Customer Reviews

Breach of Promise

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

When intrepid Tahoe lawyer Nina Reilly takes on a palimony suit, even she cannot imagine the twists and turns that may well determine both her own Fate and that of her client, Lindy Markov. With the prospect of netting huge profits warring against her fierce sense of morality, Nina faces an uphill battle against her arch-rival - defense attorney, Jeffrey Riesner - in a case that could literally make or break her.

A page-turner from start to finish, BREACH OF PROMISE shines as O'Shaughnessy's best mystery to date. As in the three earlier novels, O'Shaughnessy skillfully weaves together a fast-paced, multi-layered plot that never feels forced or contrived. With enough intrigue and surprise to keep any reader guessing, BREACH OF PROMISE cuts to the heart of the basic dichotomy between men and women without bogging down in sentiment or cliché.

Surrounded by a fascinating cast of characters, all wonderfully distinctive and deftly drawn, Nina Reilly remains refreshingly appealing and real. Both tough and vulnerable, she soldiers on through triumph and adversity alike without ever surrendering her values to expedience. And her droll self-deprecations, her wariness of commitment, and her insecurities about parenthood only render her all the more endearing.

A wonderful story and a compelling mystery, BREACH OF PROMISE should be on everyone's summer reading list.

As a first time reader of Nina O'Reilly, I had a hard time putting this book down. Also, as a former resident and casino worker in Lake Tahoe I enjoyed the references to real places. I found her characters to be well-written and while I didn't like them all, I felt that I knew them personally. The story and plot lines were interesting, and I didn't figure out whodunit until the end. I intend to go back and read the previous Nina O'Reilly books now!

I just finished "Breach of Promise," and I am literally breathless. What a ride!

The story begins fairly routinely, as Nina Reilly is hired to represent an incredibly wealthy woman, Lindy Markov, in a palimony suit. Knowing that such suits are notorious losers, but intrigued by the circumstances of the case--and by the money--Nina agrees to defend Lindy, and immediately finds herself in over her head.

In order to compete in such a visible, high-stakes trial, Nina is forced to compromise some of her deeply held values, and to hire a fancy LA jury consultant, the obnoxiously confident Genevieve Suchat. She also hires an equally fancy co-counsel, high-profile LA lawyer Winston Reynolds. When (or if) they win their case, all three stand to become multimillionaires. But in the meanwhile, small-town lawyer Nina is footing the bill and running close to bankruptcy.

The pretrial proceedings proceed apace, except that Nina is not in control, and not happy with everything her glossy compatriots are doing. She knows she needs Winston and Genevieve both--but she's not happy about it. Once the trial starts, Nina struggles to keep her sense of balance while trying to keep up not only with her new coworkers--but with Lindy Markov herself, who seems to be prone to lies and subterfuge, all of which emerge as scandalous surprises in court.

Nina is in too far to back down, especially as her opposing counsel is the feociously obnoxious and self-satisfied Jeff Reisner, who delights in any humiliation he can throw her way. Even Nina's lover and confidante Paul is becoming difficult, as he sees what he considers to be an erosion of Nina's usual values. It looks like Nina is about to lose the trial, her reputation, her lover, and all her money.

That's when a completely unforeseen twist changes the fortunes of everyone involved. And the spiraling, out-of-control incidents that follow this surprise continue to proliferate until the last sentence of the last page, leaving the reader literally gasping for air.

This is truly a five-star read. I'd give it ten stars if I could. You want a book you can't put down? A book that will keep you happily oblivious to your immediate surroundings and your normal life? "Breach of Promise" is definitely it.

What a fast pace wonderful enthralling story!!!

Going through a mid-life crisis, Mike Markov decides to leave his spouse for a younger woman, who happens to work in their company. When Mike tells his wife Linda they he is leaving, Linda pushes the younger woman off a boat they are partying on into the water and she can't swim!!! Then in temper she pushes Mike in after her!!!!!

Ultimately, the case goes to court where Nina and her cohorts representing Linda find twists and turns, some caused by her own client. Still, the intrepid Nina and her crack staff give their client the best representation an attorney can provide.

BREACH OF PROMISE is a fabulous legal thriller because of the adept writing of Perri O'Shaughnessy look at a male's mid-life crisis from various perspectives without placing blame.

Going through a mid-life crisis, Mike Markov decides to leave his spouse for a younger woman, who happens to work in their company, which happens to be thebiggest employer in the Reno area. When Mike tells his wife Linda that he is filing for divorce, she hires Tahoe attorney Nina O'Reilly to insure she gets half of their multi-million dollar business empire. Mike, in turn, brings in his own top gun, slick lawyer Jeffrey Riesner.

