Customer Reviews

False Testimony (Marty Nickerson Novels)

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I suppose "mystery fluff" will be an accurate representation of this new and unique style:

There is a mystery out there, somebody is very plausibly accused of crime, however it is also possible that he (or she) may not committed it.

However, the book mostly tells us about how the prosecutor pivoted, how the judge smiled, and what kind of pizza was ordered for dinner. Nothing of significance is happening for the most of the book, but by the end of it we will know the answer and it is not necessary the expected one.

And despite of all of this, this fluff does not annoy you a bit, once you read one book you want to start another one.

On Cape Cod, two lawyers coming from different directions in their careers met and became partners in their own firm. Marty Nickerson spent years as a prosecuting attorney in the District Attorney's office and Harry Madigan was a public defender before they became defense attorneys. They are lovers and work together on each other's case of which they have two.

U.S. Senator Charles Kendrick's staffer Michelle Forrester disappears without a trace between the time she left her boss's home and the time she was due to visit her parents. Both his wife and daughter know he had an affair with her. He has Marty to represent him but when Michelle's dead body is found the Senator admits his guilt; Marty doesn't believe him.

Harry is concentrating on the case of Derrick Holliston, who spent most of his young life in juvenile and just got out of prison. He is charged with the murder of Father Patrick McMahon. Derrick insists the priest was forcefully trying to sexually abuse him but the state claims it was a robbery gone terribly wrong. Both lawyers believe their client is guilty but they just might get him off on a technicality.

Two different cases, two very different people from opposite sides of the economic and social strata. Neither one is telling the truth but one is innocent and his lawyer believes part of the job is to find out who it is. The legal maneuvers of both lawyers are virtuosos employing brilliant strategy while in the end justice is served on all fronts. Rose Connors holds her own with the likes of John Grisham and Scott Turow.

Harriet Klausner

The writing? Alright. The story? Not many twists and turns. How I found it? In a free Reader's Digest digest. How I felt about the characters? I'll be the writer's a social conservative.

And no, it's no Pelican Brief, not that that's gonna be a classic anytime soon. And way too many self-justifying lectures about defense work.