Customer Reviews

A Clean Kill

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Another great work by Mike Stewart!! I won't go into the plot, which has been summarized before. Unlike some other authors, Mike Stewart is sticking with the same basic formula that has made him successful with his previous books - the book is well written, interesting, and, full of action. Zybo is a character that you'll immediately become fascinated with.

Overall - GREAT book!! Highly recommended!

Mike Stewart fulfills the promise shown in "Sins of the Brothers" with this beautifully crafted thriller. He grabs you on page one and doesn't let loose until a few days after you have closed the book. Even then, his puzzling client and the multi-faceted contract criminal, Zybo, will stay with you.

What begins as a suspicion of highly imaginative jury tampering expands to include Mobile's judiciary, a blue ribbon law firm, and law enforcement. None of the characters are quite centered. There is not always a clear line between the good guys and the bad. We get answers that open new questions and drive this highly charged story from climax to climax.

Tom McInnes is a likeable protagonist, but contradictory enough to keep engaging us. It helps to keep in mind Tom is a member in sometimes not-so-good standing of an Alabama time honored and influential family. His daddy is a man to be reckoned with and is an important, if unseen, part of Tom's makeup. I liked the reality of Tom being a reluctant lover. In spite of psychologist Kai-Li Cantil's awesome perfections, Tom is understandably gun shy from a recent bruising romance. When plot considerations dictate Kai-Li's hiding out in his house for protection, Tom is faintly irritated at too much togetherness.

Mike Stewart brings to mind James Lee Burke's power of describing lush southern scenery. The tempers and moods of Mobile Bay are part and parcel of this fascinating yarn. "Clean Kill" is an excellent offbeat thriller sure to win Mr. Stewart many new fans.

Mike Stewart is definitely a fresh new southern voice on the literary scene. "A Clean Kill" held my interest with every turning page. This book yielded even more of the mysterious, suspenseful, "must-keep-reading" feeling than John Grisham's "The Firm". This book is so easy to follow, yet so intricately woven that each page leaves you guessing and second guessing. The plot is orchestrated in such a way that you never know what the protagonist, Tom McInnes, will face next. Twists, turns and unexpected scenarios play out to yield a masterfully crafted story. I enjoyed "A Clean Kill" so much that upon completion I HAD TO purchase his first 2 books, "Sins of the Brother" and "Dog Island". This is truly an excellent book which I highly recommend.

Kate Baneberry, tired after a long day of jury duty, only wants to get home, eat and go to bed. She manages to convince herself that nobody is in the house with her after hearing strange noises. The next day she is taken to the hospital suffering from symptoms of food poisoning and with treatment she seems to be on the road to recovery until she suffers an unexpected fatal heart attack.

Kate's daughter Sheri hires Alabama attorney Tom McInnes to investigate why her mother died when she showed signs of a full recovery. Once Tom takes the case his life changes dramatically. He's followed everywhere he goes by very dangerous looking men, an arrest warrant is issued with his name on it and he attends a bar hearing to see if he's still able to practice law. All his problems will go away if he just drops the case but Tom is a crusader who won't rest until justice is served.

Fans of John Grisham's THE FIRM will find this novel even more exciting and stimulating because it doesn't look like the hero is going to obtain justice for his client or himself. MIKE Stewart is a natural born storyteller as evidenced by his work A CLEAN KILL that keeps readers turning the pages to see what happens next.

Harriet Klausner

In this book, Mike Stewart, changes away from the plot that he used in Sins, And Dog Island, to take a more legal/lawyer approach. He still retains his southern authencity set in southern Alabama. The plot still contains more twists and turns than a country road with a new, different direction. You don't run into the characters getting worn out, like you did in Dog Island, because of the new and different plot. 5 star good.

This being the first Mike Stewart book I've read, my goal will now be to read his previous Tom McInnes novels.

This time around McInnes gets hired by Sheri Baneberry. Sheri's mother was serving on a jury when she mysteriously died of what seemed to be salmonella poisoning. What Sheri wants to find out is whose fault it was. As McInnes and his partner, Joey, start researching the mother's death bad things start happening. Tom's life is now in danger. He gets blackmailed for murder and he also becomes disbarred. As he gets closer to the truth, death gets closer to him. With the help of an Asian-American doctor (psychology) who soon becomes a close female companion, and Joey, his trusting investigator, Tom works his magic and soon discovers the truth.

Stewart's way with words makes this novel one heck of a good read. A strong descriptive narrative invites one to visit Mobile, Alabama even in the dead of winter. A well plotted, fast moving story that I really enjoyed.

Highly Recommended.

Less implausible than the last entry, this episode is tighter written, having lost a couple of unnecessary characters from the earlier books. Good action. The author has created a protagonist with an unusual moral compass. Is keeping the blood off your own hands enough?? Very interesting.

Mike's books remind me of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series. But without the gut wrenching violence. And he has not gotten stale yet as Grisham occasionally does. Great series worth reading from the start, but nothing really lost in any order. I do think you will be as hooked as I am if you try these.

Attorney Tom McInnes is hired by a young woman whose mother died while on jury duty. He soon uncovers that her death resulted in a new jury member, a large award to the plaintiff and the law firm handling the case. With the help of a psychologist, Kai-Li, he discovers this law firm has had an unrealistically large number of hold-out jurors become sick and the replacement juror enabling a large fee for the lawyers. But the information doesn't come without Tom being stalked, threatened, beaten and attempts to kill him.

The author spent a fair amount of time trying to explain the lawyer's attraction to violence but I still wasn't convinced. There is a love interest but it was nice that they didn't immediately fall into bed and pledge undying love. There was the required threatening sidekick although I learned very little about him. I imagine I'd feel differently had I read the first two books of the series. There was some good tension and I enjoyed the book being set in Mobile, Alabama which is a different setting from most. Falling into the category of a good airplane book, I found it rather unbelievable but entertaining.

Usually I find that, over time, most writers seem to run out of gas - they don't continue to deliver. Not so with Stewart. Again he strikes pay-dirt with A Clean Kill. He just keeps getting better. I've read all three of his books now, and each is as good - if not better - than the last. It's great can't-put-it-down suspense. Waiting for his next !