Criminal Intent [Paperback]

Sheldon Siegel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2003

Lawyers Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez have put aside their differences as former husband and wife to become San Francisco's top criminal defense team. But a new case could bring it all crashing down-both professionally and personally-because Rosie's niece is accused of murder.

And before the trial is over, Mike and Rosie's own secrets will be exposed-changing everyone's perspective on truth and justice...and life and death.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Mike Daley has a checkered past as a former priest, an ex-public defender, and even a corporate lawyer. Now he's a criminal defense attorney partnered with his ex-wife, Rosie, in a San Francisco firm that's too small to attract high-profile clients unless they happen to be related to the principals--which in this case, they are. The chief suspect in the murder of famed director Richard MacArthur and the star of the film that's supposed to resurrect his fading career is Rosie's niece Angel. While the plot features too many other suspects and not enough surprises, it's the relationship between Mike and Rosie that gives this well-crafted but otherwise humdrum mystery its appeal. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The charm and originality that marked Special Circumstances and Incriminating Evidence, Siegel's first two legal thrillers about former priest and ex-public defender Mike Daley, are wearing a bit thin in this third outing. Mike's firm has moved from a shabby office over a martial arts studio in San Francisco's Mission District to a spot around the corner that used to house a tarot reader. He practices criminal law with his ex-wife, Rosie Fernandez, and another former girlfriend is also a partner in the struggling firm. Mike is having a secret affair with a sitting California Superior Court judge; Rosie is undergoing treatment for breast cancer; their 10-year-old daughter, Grace (and everyone else except Rosie and Mike), thinks they should get back together. But the real fireworks are provided by various members of Rosie's extended family, which seems to be even vaster than Sharon McCone's giant clan in Marcia Muller's books. Rosie's niece, Angel, a top model married to a fading film director, is accused of beating her husband to death with his Oscar statuette, while Angel's father, Tony, a respected produce merchant, gets involved in a kickback scheme to build a movie studio in the China Basin area. Siegel is still adept at detailing the workings of criminal law from the inside and his sense of nostalgia for the rapidly vanishing working-class enclaves of San Francisco is palpable. But this installment meanders a bit and relies too heavily on the familiar personality quirks of its protagonists.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Signet (August 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451209532
• ISBN-13: 978-0451209535
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,129,437 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A native of Chicago, Sheldon Siegel earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois in 1976 and graduated from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley in 1983. He has been in private practice in San Francisco for over twenty years and specializes in corporate and securities law with the firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP. Judgment Day is the sixth novel in his series of critically acclaimed, best-selling courtroom dramas featuring San Francisco criminal defense attorneys Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into eight languages.

Sheldon lives in Marin County with his wife, Linda, and twin sons, Alan and Stephen. He is currently working on his seventh novel. For additional information about Sheldon Siegel, please see the Q&A (answers to his most common questions at book tour appearances) at www.sheldonsiegel.com/meet.htm.

E-Mail Sheldon Siegel at [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Race for the Courthouse, September 4, 2003

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Criminal Intent (Hardcover)

Criminal Intent is one of the most intricately plotted legal thrillers I've ever seen. This story has enough characters and suspense in it to fill four books.

The book brings a whole new meaning to the term "family law." Legal partners Mike Daley (an ex-priest, ex-public defender and ex-corporate lawyer) and his ex-wife, Rosie Fernandez, run a small criminal defense firm. Rosie's niece, Angelina (Angel), is accused of murdering her husband after she is found passed out on the Golden Gate bridge in his car with lots of incriminating evidence. Mike and Rosie run the defense. Mike's brother, Pete, does the detective work. Rosie's other niece, Rolanda, practices law them them, as well. Rosie's brother is having some problems that they help with. This list doesn't exhaust the family connections in the center of the case.

Against the main plot line of defending Angel, Mike and Rosie also deal with their own troubled relationship, their daughter, other family members, Mike's girl friend, and various defendants. It's enough to keep your head spinning. To make the book even more dense, the time frame is very brief. Mike is working night and day to keep the balls in the air. It made me tired to think about it.

I found the book to be compelling reading, however. I stayed up past midnight to finish it.

I would happily have graded the book as five stars, but many aspects are exaggerated . . . unrealistically so in my view. Would the DA really be so beautiful and competent? Would one person really be followed by four detectives at the same time? Would so many witnesses tell so many lies, when their stories could easily be checked? Would the attorneys be so willing to bend ethical bars (for which they could easily be caught) here and there to help their clients? Cumulatively, it was all just a little bit too much. I also thought that the ending was totally telegraphed much too early in the book.

I admired the legal accuracy of the presentation. That was well grounded, and made the book more interesting and compelling.

After you finish this book, think about what your responsibilities are to family members in trouble. How can you help them avoid trouble in the first place?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars - Well done., April 10, 2005

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Criminal Intent (Paperback)

One thing I like, and which makes Siegel's books stand out for the normal legal thriller, is now little time is spent in the courtroom. Siegel, a practicing attorney himself, focuses on the characters involved and the investigation prior to the case going to court. And, living across the Bay from San Francisco, I always appreciate his very accurate descriptions of the City. While not terribly suspenseful, this is a very well done, enjoyable series and one I continue to follow and recommend.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful whodunnit; unforgettable characters, August 27, 2002

By 

ANTHIE ZACHARIADOU - See all my reviews

This review is from: Criminal Intent (Hardcover)

This is the third instalment of mystery novels featuring criminal defence attorney Mike Daley and his ex-wife Rosie. This time, the case at hand concerns Rosie's niece, who is accused of murdering her husband, a famous movie director. Mike and Rosie undertake a seemingly impossible case with most evidence pointing towards Angelina as the perpetrator, and where family values and sentiments are tested to the limit. Early on in the novel a multitude of potential suspects to the murder are introduced, each with their own personality, hidden agenda and version of events, and Mike and Rosie have to investigate and eliminate each as a suspect and as a lead to discover what really happened the night of the murder. Soon enough, another dead body is discovered, and Mike and Rosie have to untangle a web of lies, deceit and personal interest aims, trying to fit bits and pieces together, while juggling the emotional sanity of themselves and their family. The story unravels, like a jigsaw puzzle, each piece of evidence gradually fitting to another, until the unexpected conclusion. Those who have read Siegel's previous two books are familiar with the particular "situation" of Mike and Rosie who are ex husband and wife and current law partners. This book begins with a couple of surprises concerning their personal and sentimental status, and the reader cannot help but root for the two of them to get together again - it is one of Siegel's achievements that the reader gets so emotionally involved in the personal life of the heroes, a rare feature in murder mystery novels.

The story itself is gripping and moves in a fast, unrelenting pace. The dialogue is crisp and clear and is accompanied by Daley's familiar sarcastic humour, one of the author's trademarks, also unusual in the genre. Once again, the novel unfolds in a characteristic San Francisco ambience, demonstrating the author's knowledge and love for his city. The sub-plots are not irrelevant to the main story and are equally interesting. The most impressive part of the novel, however, is the continuing character development, and consistency especially for the main character, Mike. I did not just admire Mike's intelligence, courage, committment to family and sensitivity - I genuinely like the guy, with all his flaws and shortcomings, and wish he was my friend. This attachment to a book character, even a reccurring one, is extremely hard to find, especially in a mystery series, and it is what stays with me having finished the book and what makes me look forward to the fourth book in the series.