather than by the characters and it is a real page turner. In a book like this, I don't mind a lack of character development in the supporting cast.  Reeder (Peeps) was well developed, his character believable and intriguing with an ability to read people and situations that is sometimes a gift and sometimes a curse. It makes it difficult to get close to someone just as I imagine being friends with a psychiatrist would be.  

While aspects of the ending were predictable, there was still an element of mystery about who and how. As the climax drew near, my only complaint is that it seemed an abrupt ending. But I would be hasty to not realize the clues had been dropped all along the path.  It really was cleverly designed, artfully composed and carried out by a cunning writer.  

Overall, I really enjoyed my first Max Allan Collins novel. Highly recommended to readers of Lee Child, political thrillers, legal thrillers, mysteries and crime dramas.  My favourite genres!

Meet the author:

Max Allan Collins has earned fifteen Private Eye Writers of America “Shamus” nominations, winning for his Nathan Heller novels, True Detective and Stolen Away, and receiving the PWA life achievement award, the Eye. His graphic novel, Road to Perdition, the basis for the Academy Award–winning film starring Tom Hanks, was followed by two novels, Road to Purgatory and Road to Paradise. His suspense series include Quarry, Nolan, Mallory, and Eliot Ness, and his numerous comics credits include the syndicated Dick Tracy and his own Ms. Tree. He has written and directed four feature films and two documentaries. His other produced screenplays include The Expert, an HBO World Premiere, and The Last Lullaby. His coffee-table book The History of Mystery received nominations for every major mystery award and Men’s Adventure Magazines won the Anthony. Collins lives in Muscatine, Iowa, with his wife, writer Barbara Collins. They have collaborated on seven novels and are currently writing the Trash ‘n’ Treasures mysteries.

The Professor by Robert Bailey

The Professor

Author:  Robert Bailey

Published:  January 2014

Publisher:  Exhibit A Books

Pages:  411

Genre:  Legal thriller

ISBN 9781909223585

Source:  A complimentary copy was provided by JKS Communications in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.  Receipt thereof bears no influence over my opinion nor this review.

Thomas Jackson McMurtrie is a living legend scorned. Forty years ago, he gave up a promising career as a trial lawyer to become a law professor at the University of Alabama at the request of his mentor, Alabama football Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Now Tom is forced into retirement, betrayed by both a powerful colleague and his own failing health.

Meanwhile the young family of one of his oldest friends is killed in a tragic road collision. Believing his career is over, Tom refers the case to a brilliant, yet beleaguered, former student, who begins to uncover the truth behind the tragedy, buried in a tangled web of arson, bribery and greed.

But as the eve of trial approaches, the young attorney’s case begins to unravel. In over his head and at the end of his rope, he realizes there’s only one man who can help…

“The Professor” is the first in a series of tense legal thrillers featuring the enthralling and brilliant legal team of McMurtrie and Drake, combining the thrills and authenticity of a John Grisham novel for the audience that flocked to “Friday Night Lights.”

My Thoughts:

2014 is proving to be the year of promise!  Robert Bailey and his new legal thriller, The Professor, is on my growing list of note-worthy books of the new year.  The Professor is Bailey's debut novel.

When the author of Forrest Gump, Winston Groom, said The Professor was "gripping from the first page to last" he was bang on.  I began this book Saturday morning and finished early afternoon.  I just couldn't put it down and this is no light weight coming in at over 400 pages.  

When a young family is killed in a collision with a semi in a small town in Alabama, questions arise about hours logged in by drivers and the timetables of the companies they work for.  Professor Thomas McMurtrie is approached by the mother of the young mother killed in the crash to find answers about responsibility for the accident.  She doesn't believe her son-in-law is in the wrong and wants those who tore her family apart to be held responsible.

Professor McMurtrie, Tom, has too much on his plate and hands the case to a former dynamic pupil struggling to start his own practice nine months out of law school.  When arson, bribery, and murder further complicate the case, the young lawyer turns to Tom for assistance.  Together they search tirelessly for the clues and witnesses who are brave enough to come forward in the name of justice.

Grisham turned me on to legal thrillers more than twenty years ago and I have been an avid fan since.  Now along comes Robert Bailey, another lawyer/author sharing the thrills of courtroom drama.  I enjoyed the flow, the legal drama, the hidden clues, the tenacity of the small firm vs the giant...it all adds up to a good thrilling read.

