Customer Reviews

Hear No Evil - Large Print Edition

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Grippando delivers another far above average thriller in the Jack Swyteck mystery series. Hear No Evil is entertaining and a fun diversion made special with the narration of Campbell Scott. Scott is one of those actors whose voice is familiar and comforting, yet he's not so famous that the listener is distracted by an image of him in their head. His authoritative voice has the right balance of masculinity to perfectly portray Swyteck. He likewise does a perfunctory job with Cuban accents - making them believable without being over the top, cliché, or Mexican. Hear No Evil weaves Cuban-American politics into a fun, action packed thriller.

I've been "on the road again", and this time I took along Hear No Evil by James Grippando, as read by Campbell Scott.

Mr. Grippando has constructed a witty, tense and wonderfully written story that hooks you and slowly reels you in, while Mr. Scotts reading keeps you hanging on his every intonation. You become so immersed in the tale that you hardly realize how many miles have flown by until you find yourself sitting in the driveway at your destination hesitant to leave your car until the tale ends.

The story begins with the murder of an officer stationed at Guantanamo Naval Base, leads us through a labyrinth of mysterious twists and turns, abounds in red herrings, gives us an inside look at Cuba's political climate and culminates with a murder trial that keeps you guessing until the very last line.

Miami defense attorney, Jack Swyteck, is more a Tom Hanks "guy next door" than slick attorney, while his client appears to be a composite of Meg Ryan and Lizzie Borden. This keeps Jack (and us) wondering who is she really and which part of her story is fact and which part is cleverly concocted fiction.

Whether you read this book or listen to it as I did, you will be completely enthralled. Thanks to this experience, I have become a fan and can hardly wait for my next Jack Swyteck adventure.

HEAR NO EVIL is the fourth of James Grippando's novels to feature Jack Swyteck, a Miami criminal defense attorney. Grippando, as he did in THE PARDON, BEYOND SUSPICION and LAST TO DIE, seamlessly melds Swyteck's professional and personal life into a puzzling mystery with significant consequences for all concerned.

HEAR NO EVIL begins with a woman entering Swyteck's life, seeking representation and bringing him shattering news. Lindsey Hart is about to be arrested for the murder of her husband, Oscar Pintado, a marine officer stationed at Guantanamo Naval Base. She wants Swyteck to represent her; he demurs, due to his lack of familiarity with military law. Hart then drops another bombshell: she and Pintado are the adoptive parents of Swyteck's son, Brian --- a son he has never known, a ten-year-old hearing-impaired youth who was asleep in his bed while Pintado was being murdered in the next room. Swyteck is stunned by the revelation and feels obligated to undertake Hart's representation in the matter.

Swyteck travels to Guantanamo where he finds that the military is attempting to stymie his investigation of the murder and his defense of Hart. However, Swyteck obtains some surprise assistance from an extremely unlikely source: a Cuban military officer who is willing to help Swyteck for reasons that are not immediately evident. Swyteck, while reticent to accept help from such a source, needs all the help he can get.

His biggest obstacle in defending this case is not the United States military, or even the victim's father, a prominent anti-Castro Miami businessman; rather, it is his own client. Hart, it seems, cannot move her lips without lying to Swyteck, even when it would be in her best interest to tell the truth. Swyteck must find his way through several layers of deception emanating from several sources to defend a client who he suspects may well be guilty but who, for the sake of his son, he has to defend to the best of his ability. At the same time, he must deal with revelations about his own past that will shake him to the core of his being.

Grippando's style over the course of his previous eight novels has become as compelling as anyone working in the genre. He is dramatic without resorting to theatrics; most of the violence in HEAR NO EVIL takes place off of the printed page, yet Grippando infuses his narration with an electrifying tension and excitement from beginning to end. Theo Knight, Swyteck's enigmatic and charismatic friend and private investigator, provides some comic relief, as well as giving Swyteck effective if unorthodox assistance in trial matters. HEAR NO EVIL also introduces Sofia Suarez, a Miami attorney who assists Swyteck in Hart's defense. Grippando does a superb job of creating some understated chemistry between Swyteck and Suarez, and I would not be surprised to see Suarez appear in a future Swyteck novel in a more prominent, and different, role.

Given that Grippando is currently at work on another Swyteck novel, we should soon know if that will be the case.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

You will, no doubt, be shocked to find that the central premise of this twisted tale is that clients lie and lawyers cheat. If that premise is one that excites you, read on. Otherwise, look for another book.

