Dead Docket [Mass Market Paperback]

Mitchell Graham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2010

Katherine Adams and John Delaney have settled into a happy, long distance relationship after the murderous events that threw them together in Majestic Descending. He's a streetwise ex-NYPD detective turned lawyer. She's a hotshot Atlanta lawyer who loves New York but thinks that the Southern Peach is quite a bit of all right. The romance is in full bloom but the miles put a dent in their relationship.

When his father's police partner's daughter is killed in a horrific accident in Atlanta, John goes to settle her affairs and get some much needed time with his sweetie. What he discovers about the young woman's current past is anything but sweet...and the facts surrounding her death suggest that it was anything but accidental. John enlists Katherine to help him discover what really happened.

Doing so puts Katherine in the path of a killer who will stop at nothing to protect his own past. 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Graham's muddled second legal thriller to feature John Delaney and Katherine Adams (after Majestic Descending), Delaney, a New York City law professor, welcomes the opportunity to visit Adams, his long-distance lover, in Atlanta, even if the occasion is a melancholy one. Delaney has agreed to resolve the estate of Sarah O'Connor, a former law student and the daughter of his father's partner in the NYPD, who fell to her death off a cliff one night while camping in Cloudland Canyon in north Georgia. This routine assignment turns into anything but after Delaney learns O'Connor apparently stole a file from the federal prosecutor's office where she worked as a summer intern that implicated a major-league bad guy. Improbable action sequences (e.g., a trained psycho killer turns his back on Adams with fatal results) and unconvincing court scenes add up to a subpar effort. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Praise for Majestic Descending

“Crisply written…strong characterizations propel the story…a most successful debut.”--Booklist 

 “Fluent prose, smooth pacing, and an engaging protagonist make this narrative shine. The sex and violence are muted but still effective while the whodunit payoff is a real corker.”--Mystery Scene 

 “Graham writes a good courtroom scene and the sinking of the Majestic is exciting.”--Publishers Weekly

 

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; Reprint edition (April 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765362341
• ISBN-13: 978-0765362346
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,341,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money, September 3, 2010

By 

G. Morton "Fighter Pilot" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead Docket (Mass Market Paperback)

I started this book and could not make it past the second chapter. The prose is stilted and pedantic, with at least one cliche or trite expression employed on every other page. Further, the book is written in the first person perspective of the protagonist, a former cop-turned lawyer-turned law professor. By the third page of the section in which readers are introduced to him, we realize that he is basically a condescending, pompous ass. Incredibly, the small asides that Graham weaves into the prose--presumably in order to allow us to glimpse the mind of the protagonist--have no apparent relevance to the plot. The reader gets the feeling that Graham included these tidbits in a misguided effort to showcase his brilliance. Instead, all he manages to showcase is his mastery of the cliche. Unless you are easily amused and don't mind very poor writing, I cannot recommend this book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the reader will have a great time going along for the ride of an action-packed thriller, August 27, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead Docket (Hardcover)

They became lovers in New York City (see MAJESTIC DESCENDING), but while John Delaney is a Big Apple law professor, Katherine Adams is an Atlanta lawyer. They miss one another, but keep in contact though long distance relationships are difficult.

Delaney is excited and sad as he has a professional reason to see Katherine. Delaney is heading to Georgia to settle the estate of the daughter of his father's partner. Apparently Sarah fell off a cliff while camping in Cloudland Canyon in north Georgia Mountains. However, this simple matter turns ugly when Delaney learns O'Connor allegedly stole a file from the US Attorney's office where she worked as a legal intern; the file contained incriminating evidence against crime boss Warren Blendel. John soon realizes that Sarah's apartment was searched and that the FBI has kept a case open involving her and her boyfriend Andre Rostov. Not long after that Blendel's thugs come to Atlanta to bury anyone associated with the evidence. Katherine and John find a tie to his fathers' death as the case spins further out of control.

Throw away your plausibility meter somewhere on the East Coast and the reader will have a great time going along for the ride of an action-packed thriller. The story line is action-packed and feels at times out of control as Adams and Delaney land in one dangerous disaster after another. Filled with twists, fans will appreciate this entertaining but improbable thriller.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss this one!, July 26, 2009

By 

Sue Miller (Palm Beach, Fl) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Docket (Hardcover)

Finally a book kept me up all night! I couldn't wait for this followup story because I loved Majestic Descending and this book features the same characters but the story moves even faster. One of the things that held my interest was the realistic dialogue and the dry humor. It was easy to relate to these characters and I wish Delaney was cloned!! I am already wishing for Mitchell Graham's next book. I read somewhere that Dead Docket AND Majestic Descending have both been optioned for a movie. While you are reading you can just imagine Bruce Willis as Delaney - perfect.