Warning to sensitive readers:  sexual content, though not graphic, in the form of prostitution and abuse is dotted occasionally through the novel.  The story, in my opinion, didn't need it.  It felt gratuitous.  There's enough strength in Bailey's plot and skill without it.  I would be a dedicated fan if future novels withheld this content.  Otherwise, The Professor has an excellent plot told by a sharp legal mind.  

Author Links below:

Author Website

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Amazon

Virtual Tour Page 

Meet the Author:

From the time he could walk,Robert Bailey has loved stories, especially those about the legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and his beloved Crimson Tide football team at the University of Alabama.

In law school, Bailey was honored with the Award for Outstanding Achievement at the American Judicature Society Interscholastic Trial Competition. He made Law Review and was a member of the Bench and Bar Legal Honor Society. Somehow, between studying and preparing for the bar exam, Bailey managed to watch every home football game.

For the past 14 years, Bailey has practiced law as a civil defense trial attorney in Huntsville. In addition to representing health care providers and nursing homes in medical liability cases, he defends trucking companies, insurance carriers, insureds and businesses in injury-related lawsuits.

Bailey is admitted to practice before the U.S. 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court – Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama and Western District of Tennessee – and in all Alabama state courts.

He is a member of several professional associations including the International Association of Defense Counsel, Defense Research Institute, Alabama Defense Lawyers’ Association, Huntsville-Madison County Bar Association and the Alabama Bar Association.

Bailey’s first novel, “The Professor,” will be published Jan. 28, 2014 by Exhibit A Books.

Bailey is married with three children. When he’s not writing or practicing law, he’s playing golf, coaching his sons’ little league baseball teams and, of course, cheering on the Crimson Tide.

Q&A with author and attorney Robert Bailey

How did you come up with the story for “The Professor?”

The answer is twofold.  First, I’ve always been interested in stories of legends, especially Alabama football legends. Second, when I was in law school, I always wondered what it would be like if a professor had to try a case. Could he or she do it?  Would the classroom cross over to the courtroom? These questions piqued my interest, and Thomas Jackson McMurtrie was born.

What do you think readers will like about “The Professor?”

The answer, in my opinion, is the redemptive nature of the story. This is the story of a man in the twilight of his career that is done wrong, but he won’t quit. He comes back against all odds. A backstabbing former student. Cancer. Nothing can get Tom McMurtrie down. He embodies the principles of those men that played for Coach Bryant, some of whom stand with Tom in the courtroom in one of the climactic final scenes of the book.

What are the elements of a great legal thriller?

I’m not sure there is any recipe or formula.  However, I think any story, whether thriller or not, has to have an emotional hook.  Something that makes the reader climb on board for the journey. A lot of times that hook is identifying with a character and what he/she is going through or the situation he/she faces.  I think this is particularly so in thrillers.  Having a protagonist encounter a situation that stimulates the reader’s emotions and makes the reader want to follow the protagonist’s journey through it. 

Have you ever considered a career in teaching law?

No, I never have.  However, teachers have had a profound influence on me.  I was blessed to have many wonderful teachers in elementary school, high school, college and law school.  My mother and grandmother were also teachers, so I have a great regard for that profession.

How did growing up in the south influence your writing?

Obviously, you write what you know, and I have lived my entire life in the South. I have always been drawn to southern literature and stories with a southern flare to them.  

You’re obviously a huge fan of the legendary Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. What do you think made him such an iconic figure?

I think it starts with the winning.  Coach Bryant was an incredibly successful football coach for over thirty years.  There were many great college football coaches during his heyday in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, but Coach Bryant was undoubtedly the best and his record speaks for itself.  323 victories.  Six national championships.  But it’s more than just the winning. He was such a great character.  He was tall and had that gravelly voice.  He wore the Houndstooth hat and smoked Chesterfield cigarettes.  He carried himself like an Old West gunslinger.  In fact, there were many comparisons between Coach Bryant and John Wayne. There is also the regard that his former players show him.  So many of them count Coach Bryant as their most significant influence in life.  Finally, Coach Bryant’s story is so inspiring.  Here was a man born of the most humble of beginnings, one of nine children to a poor family in Moro Bottom, Arkansas, who grew to be one of the most recognizable figures in sports history.  A man who dined with Presidents and celebrities.  Who, when he died, was given his own stamp.  Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant personified the American dream.  

