Caroline Masters [Hardcover]

Richard North Patterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2000

Long estranged from her blue-blooded New England family, attorney Caroline Masters is summoned home to defend her niece against charges of murder. Police found twenty-two-year-old Brett Allen blood-splattered and incoherent near the scene of the crime, the weapon covered with her fingerprints.

Caroline has doubts of her own about Brett's innocence. But as the sensational trial heats up, she'll find disturbing inconsistencies in the testimony of the prosecution's star witness and find herself facing some of the challenges of her life and career--from trusting her former lover, state prosecutor Jackson Watts, to risking the federal judgeship she's worked her whole life for, to exposing a dark family secret that could save her niece or destroy them both.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Compelling . . . Very possibly Patterson's best."
--USA Today

"DAZZLING . . . THE PAGES ALMOST SEEM TO TURN THEMSELVES. . . . The plot culminates in a classic courtroom confrontation."
--San Francisco Chronicle --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Long estranged from her blue-blooded New England family, attorney Caroline Masters is summoned home to defend her niece against charges of murder. Police found twenty-two-year-old Brett Allen blood-splattered and incoherent near the scene of the crime, the weapon covered with her fingerprints.

Caroline has doubts of her own about Brett's innocence. But as the sensational trial heats up, she'll find disturbing inconsistencies in the testimony of the prosecution's star witness and find herself facing some of the challenges of her life and career--from trusting her former lover, state prosecutor Jackson Watts, to risking the federal judgeship she's worked her whole life for, to exposing a dark family secret that could save her niece or destroy them both. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: San Val (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417801115
• ISBN-13: 978-1417801114
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,162,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

102 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Final Judgement--REPACKAGED, but still pretty good..., January 22, 2001

By 

Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Caroline Masters (Mass Market Paperback)

I came deceptively close to purchasing 'Caroline Masters' before I noticed at the very bottom of the front cover these words: 'Formerly Titled Final Judgement'...I carefully put it back on the shelf and figured if I wanted to re-read the book I had originally read 4 years ago, I'd go back and open up my 1st edition hardback copy of 'The Final Judgement'. My question isn't why they re-released the book, but why totally changed the title? It seems like a plot to milk money from a book that had already stopped making money a couple years ago...now maybe that is a bit too harsh and it may not be true, but if not, why so soon? I know authors, or more accurately the publishers--do this actually quite often, but it usually happens after decades, not just 4 years after it originally was published...

All that aside, this really IS a pretty good example of the legal/thriller genre. Mr. Patterson has written a good number of superior murder/mysteries, and 'Caroline Masters/Final Judgement' I am happy to say is another literary home run. If you are a fan of RNP you know he has a predictable pattern to his novels...which is to say he'll start off a story, set the stage, and then before long we are going back in time re-visiting one (or more) characters' earlier lives to find out more of why they are who they are and usually this is staged to plant the seed of doubt as to their possible guilt or innocence. In this novel, Mr. Patterson again takes us back into the earlier lives of our main character and on this journey through time we also run across moments where we can see how and why the accused just MAY be a murderer. It kept me guessing all the way through, and made me feel that my $25.00 was well spent.

WARNING: IF you have already read Mr. Pattersons 'The Final Judgement' this isn't just the same story re-written, its the EXACT same story totally un-touched--all they did was change the title. If you HAVEN'T read it before, by all means, pick it up and enjoy a great court-room thriller.

87 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars ..., August 29, 2001

By 

Bill Garrison (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Caroline Masters (Mass Market Paperback)

Patterson is one of the few authors around that can make the entire story interesting, not because you want to find out how it ends, but because you want to find out more about the characters. Each page brings you more into the lives of the characters. This book is no different. It has murders and sex and lawyers and secrets from the past.
I enjoy Patterson's flashbacks into a character's past that usually in some indirect way have a bearing on the outcome of the story.
But I have on problem with this book. THIS BOOK IS CALLED THE FINAL JUDGEMENT, NOT CAROLINE MASTERS. THIS IS NOT A NEW BOOK. IF YOU ARE A PATTERSON FAN, YOU PROBABLY READ THIS BOOK A FEW YEARS AGO. IT CAME OUT IN HARDCOVER AND PAPERBACK UNDER A DIFFERENT TITLE. WHY MUST PATTERSON RESORT TO TRICKERY AND A HORRIBLE NEW TITLE IN ORDER TO ENTICE PEOPLE TO BUY A BOOK THEY ALREADY READ. I CAN GUESS WHY. CAROLINE MASTERS WAS IN PROTECT AND DEFEND AND HE WANTED FANS OF THAT BOOK TO READ THE FINAL JUDGEMENT...

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An old book renamed, September 5, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Caroline Masters (Mass Market Paperback)

I love Richard North Patterson's books and have read every one as it has been released. I was very disappointed to realize this is just an old book that has been re-titled. I think it's a poor way to get money from loyal readers. I loved it the first time, but I was duped this time!