Free Reign [Paperback]

Rosemary Aubert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998

"A most unusual and winning progatonist". -- The San Francisco Examiner

Ellis Portal, once an esteemed judge, now lives as a vagrant in a wilderness preserve running through the heart of Toronto. One day, while working in his garden, he unearths a human hand -- with a ring on it that Ellis recognizes. And as Ellis begins a search for the victim, he finds himself drawn back into the world that has cast him out...

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ellis Portal, hero of Rosemary Aubert's intelligent mystery Free Reign, is not your average P.I. Once a lawyer and a judge, Portal fell from grace, landing first in a mental ward and then in jail before ending up on the streets. Still, life as a bum hasn't dulled Portal's investigative wits, and when he discovers a severed hand wearing a ring identical to one he and four other friends also own, he finds himself back in the fray and on the trail of a killer. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA. This title's setting and plot should attract YAs. The protagonist is a former judge named Ellis Portal; he is also a convicted felon. Isolated from his children and friends, he resides in a shack in a wilderness preserve that runs through the middle of Toronto. One day he finds a hand in his vegetable garden; on it is a ring that the man knows is one of only five in existence. A former law school associate had the rings made for himself and four classmates. This discovery and subsequent investigations yield a reconnection with "normal life," romance, and extreme danger. Aubert has written a good first novel; her premises are plausible; the introduction of environmental issues, homelessness, human isolation, and personal scandal are current and well presented; and her plot is well paced.?Clodagh Lee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Berkley Edition, May 1998 edition (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425164276
• ISBN-13: 978-0425164273
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,012,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proof that mysteries can be fine literature as well, April 9, 1998

By 

Kathleen T. Choi (Hilo, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Free Reign: A Suspense Novel (Hardcover)

Hero Ellis Portal was once a judge but now lives in a hut in Toronto's river park area. The novel is as much the story of his mental and emotional recovery as the solving of a crime. Aubert vividly describes the life of the homeless and the class barriers we all, often unintentionally, erect. Superb writing overcome a somewhat weak and rushed ending. Kathleen T. Choi, HAWAII CATHOLIC HERALD

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ellis Portal - A Different Kind Of Hero, March 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Free Reign: A Suspense Novel (Hardcover)

Although this book is now out of print, it would be worth hunting for because the main character of the book - Ellis Portal - is definitely a different type of hero.

Although street people are not people I normally come in contact with, I began to appreciate the problems Ellis Portal faced the more I got into the book.

This book is definitely work looking for and reading.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The story is an example of karma both good and bad., April 30, 1998

By 

Jen Martin([e-mail]) (Central Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Free Reign: A Suspense Novel (Hardcover)

Ellis Portal rose from nothing to attain almost everything he ever dreamed of but fails to appreciate it. When he burns out as a criminal judge and finds himself lower than he started Ellis is forced to come face to face with his own humanity. Finally through the trials of his fallen life he learns to appreciate what he had and yes what comes around goes around.