Customer Reviews

The Eleventh Victim

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

I will open by saying that I actually rate "The Eleventh Victim", authored by Nancy Grace-(yes, that one), at 3.75 stars. I wish Amazon would start allowing reviewers to give fractions of stars, but I digress.

For those unfamiliar with Ms. Grace's background, her fiance was murdered many years ago spurring her to study law and become a prosecuting attorney. She did so with a vengeance, thus becoming one of the most respected prosecutors in the business. Eventually burning out due to the grind of criminal law, she switched gears to become a personality on CourtTV. This led to the Headline News gig for which she is now famous.

The reason I mention this is because The Eleventh Victim is loosely based on her own life. Knowing that fact actually adds dimension and weight to the story. Instead of getting just another crime novel, we feel as though we're getting much more than that because the author has actually lived and endured much of what is on the written page.

The main character, Hailey Dean, motivated by the murder of her fiance, becomes a criminal lawyer to "put the bad guys away" and perhaps lay to rest the psychological demons that have haunted her since then. These "demons" are the central theme of the story, made that much more poignant because the line between the fictional Hailey Dean and the real Nancy Grace is blurred so well. This is without question the best aspect of the novel and is quite compelling.

That is not to say everything about the novel is compelling. The story is written in a rather unorthodox fashion in that there are multiple intersecting storylines, each having great bearing on the life of the main character. And while Ms. Grace does an exemplary job of weaving the seamy underbelly of the legal system, politics and business into her tale, the various interconnected storylines work in varying degrees. Most are fairly interesting and have merit all their own, but one or two others feel rather superfluous and serve only to slow the story down. This is not a fatal flaw however and is pretty easily overlooked.

A flaw that is not as easy to overlook is that the novel frequently jumps from one storyline to another, which unfortunately doesn't always work in the book's favor. Often the book will focus on a storyline or character for 2 to 3 pages only to shift gears to another. I can only surmise that this technique was used to give the book a fast paced feel. But what it actually does is frustrate the reader and stunt the momentum of the book.

Overall, I will say that I was very impressed with the novel, particularly given that fiction writing is not Ms. Grace's first profession. I have read far worse from authors who actually write for their living. While the pacing of the book is suspect at times and some of the sub-stories unnecessary, I would absolutely recommend The Eleventh Victim to those who love a good crime novel.

This is an effective crime drama. Nancy Grace clearly knows what goes on between prosecutors and police, cops and perps, victims and their families, the defense and the prosecution. That was interesting. The crimes were compelling and the character of Hailey Dean (based on Nancy, I'm sure) was believable. The doctor/patient subplot is interesting and revealing, too. There were another pair of subplots -- one concerning exotic dancers and another environmental activists -- that I thought slowed the book down. But Nancy Grace is better at building suspense than I thought she'd be.

I didn't realize that the author of this book is also the same person that has the television show. I don't regularly watch Nancy Grace on TV but I've caught it a few times when I was channel surfing. Like when I've caught her on TV, I was glued to the book from the very beginning. This book gives plenty of visual details and the writing flows easily. It usually takes me a bit of time to warm up to a book and get to know the characters but this one had me from page one. It is a quick read being only about 350 or so pages so to me it is like a good suspense thriller movie. I am always looking for reading material to keep me on the treadmill and this fit the bill. I liked it!

Nancy Grace writes about what she knows and that makes this one of the best suspense books I've ever read.

Hailey Dean is a prosecutor in Ga. who after an especially ugly conviction gives it up and moves to New York where she becomes a therapist. All works out well for her until suddenly her patients are being murdered and the police think she's responsible. Someone is framing her and she doesn't have much time to figure out who and why.

There were several sections of this book where I was glad I wasn't alone in the house late at night and that's very unusual for me.

There's also a very satisfying side story involving St. Simons Island. It was a perfect addition to this book.

This is a great read!

Hailey Dean has fled Atlanta, Georgia, in search of freedom.

Freedom from crime scene photos, the heartbreak of victim's families, and the burden to make sure criminals paid their dues to society.

But can she escape her problems down South in New York City?

Not when you've got a Georgia Supreme Court Justice willing to set a serial killer free in exchange for becoming the state's next Governor; or a elite businessman that will do whatever it takes to convert Georgia's marshlands into million dollar resorts.

