Customer Reviews

Fatal Laws

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bryson Conventry is a gritty, good-looking homicide detective in Denver. Suddenly he has found himself in what appears to be a search for a serial killer. The bodies of four women have been found - all in the same place. Each has been killed a bit differently, but they all seemed to have disappeared at the same time of year.

One of Coventry's suspects is the intoxicatingly beautiful Trianca Holland. She is a woman who likes to live on the edge, without any boundaries. Now Coventry is in her sights and she wants to do more than just answer his questions.

Haley Wesson is a fresh out of college law student who is now working at one of Denver's most prestigious firms. She finds out that one of the top lawyers she previously interned with at the firm is one of Conventry's victims. Feeling that the lawyer's murder was more than a coincidence, Haley goes on a fishing expedition that could end up making her another victim.

This is the third book in the "Laws" series surrounding the cases of Bryson Coventry. While at times a "series" of anything - whether a movie or book - can sometimes get stale as it continues from one segment to the next, this is definitely NOT the case with this trio of books!

Jim Michael Hansen has amazingly kept each book fresh and invigorating. Like the other two, I was taken on a roller coaster ride to solve Coventry's case, but this one grabbed me faster than the other two did. The familiar characters that I was re-introduced too, were just as intriguing, funny and smart as they were the first time I met them.

This book gets the reader to run from page to page the way the detective runs from clue to clue. But be prepared...the last twist at the end even had me shaking my head!

Kathy Martin, Reviewer
In The Library Reviews

FATAL LAWS by Jim Hansen: Third in the Laws series (NIGHT LAWS and SHADOW LAWS), and hopefully there will be a lot more to come. Beautiful women surround Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry. Unfortunately, some of them are dead. Why are women disappearing and where are they between the time they disappear and when their bodies are found? Since one of the victims is an attorney, lawyers are involved as well. Another well written combination police procedural and "attorney book" that keeps ratcheting up the ante. Definitely recommended.

Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry is working what appears to be a serial killer case as corpses appear in shallow graves. However, the problem with this theory is that each person died differently; serial killer typically uses the same MO.

His investigation leads Bryson to the avaricious Degan. This affluent man apparently chooses the victim, whom the predator kills. The case also brings him to Tianca Holland, a woman of interest to him not just because of her ties to the dead. Still none of what he finds makes sense to Bryson as it goes against what is known about serial killers and his desire for Tianca. Yet to have multiple murderers burying their victims in easy to find shallow graves makes less sense than Tianca being a killer, associate, or next victim and where Degan fits is even more complicated as nothing adds up except that Bryson believes somehow this man is being compensated.

The latest Brysan "law" tale is an exciting police procedural in which the sum of the murders add up to be greater than the individual killings. Brysan is at his best trying to determine whether a serial killer or multiple killers are the murderers while also struggling with Tianca whose seductiveness has his blood flow entirely to his lower head. Fans of the the series will enjoy his latest thriller while newcomers will seek previous Coventry investigations (See NIGHT LAWS and SHADOW LAWS).

Harriet Klausner

I wondered with great anticipation what I would find between the covers of Jim Hansen's new work, "Fatal Laws." I have come to love detective Bryson Coventry, a Denver homicide detective who is one of the main players in each of our author's great works. Detective Coventry is soon faced with bodies turning up in shallow graves each killed in a different manner. Coventry, certainly faced with a dilemma, must find out if there is more than one killer running around or did just one killer like to change his murderous ways with each new victim. The hunt is on. It also seems our detective has become quite involved with a very wealthy, beautiful, mysterious lady who herself ,to his dismay, is under suspicion. You can't help but wonder if our detective is falling under her spell and just how good a thing that maybe! Could this woman be our detective's downfall? We'll have to wait and see on that one.