How in the world did you find time to write a novel while working as a full-time attorney and caring for three young children?

Simple: I got up at 4:00 in the morning before work and before the kids were awake, and wrote for a couple of hours every morning. The pages eventually began to pile up.

“The Professor” is billed as “the first McMurtrie and Drake investigation.” So can we get any sneak peek into what’s next?

Book two, which is entitled “Between Black and White,” will take Tom and Rick to Pulaski, Tennessee, where they will defend an old friend on charges of capital murder.

(Q and A courtesy of JKS Communications)

The Reckless Engineer by Jac Wright

The Reckless Engineer

Author:  Jac Wright

Published:  November 2013

Publisher:  Soul Mate Publishing

Pages:  340

Genre: Classic mystery, legal thriller

ISBN 9781619353213

Edition: e-book (PDF format)

Source:  A copy was sent directly to me by the author to facilitate an honest and unbiased review.

Jack Connor's lives an idyllic life by the Portsmouth seaside married to Caitlin McAllen, a stunning billionaire heiress, and working at his two jobs as the Head of Radar Engineering at Marine Electronics and as the Director of Engineering of McAllen BlackGold, his powerful father-in-law Douglas McAllen's company in extreme engineering in Oil & Gas.  He loves his two sons from his first marriage and is amicably divorced from his beautiful first wife Marianne Connor.  Their idyllic lives are shattered when the sexy and alluring Michelle Williams, with whom Jack is having a secret affair and who is pregnant with his child, is found dead and Jack is arrested on suspicion for the murder.

Jeremy Stone brings in London's top defence attorney, Harry Stavers, to handle his best friend's defence.  While Jack is charged and his murder trial proceeds in the Crown Court under Harry’s expert care, Jeremy runs a race against time to find the real killer and save his friend, if he is in fact innocent, in a lurid saga of love, desire, power, and ambition.

My Thoughts:

The Reckless Engineer is a relatively short novel as an e-book at 182 pages, but it is packed with drama beginning with a phone call to Jeremy from Jack Connor.  The two men had worked together previously in an engineer firm, with whom Jack is still employed, and had become friends.  Jack had Jeremy's back during a dark time and now he was requesting a return favour. Desperately seeking help after being arrested under suspicion for the murder of his pregnant mistress, Jack turned to Jeremy who hooked him up with a top defence attorney.  It doesn't end there for Jeremy though.  His curiosity finds him sleuthing the countryside in compromising situations in his efforts to clear his friend.  It's his path to discovery that keeps you turning the pages.

Jac Wright gathers together a group of possible suspects but you will likely not guess who did the deed and framed Jac.  That twist comes at the end and you realize Wright had dropped cleverly disguised hints all along.  I love to see that ability, especially in a new to me mystery author.

Engineering is not commonly found in mysteries.  You find writers, police officers, elderly spinsters, journalists with cats, and a myriad of others but never before have I come across engineers in this genre.  Jac Wright intends to change that with this series, of which The Reckless Engineer is the first.  He brings to the series his own personal knowledge as an engineer, expounding upon situations in his realm of experience thus introducing the mystery enthusiast to an entirely new and interesting facet to the genre.  If you're a mystery lover sleuthing out something new, check out Wright's series, engineered to reaffirm your love.

The Reckless Engineer Excerpt and Note From the Author

The Reckless Engineer

Author:       Jac Wright

Published:  November 2013

Publisher:   Soul Mate Publishing

Pages:        340

Genre:        Classic Mystery, Legal Thriller

ISBN           978-1619353213

Can you forgive betrayal?

The aftershocks of an affair reverberate out to those in the lives of the lovers, who will  NOT take it lying down.

Jack Connor lives an idyllic life by the Portsmouth seaside married to Caitlin McAllen, a stunning billionaire heiress, and working at his two jobs as the Head of Radar Engineering of Marine Electronics and as the Director of Engineering of McAllen BlackGold, his powerful father-in-law's extreme engineering company in oil & gas. He loves his two sons from his first marriage and is amicably divorced from his beautiful first wife, Marianne Connor. Their delicately balanced lives are shattered when the alluring Michelle Williams, with whom Jack is having a secret affair, is found dead and Jack is arrested on suspicion for the murder.