And, amazingly, all of these scenarios will tie into one explosive ending!

I'm a Nancy Grace fan, watching her show on HLN most every weekday evening.

However, I wasn't really expecting much out of her first attempt at fiction writing. After all, she's a prosecutor turned journalist; not a writer, per say.

But all I can say is WOW! Grace has some serious talent when it comes to writing fiction that will keep a reader so engaged in a book that it's hard to put down!

Aside from the in-depth description of places 'round and 'bout Georgia that provides a clear picture for readers, a lot of what contributes to the intrigue of The Eleventh Victim is that it features some of Grace's real life history: she is a native born Georgian and switched careers following the murder of her fiance.

Nancy Grace receives kudos and applause for a well-written, extremely engrossing first time fiction novel.

I'm hoping that we can expect more in the future!

It's hard to dispassionately review a book written by someone as controversial as Nancy Grace-- her strong personality and on-camera style will either appeal to or turn off the viewer. So when I read this book, I tried to deliberately focus on the writing and the story, not the personality behind it. But like most works of fiction, there are a lot of autobiographical similarities between the protagonist Hailey Dean, and the author, Nancy Grace. Many of the character's life experiences (such as the death of her fiance from a violent and senseless crime)come right out of Nancy Grace's life. And in that way, the book was interesting: I felt like I got some insight into Nancy Grace's on-air persona. She clearly views herself as a champion of justice and victim's rights, in fact a martyr for the cause. She is squarely on the side of the prosecution.

As to the book itself, it is a quick and easy read, but unfortunately not all that interesting. It's not a bad book-- in fact, I would give it 2 1/2 stars if Amazon allowed that. Nancy Grace's writing style is clear and direct and the book reads like an episode of "Law and Order" or other TV crime dramas. But here's the clue that it wasn't all that compelling: I gave up midway through and jumped to the last few chapters- a cardinal sin for most mystery/thriller readers. I just didn't care than much about the characters.

It won't be long before the book is turned into a movie on Lifetime or another TV channel-- due to the fame of the author, not the quality of the book. If this had been written by anyone else, it wouldn't receive nearly the hype or publicity which will make it a best-seller.

A semi-biographical mystery. A page-turner. A prosecuter wins a murder case and then quits and moves to NY because she is tired of all the scum she has had to deal with. She becomes a therapist and two of her patients are killed with the same MO as her last case. That killer, though convicted and sentenced to death is somehow released and moves to NY to get his "revenge". The lawyer-therapist Hailey, lost her fiancee to crime (as did Nancy in real life). There is a real surprise at the end. There are multiple story lines; a crooked judge who wants to be governor of Georgia, a group of eco-friendly guerillas who are trying to save a nature island off the Georgia coast, and several friends of Hailey's with problems. If you have ever watched "Nancy Grace" on HLN, then you have got to read this book. Intersperced in the book, are many true to life experiences. A must read for Nancy Grace fans. I really enjoyed reading it. In fact, couldn't put it down.

This is one of those rare books that mystery book lovers enjoy-- it initially grows quietly and then suddenly blossoms into a gripping suspense novel. Ms Grace has created a novel that can go toe-to-toe with anything that's been produced for the last decade--well done !

I've come to the reviews to read them and see if maybe it was just me! I love Nancy Grace - my family teases me about my obsession with watching the show. I pre-ordered this book and so looked forward to its arrival. I REALLY wanted to like this book!

I'm amazed at the reviews that say it's a quick read, page turner, can't put it down...

I LOVE to read, but I am forcing myself to try to finish this book in the hopes that it might get better. The summary tells of a story that would be quite interesting, but there are so many interruptions to lead into another story that it's hard to follow either one! I'm not finding any suspense or intrigue, and I'm more than halfway through the book.

I'll continue to be an avid fan of the Nancy Grace SHOW, but I doubt that I'd buy any more of her books.

From the first page, I was hooked! I'm a huge fan of mystery/suspense novels and Nancy Grace did not disappoint. Though writing style is highly subjective, I found Ms. Grace to have a fluid ease of storytelling. The book begins at the murder scene of "the 11th victim," grisly and disturbing. The killer is arranging the body of his victim.

With plot twists that take the reader from southern Georgia to New York City, the story is suspenseful and the book is hard to put down. Enjoyable, fast read.