The investigation proceeds and we meet a man, Degan, whose soul is black, whose conscience is empty and whose lust is for money. His part in the many murders is only that ,a part, as he gathers up humans as one would pick dust off the floor. Once chosen by him their life is over and one is left to wonder who is behind this sinister work and why? It is very difficult to tell you the story of this book without revealing the plot so I will go no further in my story summary other than to tell you it is a murderous mystery of the deadliest kind. True to form, our author has once again penned a mystery that will keep your heart racing and your mind struggling to figure out the evil behind the hideous deaths. As usual, and what I have come to expect from his work, he has paid careful consideration insuring every element that makes up a mystery of depth is covered, played upon, exciting your senses and making you hunger for more.

One thing I must mention, this work is somewhat graphic sexually and there maybe those who would be uncomfortable with some of the detailed sexual activity and some of the words used. However, I do believe our author has written this as so to show the mindset of the characters in this work, and believe me these characters are anything but honorable and pure. The description of each character is defined, their physical form noted, their mental attitude given, bringing them vividly to life in your mind's eye.

Ending this review I'd like to say that this is a top-notch mystery read, but more than that, it is a story of a hideous crime that I believe may actually take place in our society and lie hidden under the protection of evil. A page turner, shivering read that will chill you to the bone and one you will silently pray is indeed fiction.

I bought these as a gift for my grandmother who is a huge fan of some author I can never remember the name of...so as I was searching for his stuff these came up and the reviews claimed to be better than what I was looking for originally. She's read all 4 I purchased and is begging me to find more. The best part was that they are signed copies - nothing I was expecting! This was a great buy!

Bryson Coventry, a detective with Denver homicide, is a flawed individual. Not only does he have one blue eye and one green, he lets himself become involved with Tianca Holland, a beautiful bi-sexual who may or may not have killed her female lover, Angela. However, when three other bodies are found in close proximity to Angela's body, it appears less likely that Tianca had anything to do with Angela's murder. Haley Wilde is just out of law school and brand new at a large, prestigious legal firm. On her first day there, September 5, she finds out that a woman who had befriended her when she worked as an intern the year before has been missing since April. When she hears that two bodies have been discovered and the women had been missing since April, Haley is certain that her friend was probably murdered too. She begins to search for clues at the legal firm that might lead to her friend's killer. She contacts Bryson and feeds him information. Jack Degan's business is securing women for men to kill, and then cleaning up after their male killers. Jack makes good money but begins to wonder if his profession is worth everything he has to put up with, when things start to go sour. Degan begins to yearn for his Malibu ocean home, and begins to think of taking Gretchen, a prostitute he met and has grown fond of, with him as soon as his next job is finished. Bryson Coventry and his female sidekick, Shalifa, work diligently, trying to find a solution as bodies keep turning up. Tianca also keeps turning up the heat in her relationship with the handsome detective as he tries to unravel the mysterious killings.

FATAL LAWS is quite the page-turner. Action comes fast and furious and one is left guessing until the very end...but don't read the end first and spoil things. This is a very gritty detective novel and not for the squeamish, but if you have the stomach for it, FATAL LAWS is a "can't put down book". What I liked about the book is that the characters, though very busy, do have time to take potty breaks, eat and get some sleep. One criticism I have is that the author often uses "me and so-and-so" instead of "so-and-so and I". This use of grammar is acceptable for speaking with friends or from someone with little education, but I think most educated, high-power lawyers would use correct grammar when talking to the police. (I could be wrong). Jim Michael Hansen has written a fast-paced mystery with a surprise ending. The characters are well-drawn characters, some with fatal flaws. I think that FATAL LAWS is geared more for the male reader than female; however, I have friends that like gritty, edgy, gory stories, and enjoy reading about the seamy side of life. Go for it, you might find you are one of them.

Jeannine Van Eperen, Reviewer, GottaWriteNetwork
author of Memory and Desire, Willow Spring and others.

Fatal Laws is the third thriller in Law series.

Hansen is an author with a publishing dream. He is determined to write thrillers without the 'necessary' help from agents or New York publishers. Hansen is showing the publishing world that with a sizzling book and a good marketing plan, viable titles can be written and sold--and a fan following can be achieved.

