Customer Reviews

Gone, But Not Forgotten

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This was my first book by Phillip Margolin as well as my first mystery in the lawyer-as-detective genre. I thought the story was immediately interesting. The author introduced a lot of characters quickly but usually did so in a nonconfusing way while still writing the kind of details that make a fictional character come to life. I felt I knew a lot about them within a few paragraphs. Everything was written in the third person, and the action jumped around a lot; that made things move fast and it was interesting to read the experiences of several lawyers and detectives, a killer, a private detective etc. Characters were complex but in general I liked the good peple and didn't like the bad ones, and I like that. The story also moved around in time and this was done well.

In the book, we learn that a serial killer had murdered in New York state ten years prior. The killer always left a black rose and a note -- "Gone, But Not Forgotten". (One disappointing aspect to the book is that this idiosyncracy is never explained.) A decade later, the same M.O. is being used in a series of crimes in Portland, Oregon. This story is about how the people in Portland are looking for the killer and how people from the earlier investigation become involved.

This was an intelligent read and enjoyable. I will definitely read other books by this author.

I am now a fan of Mr. Margolin, and will seek out his other books to read (I went out and purchased Sleeping Beauty this weekend.)

This was my first book by him, and noted that it has been compared to The Firm. I consider this much better, here's why. For me, I prefer thrillers to be thrilling. I prefer a little mystery with the horror that goes along with it. I really liked that he didn't make any part of this a romance and the characters were likeable (except for the killer of course!)

One thing that really struck me about this story is something that I cannot mention in the review so as not to give away a twist or the end, but there is a part of the tale that will shock you.

I highly recommend this book, and look forward to more by Mr. Margolin!

Margolin does an excellent job of combining the legal thriller with the suspense thriller. You feel that Margolin stands on his own and doesn't become an imitation of other popular authors. If you are like me you have probably read all too many books that center around serial killings. You may feel that it's been written way too many times. Don't let any sentiment like that deter you from reading this book. Margolin does a very good job of portraying his characters and keeps you entertained throughout. The rewarding thing about this book is that it has a different twist to the killer concept. If you are a fan of Grisham or Cornwell you should like this book, so give it a try.

Phillip Margolin has constructed a complex and exciting thriller with enough plot twists to keep the end in suspense until the last page. This is the first of his books that I have read, and I do not see why Margolin does not get the recognition accorded to Grisham or Ludlum, as he is clearly in that league.

In Gone, But Not Forgotten, two related crime stories, separated by 10 years and 3000 miles are unwoven simultaneously. In the New York and Oregon cases, the perpetrator is clearly a cunning genius, killing and kidnapping wives of prominent locals, but is it the same perpetrator in both cases? And if so, why was he able to move on to the second venue and repeat the crime spree?

Key characters are involved in both cases, but some have moved on and some are not able to let go. Why did the accused in the second case pick an unknown lawyer to represent him and who is that journalist that is bird-dogging the case? Even to the most casual observer, the ending to the first case would not be satisfactory to professional detectives and prosecutors, yet the case was definitively closed ten years ago.

In the end, it all comes clear and Margolin has added some unique legal twists. In what must be one of life's toughest choices, prosecutors and politicians are forced to decide quickly to what extent crimes can be forgiven in exchange for information that might help the living. We had a similiar case in Philadelphia fifteen years ago, where a DA was criticized for reducing charges against a child molester in exchange for information.

Excellent book, I could not put the book down. Non stop suspense.
Loved it.Fast, fast going book.

You've probably already read a synopsis of the book, so I won't waste more of your time. This was the first book I'd read by him. I had never heard of Philip Margolin before I read the book, and now I can't understand why. This book was written so well, and I just couldn't put it down until I finished. It's not one of these books that drags on and seems to go nowhere until the last minute. This book catches your attention and keeps it. Later after I'd read it, I still found myself returning to the story and thinking about some of the characters.

This was the first book by Phillip Margolin that I have read. It was mostly a thriller, but some reviews hinted at a courtroom drama type thing.

It was defiantely a suspense/thriller. While the book was a very entertaining read, that moves along at a very quick pace, it is also very predictable.

Margolin throws in plot twists that, you, the reader, will find yourself suggesting before they happen. Still, this was a very exciting read. I unfortunately have this knack for plotting and development that ruins most mystery books and movies.

And for the ending, it was well drawn out and somewhat believable. I have read that Margolin should be compared to Grisham, but I don't think that is true. Grisham would have built up some suspense, and then ended the book on the last 2 pages. The endings have always been the worst thing about a Grisham novel. He always ends his books so abruptly, like running as fast as you can to the edge of the cliff, and then just falling.

Gone, But Not Forgotten is a fun book to read. If you like thrillers, or suspense books, then you should definatley read this.

The first question I asked myself is why did I wait so long to read Phillip Margolin. We've had this book in our home library for years, and I've finally gotten around to it! Wow...did I waste some time! This is an outstanding, well-written and terrifying book. Margolin has captured a lot of "personality" within most of the characters in this book: flawed, driven, ambitious, and of course with the killer, actual demonic qualities. The book is filled with many surprises, including some really nasty ones, too! I especially liked the characters of Alan Page and Betsy Tannenbaum---lawyers that seem to have a true sense of justice, fighting even their own demons. Betsy's failing marriage to Rick at first seems cliche, but as it evolves and it's final dramatic resolution, we can see how two people who love one another let jealousy destroy their lives. The character of Nancy Gordon is also a good one, and one has to wonder during the proceedings if she could perhaps somehow be involved in the killings. But at the heart of this book is Martin Darius and Peter Lake----these guys are truly villians in the worst sense of the word. No remorse, no compassion, evil to the core. A stunning book that certainly made me go in and put the rest of his books on my wish list; hopefully, my wife will have such a hard time deciding which ones to get me for Christmas, she'll get them all!
HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This was my second Phillip Margolin mystery and it was better then the first one that I read which was The Undertakers Widow. I loved everything about "Gone, But Not Forgotten." I have read so many murder mysteries that I know what is good and what is bad. If you like going on a chase to find a crazy killer, then "Gone, But Not Forgetten" is your kinda book.

This is the first book I've read by this author, having had him recommended to me by several friends, and I wish I hadn't waited so long. His plotting is complex but understandable (if you pay attention), his characters are very true-to-life, and the action is nicely-paced. In this case, it's a serial killer (sort of), a lady lawyer who becomes his attorney (without at first knowing what he is), a D.A. who tries too hard, and a governor about to be confirmed to the Supreme Court with a secret in his political past. This would probably make a terrific movie, but I don't know what you could cut to get it down to size. I'm definitely going to be reading more of Margolin.