The book potentially has some interesting aspects -- a deaf child who is a key witness to a murder, Cuban-Americans with scores dating back to pre-Castro times, a visit to Guantanamo Naval Air Station in Cuba, Communist involvement in the plot, and a most peculiar marriage. Somehow those elements are mostly wasted in an attempt to create a series of cliff-hanger chapters that resemble the daily soap opera offerings.

Defense attorney Jack Swyteck finds himself drawn into defending a most unreliable defendant, Lindsey Hart, who is accused of murdering her husband. The stakes are high: There's a young boy involved who will be left parentless if she is convicted and receives a lethal injection. What's more, the boy is the adopted son of Swyteck's former lover. The defendant argues that the son is actually Swyteck's own biological offspring.

The story develops along the lines of Swyteck trying to find out what really happened, what's going on with the boy, and defending the mother against murder charges.

The plot has more holes than most Swiss cheese that I see. The author claims to have been a trial lawyer for twelve years, but it was hard to see evidence of that claim in the story. The legal side of the case reflects popular prejudices about the judicial system more than the reality. In several cases, the behavior ascribed to the characters seems to be a pretty long stretch. The client is particularly hard to accept as the portrayal of someone who could have been a real person.

In the end, I found myself wanting to get to the end more because I didn't want to read the ridiculous plot anymore than for any other reason. By midway through the book, I had lost sympathy for the characters and my interest in their fate.

If you liked Mr. Grippando's earlier books, you should probably give this one a try. If you haven't started his series about Jack Swyteck, I think you can skip this one.

Intricate and compelling both describe the thrillers penned by former Miami lawyer James Grippando. Quite familiar with the legal system and all its nuances he paints vivid courtroom scenes. However, with "Hear No Evil" protagonist Jack Swyteck finds himself in a courtroom unlike any he has experienced. He's on unknown ground, not too solid ground at that.

When an attractive woman comes to his office asking Swyteck to defend her against a murder charge, he's reluctant. There's something about her and the story she's telling that doesn't seem right - that is until she tells him that she's the adoptive mother of his son. Swyteck has never seen the boy, and she vows he never will unless he takes her case.

Immediate challenge: she's accused of killing her husband, an officer who was stationed at Guantanamo Bay, and Swyteck knows precious little about military courtrooms. Further, his investigation leads to Havana where it seems there are quite a few who have much to keep secret.

Twists, turns, thrills all in the Grippando tradition make superb listening when performed by actor/director Campbell Scott who delivers a reading both dauntless and dramatic.

- Gail Cooke

This is another fine book done by Mr. Grippando. I have read all of his wriings and have yet to find a bad one. This was a interesting novel as it incorporated the life in Miami with the Cubans, the justice system with a minority influence and the usual banter between Jack and his best friend Theo. The plot followed well and the ending was somewhat of a surprise and it was a fine read. I highly recommend the book.

Normally, I applaud authors/editors who are able to rein in a story to keep it tight, and not add too much extraneous information, but not in this case.

While the story moved along adroitly, there were many parts of the plot that could have been explored in greater detail, but were glossed over in an effort to keep the story moving. Too many James Patterson-like short chapters permeate this book, making it read like a screenplay instead of a novel.

Entire chapters have seemingly been cut, leaving the reader to wonder why certain elements of the story were introduced in the first place. The romantic angle between Jack Swyteck and his co-attorney, Sofia, is never explored though it is hinted at frequently. The investigations done by supporting character Theo are, with one exception, totally glossed over.

This was enjoyable, but it's not much more than a book-by-number.

Mr. Grippando was a trial lawyer prior to become a writer. This makes his books realistic in plot and characters. His story line is extremely engrossing making it very hard to put the book down. His addition of a slight bit of humor only adds more to the story. I personally enjoy his books more than the recent ones published by John Grisham. They are far more relative to what I would encounter as an average citizen. I highly recommend his books and feel that you are missing a good read if you don't at least read this book as it will only lead to your reading his other novels.

Once you start reading this book it is very hard to put it down.

Enjoyed it so much I ordered the rest of Grippando's novels.

This story was interesting in spurts, with an ending that left a lot to be desired. Which is surprising for me when it comes to a James Grippando novel. He usually has me turning the pages at warp speed, anxious to see what comes next, but this time the story just didn't grab me. I never once felt any kind of compassion for Lindsey. Too many lies. That being said I still look forward to what comes next with Jack.