Jeremy Stone brings in a top London defence attorney, Harry Stavers, to handle his best friend's defence.  While Jack is charged and his murder trial proceeds in the Crown Court under barrister Harry Stavers' expert care, Jeremy runs a race against time to find the real killer and save his friend's life, if he is in fact innocent, in a tense tale of love, friendship, power, and ambition. 

Excerpt: 

5

Saturday, October 16 – One Day Later

Despite the comfort and luxury all around him Jeremy was woken from a night of disturbed sleep by the sound of the dogs barking. It was 8:20 Saturday morning. There were voices downstairs in anxious chatter. His room (huh, he thought of this as his room now, did he?) was a first-floor en-suite with a bath. Actually it had a shared bathroom separating two twin rooms, but the second one had never been occupied whenever he had been here.

Jeremy washed his face quickly and hurried to the cupboard. Caitlin had laid out some clean clothes. He set his oversized laptop case, in which he carried a sleek laptop he had enhanced to pack in massive processing and memory power, so compact it hardly took any space, on the bed. Into the remaining space he generally packed various gadgets and electronics equipment he needed at client sites, including some “emergency” underwear and socks.

He pulled on a pair of black slacks and a blue Polo T-shirt from the cupboard. They must be Ronnie’s. Being slightly over 6 feet tall and having a wider frame, he did not fit so well into Jack’s clothes. He stepped out of his room and followed the voices downstairs.

One of the boys who worked in the stables and on the land, a brown lad in muddy Wellington boots, was talking animatedly to Caitlin, who was still in her dressing gown, in the kitchen.

‘There is police again at the front gate, sénora,’ he said with a heavy Spanish accent. ‘I put Molly and Max in the stables, ha?’

Caitlin and Jeremy hurried to the front reception with little Bubbles the puppy Lab running circles around them. There were two police cars at the gates.

‘If you could open the gates, Caitlin, I shall handle this,’ he said, thinking how lovely and vulnerable she looked with no makeup on and with tousled dark brown hair some length between short and medium. Something about a damsel-in-distress in silks stirred a man’s loins.

Jeremy went back to his room, splashed his face with icy cold water, and put on his shoes. He stepped out as the police cars pulled up outside the front door. 

From the Author

I wanted to create an engineering hero and a series centred around an engineering firm. The last hero in fiction who was an engineer was Barney in Mission Impossible (the TV series). There is Q in the Bond series, but he is an old and geeky supporting character working from a bunker. There are so many legal and medical dramas, but where are the dramas centred around engineering firms?  I want to bring an engineering drama to life treated for an audience not from the profession the same way that legal and medical dramas are.

The environment of an engineering firm in reality is just like in the book, so much so that this could be non-fiction but for the murder set in the middle of it.  The characters are very realistic. Jack Connor, for instance, is of a somewhat smaller physique, who seems to over-compensate for it by going after glamorous women. Women are somehow attracted to his brilliance and confidence at his work and well as the security and the respectability society assigns him because of his profession. Then there are people like Alan, Jack and Jeremy's boss at Marine Electronics, who make it to management positions because they have more people skills, are extrovert, and are better looking. Jeremy's character is still coming into its own and is in transition through the book and the series. He is emerging as a manager and a leader from the subordinate position he has been in so far. And then you have the super rich owners of these engineering businesses like the McAllens. There is also the occasional female engineer like Sally who is very introverted, outmanoeuvred at every opportunity by the much more glamorous and outgoing Michelle. These characters are a cross section of people you get in an engineering firm in reality.

One important reason I wanted to create a hero like Jeremy was to attract youngsters to the field.  I know that this particular story is not suited to a YA audience because it deals with infidelity. If I had a younger sister I wouldn't particularly want her rosy world clouded by such gritty (though realistic) subject matter; I would want her to read of gallant and loyal heroes only.  The future books in the series, however, will be very YA suited. I want young adults to know how entertaining, satisfying, powerful, and glamorous the engineering field is so that they will be attracted to the profession.