Customer Reviews

Confidential Communications

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

J. R. Reardon weaves a wonderful tale of law, finance, and drama in Confidential Communications. We are introduced to a very likeable Rebecca Lawson, an attorney that anyone would be proud to hire for one's legal matters. She is big-city wise with a small town disposition. Readers will like her, and we root for her success, and fret about her danger. An important financial firm in a small Vermont town hires Attorney Lawson, and by doing so puts this lawyer in moral and ethical dilemmas, not to mention threatening her personal safety, when she discovers something might not be right with her client.

For armchair, wannabe lawyers this book offers something unique - a realistic, fly-on-the-wall peek at the workings of an attorney (courthouse contacts, research challenges, day in the life, and of course ethical challenges).

You don't have to be interested in the law, or the world of financial brokerage, or nail biting dramas - but if like any of the three you'll love this novel. J. R. Reardon must be clairvoyant - there are so many parallels to the current in-the-news Bernard Madoff alleged scandals. Yes, reality mimics fiction in this case! An excellent read.

Yale R. Jaffe

I thoroughly enjoyed J.R. Reardon's legal thriller. Her main character, attorney Becky Lawson, is an endearing mix of naivete, idealism, and toughness. When Becky realizes a crime is being committed at a financial firm she doesn't back off, even though she ends up in danger. As the suspense slowly builds, Becky sticks to her legal ethics. Eventually she plays a big part in bringing the perpetrators to justice and ends up finding her soul mate.

From small town Vermont to Boston to Washington DC, Ms. Reardon does a fine job of bringing her settings to life. The author's unique voice and her subtle wit make Confidential Communications a great read.

The author of Confidential Communications, J.R. Reardon, sets her story in a small Vermont town. The protagonist, Attorney Rebecca Lawson, comes from the big city to practice law there. She expects her general practice to take on the routine of drawing up wills, closing real estate purchases and the like for the folksie natives. But the business as usual of Rebecca's practice quickly becomes one of financial intrigue when she is hired by an investment company to get the goods on an employee. Soon, a warning comes from Charlie an alleged CIA agent. Charlie is charming for a purpose and Rebecca falls hard for him...then falls too hard.
Investment fraud pops it's ugly head up on Main Street Vermont to reach beyond even that conceived on real world Wall Street. Rebecca, with the help of some big city friends becomes a sleuth and then a key witness in the trial of the century. A trial that brings out a scam which surpasses any perpetuated by recent non-fictional Ponzi artists. J.R. Reardon, has crafted a story not far removed from real current events. It's a timely book. The conclusion, at the trial, is exciting and well written by the author, an attorney, who's been there and done that.

Becky Lawson is a new attorney building a modest law practice in a small Vermont town when she inadvertently uncovers corporate fraud. Her strict code of ethics puts her in such danger proving that no good deed goes unpunished. Soon Becky and her loved ones are caught in a web of murderous intrigue, including her beloved cat Miranda. J.R.Reardon does a splendid job creating characters that we love, hate, and fear. The author slowly creates a complex financial conspiracy that her hero tackles head on. As complex as the fraud is, the author is able to clearly guide the reader through while maintaining a high level of excitement. There are enough plot twists and turns to make the Indy 500 jealous. Who do you trust? Buy this page burner and find out for yourself.

When taking on a new client, a youthful small town attorney, Becky Lawson, uncovers a devious plot to destroy the mainframe of the U.S. economy.The pitch of the story is unveiled to a crest of raging passion, fear, yet brings out the courage within Becky to stay the fight.The question was never if; but when ethics, investigative prowess, and tenacity of a young attorney would triumph. This reader found Confidential Communications a great read.

Robert A Meacham
Poet and Novelist

JR Reardon's "Confidential Communications" explores what happens when a young attorney tries to hold firm on her ethics in the face of an impending national crisis.

Becky Lawson, brand-new independent lawyer in Deering, Vermont, attracts a new client, a high-wheeling investment company. They want her to investigate a suspicious employee and hopefully find a way to get him fired. Lawson eventually uncovers a huge financial coverup that is large enough to take down the US economy. With threats coming at her from both professional and personal angles, Lawson has to walk an ethical and legal tightrope and turn around the investigation to uncover the truth.

Reardon tells the story from Lawson's point of view. We follow the attorney through her experiences in moving to a small town, complete with local grocery and hardware storekeepers, elderly judges, an overly-involved bank manager, and mischevious high school students. When the going gets rough, Lawson heads to DC with an old college friend, and we see how the rich and powerful live in the capital. Reardon paints Lawson as a sympathetic and compelling, and even a bit naive, young lady.

