Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
gripping procedural, August 10, 2002
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.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A new fan, March 7, 2005
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!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Margolin proves worth his mettle, February 13, 2001
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.
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