Feeling as if she is not ready for the big leagues that Jeffrey swims in, Nina asks Winston Reynolds to assist her. Ultimately, the case goes to court where Nina and her cohorts find twists and turns, some caused by her own client. Still, the intrepid Nina and her crack staff give their client the best representation an attorney can provide.

BREACH OF PROMISE is a fabulous legal thriller because of the adept writing of Perri O'Shaughnessy to microscopically look at a male's mid-life crisis from various perspectives without placing blame. Though the story line bogs down a bit during the jury deliberations, the overall plot is action-packed and fast-paced with numerous twists. Still, this series is made great by the eccentric characters (Nina, her assistant Sandy, and her lover Paul) who bring real personalities to a sub-genre normally populated by Herculean individuals. This gripping novel and Ms. O'Shaughnessy's previous tales (see OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE, etc.) are all fun to read because the morality is not so clear cut.

Harriet Klausner

I am surprised by those who criticize Book Four--Verdicts. Most legal thrillers tell us little or nothing of what goes on in the jury room, and I found this entire portion of the book the key part of the entire story. It portrays how a person who's designated leader is able to break down other jurors, one by one, to achieve the verdict he wants. All in all, I find this probably the best of the O'Shaugnessy sisters' books. There is a feminist bias here which isn't that surprising, but it is held in check.This isn't for everyone, and should be read carefully. One reviewer listed everything wrong with the book and each point made indicated hasty reading. I do understand those who felt it to be fluffy and again think that comes from fast reading. It does have a fluffy feel to it, but has unexpected depth for those who read carefully enough. The ending isn't 100% credible, but certainly justifies this being labelled as a thriller.

In Perry O'Shaughnessy's next novel, Breach of Promise, Nina Reilly takes on Lindy Markov. Lindy is a extremely wealthy woman who has built a multi-million dollar company with her husband, Mike. Mike dumps Lindy for a younger woman, and leaves Lindy with nothing. Lindy hires Nina to help her win half of their assets although legally, Mike does not have to give Lindy a dime, because all assets are in Mike's name alone, and because they actually never married, Lindy hardly stands a chance. Nina has to prove to a jury that Lindy is entitled to half of the $200 million, since Lindy and Mike built the company together and lived their lives as a married couple for years. Nina soon realizes that when that much money is at stake, people will go to extremes, even to kill if that's what it takes. With a combination of secrets, murder, and money, Breach of Promise delivers another suspensful thriller from the O'Shaughnessy's. Can't wait for the next one!!

If you like fluff, then this is your book. Some reviewers cited the book as a can't-put-down and others landed in the wish-I-didn't-buy-it camp. Place me in the latter group. I listened to the audio book version and was glad I didn't invest precious time with a physical book. It was all commute time for me.

The first 3/4 of the novel was a vaguely plausible sequence of events with fairly shallow dialogue, containing nothing thought provoking. The final 1/4 of the story spun off into a jarring mix of unlikely events. The actual mystery portion didn't come in until late in the book. A few moments of action punctuated with a single mystery really didn't keep me going as a potential mystery reader. All I got was a standard, novelized courtroom drama backed with an action flick.

You are left with one weak question, a wildly James Bond-like scene, a bad guy laying out the entire evil plot and a fanciful ending. The story ended with a nice little bow on fancy wrapping paper, making it perfect for the fluff reading audience.

I believe the story worked well for the intended audience, as friends have loaned me similar fluff books to read that they liked and recommended. I couldn't stomach them. I read the books to their happy endings, looking for writing redemption and left sorry for the spent time.

The author was successful at creating characters that were likeable or easy to despise, though all lacked depth. The author didn't provide enough insight into the main characters' flaws, missing the chance to make them human. You won't find the meaning of life here. It's better to grab the popcorn bucket for this one.

As a writer and a journalism student, the takeaway from this for me is - there's an audience for this book and based on other reviews, it hits the target. If you write for that audience, you'll have a chance at success.

My God this book sucks! I am an avid reader. I have a Nook, a Kindle and 18 bookshelves of books. I read ALL the time. This is one of the worse books ever written. I am on page 339 - get to the damned story already - this is supposed to be a thriller - I'm not thrilled.

This book was really one I didn't want to put down! It was very interesting and full of suspense. You weren't sure which way things were going to go until you got there. I like that it's based in a "glamourous" city, but not someplace like Hollywood. It shows you that the country is full of different types of people even in the small towns of America.