I enjoyed the mix of the small-town and the big city, and how we saw the thriller through the eyes of an idealistic lawyer. Reardon's impending economic crisis has become a common theme these days, and I liked her South American spin to it. A nice start for Reardon, and I'm looking forward to reading her sequel.

J.R. Reardon's Confidential Communications is a legal thriller that fits all too well in today's corrupt world of financial scams. Reardon must have been looking into her crystal ball as she penned this exciting story.
When Rebecca Lawson, a young, small town, Vermont lawyer takes on Allan Richards, the owner of Financial Investments, as a client, she gets way more than she bargains for. Hired to investigate an employee's potential wrongdoings, Lawson finds herself waist deep in trouble as she uncovers a huge investment scam. Not knowing who to trust she turns to and old law school friend, Joshua Tameron. Together the two build their case in hopes of taking down a scheme of monstrous proportions. You will find yourself rooting for the pair as they run for their lives, ending up on the steps of the federal courts of Washington DC.
From a quiet, peaceful Vermont town to the fast paced heart of our Nation's Capital, Lawson and Tameron prove their case in an exciting, detail rich, trial.
Confidential Communications is a compelling read that will keep you turning page after page, hoping that justice will prevail.
Mr. Madoff, Mr. Stanford, you're both lucky that Rebecca Lawson is a fictional character or she'd have your...
Ms. Reardon, very nice job. I look forward to your future novels.

For me, a die hard fan of police procedurals, CC, about a young attorney and her investigation into a tangled web of illegal finances, was a nice change.
The characters are realistic and well drawn. Becky Lawson is a young lawyer who is sweet, ethical, smart and funny. I also liked Josh Tameron, Becky's best friend from law school, who ends up helping her with the investigation.
I thought their dialog was natural.
Sites in D.C.,Vermont and Boston were well described.
The writing is clear and makes for enjoyable reading. The story is easy to follow even if you don't know anything about the stock market or investing money.
The book ends with a beautiful and romantic poem.

In J. R. Reardon's first book, Confidential Communications, we meet a very likable protagonist named Rebecca Lawson. She is an idealistic young attorney with a terrific sense of humor who has just purchased a log cabin in Deering, Vermont. Shortly after her arrival in Deering, she is already dating the son of the country store's owner, Charlie McCabe, and establishing her practice. Life is good. Then two things happen: Charlie McCabe disappears, and Lawson becomes the corporate attorney of Allan Richards, CEO of Financial Investments. Richards hires her to investigate one of his employees, but suddenly Lawson's case morphs into one involving national and international conspiracies, manipulation of financial markets, and murder.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book is listening to Lawson talk about what it is like being a brand-new lawyer. She shares her thoughts about a lawyer's responsibility to a client in matters as small as returning phone calls and as large as the confidential communications doctrine. We learn about Lawson's experiences with probate and family court, juvenile cases, and personal injury cases. Lawson explains the concept of "zealous advocacy" that she learned in law school, what the term "a big case" means for a lawyer, and how the ideal judge runs a courtroom. Her dream is to become a judge herself.

Reardon's characters are so nicely drawn that I felt I could recognize them in a coffee shop. While she was in law school, Lawson developed a close friendship with a fellow student named Joshua Tameron. Tameron is the kind of guy all young women (and men) would like as a friend--honest, thoughtful, funny, and smart. Luckily for Lawson and the reader, Tameron joins the investigation.

The plot in this book is ambitious, but Reardon explains the workings of the stock market and how financial crimes are committed in a way that is easy to understand. She includes not only the investigation of the crime, but the trial too. The writing is relaxed and clear. It was a pleasure to watch Lawson investigate in this book, and I hope to catch her at work in a future book.

The protagonist, Rebecca Lawson, fresh out of law school and her cat, Miranda, are getting settled in their new home; a log cabin in the small town of Deering, Vermont. Months later an owner of an investment company hires her to check the background of a suspicious employee. She was excited to have a corporate account to expand her legal acumen.

Then she gets involved with a man who is a secret CIA operative. He wants information about her corporate client as he says that he has been investigating them for months. She refuses citing attorney/client privilege unless he shows her a subpoena. He disappears again and she starts to get threatening phone calls warning her to drop the corporate account and then . . .

The book covers are exceptionally well done and match the well crafted prose inside. The story is so robust that the number of pages could have easily been increased with more dialog creating additional action scenes.

I am glad that J.R. Reardon took the time to let us know about Rebecca's roots, her family and enough detail to understand the person she is today. Great job and will look forward to reading more about her in the next sequel.

Author al-Qaeda Strikes Again