Against the Law: 2 [Hardcover]

Michael C. Eberhardt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1995

When Hawaii's governor is assassinated in his hotel room along with a call girl, deputy prosecutor Dan Carrier investigates a series of cover-ups surrounding the daughter of a Hawaiian political activist.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In defense lawyer Eberhardt's second legal thriller (after Body of a Crime), the web of political, criminal and family secrets that entraps the governor of Hawaii and a host of others is nicely constructed?and thankfully so, because the characters are mostly generic and dull. Minutes before the governor and a teenage call girl are murdered in a Honolulu hotel suite, the governor ritually eviscerated, there had been a nasty confrontation between the pro-development gov and Peter Maikai, an old and ailing native environmental activist. Ambitious prosecuting attorney Brian Reed quickly goes after Maikai, handing the case over to Cathy Darnold after her lover, assistant PA Dan Carrier, begs off because Maikai helped raise him. When Maikai dies of a heart attack during pretrial hearings, Reed, now running for governor, claims that justice has been served. But Dan disagrees and starts his own unofficial investigation, which eventually reveals some very high people in a series of criminal cover-ups?and a staggering personal surprise. The climax, set during a hurricane, pits Dan and a long-lost love against the primary villain, spinning the intricate, often graphically violent plot into an ambiguous solution that is oddly satisfying. Eberhardt remains a writer to watch. Literary Guild selection.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; First Edition edition (July 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525939946
• ISBN-13: 978-0525939948
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,818,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An "edge of your seat" story!, April 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Against the Law (Paperback)

Michael C Eberhardt is truly better than Grisham. This story is a must read and will keep you on the edge of your seat! The characters are great and truly come to life in this thriller set in Hawaii.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Exciting, but predictable, January 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Against the Law (Paperback)

I enjoyed Eberhardt's "Body of a Crime", so I was eager to read "Against the Law". While the plot moved along at a good pace for the most part, and the description of the Hawaiian landscape and culture was interesting, I found the characters to be rather flat and the outcome quite predictable. The author telegraphed the clues so much that, apart from a couple of minor surprises, I could figure out what was happening well in advance of the characters. Still, the book did keep me moderately entertained for a few hours.

4.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling, even if you are not a lawyer., June 6, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Against the Law (Paperback)

Eberhardt remains on the line of Martini and Grisham. Good law-novel, with suspense. You will change the suspect with each turn of the page. Keeps you longing for beautiful Hawai'i, although you have finished the book. Carefully written, between the lines it shows the present dichotomy of the so-called "progress" and the respect for the land of the ancestors, as well as the usual dirt behind the bright of power and politics. As a PA himself, Eberhardt seems to know quite well how much can justice twist without apparently breaking. It makes you wonder how many cases as this fiction-one do really exist, where many innocent people suffer, die, are arrested or convicted to cover-up some corrupted politician. It also takes you to the matter of justice-by-one's hand: is it, although not right, forgivable to make justice when law does not provide for it? Bet it happens more often than you think it does..