When a body is found in a shallow grave, Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry, 'catches' the case. During the initial investigation, Coventry finds another body buried not far from the first. A new attorney, Haley Wilde, is quietly investigating the disappearance of a friend. On a hunch, she visits the burial scene of Coventry's case where two more bodies are unearthed.

One of the women who died is linked to the wealthy and beautiful Tianca Holland, who becomes a suspect. Coventry is more than a little attracted to Tianca and as usual, he becomes caught up in her life.

Coventry is a womanizer, but you love him anyway as his heart is always with the victims--and solving the crime is foremost in his mind.

The body count is rising and Coventry and his partner Shalifa Netherwood's investigation of the murders intersect with attorney Wilde's. The race is on to find the brutal killer and prevent more deaths. No one is really who you think they are--and the appetites and secrets of some of Denver's most visible citizens are more than dangerous--especially when they are aided by people without any moral compass.

Hansen has become one of my favorite thriller authors. His writing is crisp and clean and his plots are scintillating. After reading a Law series novel, I find myself checking the doors and windows to make sure they're locked, and I am always on the lookout for a maniacal killer who might be stalking me.

Hansen leaves us with a big question in this novel, and I'm hoping for the answer in an upcoming book. If not, it will be a big disappointment. I can't wait for the next Law book.

Armchair Interviews says: If you want your thrillers to be exciting, entertaining and gritty, the Law series is what the doctor ordered.

"FATAL LAWS is the third book in the Bryson Coventry franchise. In each successive outing Hansen has place Coventry in more demanding situations, both professional and personal. How Coventry deals with the blurring of the lines and his strong moral sense of right and wrong are the hallmarks of this excellent series.

It's early September and Coventry is called to investigate the death of Angela Pfeifer. He meets the beautiful Trianca Holland - a woman who may be involved to be the prime suspect or the next victim. Coventry is spellbound by her beauty and finds it difficult to keep his professional distance, especially knowing that her background is on the edges of normal society. Freshly minted lawyer Haley Wesson is secretly looking into the disappearance of Renee Rand, a lawyer in the firm that she clerked for over the summer before being hired on in the fall. When Coventry's case intersects with Wesson's clandestine investigation, Denver may have a new serial killer on the loose. A series of shallow graves containing women murdered in various brutal ways confirms the suspicions and sets the course for this thirteen day thriller.

Hansen is a master of drawing you into the story early and making you care about his players. At times you may find yourself shuddering as the events play out on the page. Hansen's characters, the tightly plotted story line, the concise timeline, place the reader in the heart of the action. All of this makes FATAL LAWS a must read. One word of advice, read this book with the lights on."

Fatal Laws is the third book in the Laws series featuring Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry. All the books in the Laws series are stand-alone thrillers and can be read in any order. Bryson Coventry and his African American partner, Shalifa Netherwood, return in every book to a new and exciting adventure. The series includes Night Laws, Shadow Laws, Fatal Laws, Deadly Laws, Bangkok Laws and Immortal Laws.

Once Bryson Coventry rang the doorbell and stared at the vision standing before him, he was caught up in another fear-inspiring situation that would take his unique ability as a homicide detective to pull himself out. What a thriller! What an undertaking! Body upon body found in shallow graves. Beautiful women keep turning up dead. Destiny points in the direction of, Tuanca Holland, but is she capable of foul play?

Scary! but worthy of a good read. Your adrenaline will shoot to an all time high with, FATAL LAWS, the third law thriller by Jim Michael Hansen. This suspense filled novel is waiting for you.

As the evil plot continues,the action builds. Is the killer too devious to get caught? Is there more than one disturbed mind involved? Will Coventy stop the evil before it is too late? Or will he wind up in the web of deception and become a victim himself? Follow Coventry and let yourself sink deep into the fast-moving mystery that will invariably keep you looking over your shoulder with every spine-tingling page.