8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Philadelphia Gothic, July 11, 2004
This review is from: Bitter Truth (Mass Market Paperback)
"Bitter Truth" is a grand novel of epic proportions, rich in detail, complex, and long. In this, the sequel to author William Lashner's debut, "Hostile Witness", he serves up a surprisingly gothic mystery with all the trimmings: a dark and decrepit mansion - "Veritas", the wealthy family with secrets that are literally buried, hidden passageways and, of course, murder. Throw in Lashner's usual cast of south Philly mobsters and other assorted bizarre supporting characters, and this adds up to one engrossing and entertaining read.
Philadelphia lawyer Victor Carl has a history defending organized crime. He is approached by Caroline Shaw, an attractive young woman who, unbeknownst to Carl at the time, is heiress to the "Reddman" Pickle fortune. Caroline believes her sister's recent suicide was in fact a mob hit, and that she would be next. Given Car's connections to the underworld, enlists his help. Reluctant at first, but, envisioning a wrongful death law suit with millions of inheritance at stake, he eventually succumbs to greed and agrees to take the case. Carl is soon over his head in a delightfully convoluted tale of old money and old murder, deception, greed, and mayhem that span four generations and two continents. Street smart and self-depreciating, Victor Carl proves he can deal with street thugs and aristocratic bankers with equal ease. While neither fitting the mold of the competent lawyer of a Grisham novel, and certainly not the physically tough hero of a Lehane or Crais mystery, Carl is nonetheless an endearing and effective narrator.
In summary, if you like a spooky old-fashioned thriller mystery with some real skeletons in the closet, engaging characters, intelligent dialog, and don't mind investing some time, (the paperback stretches to 568 pages), "Bitter Truth" is a highly recommended read.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Step Above the Legal Thriller, March 29, 2005
This review is from: Bitter Truth (Mass Market Paperback)
Victor Carl is back in this wild ride of a novel. Victor is approached by an heiress to prove that her sister did not commit suicide. Victor soon finds himself deep in a decades old mystery that involves an "old money" Philadelphia family and his "friends" from the organized crime circuit. Unpredictable, and after a slow start, this book finishes strong in a plot that can be described a "zig-zagging".
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Gothic, Long, but still intriguing..., July 13, 2004
This review is from: Bitter Truth (Mass Market Paperback)
This is clearly not Lashner's best work. It took a while to get thorough, but Lashner kept me interested. This is a book that cries out for better editing. Way too many long descriptive passages that lead to yawns. The story is convoluted, but at least the main plot is interesting--just who is the evil force behind the Pickle family? And Carl is so darned interesting. I love Morris as always. I noticed that this book was called Vertias first and there was almost a 6 year lag between novels for our boy Lashner...I hope that Fatal Flaw is better. Still, because I love Philadelphia (Lasher even gets the restaurants right here) and Carl, I will read it.
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