Last Call [Hardcover]

James Grippando (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Doubleday Large Print Home Library; Book club edition LARGE PRINT edition (2008)
• ISBN-10: 0641912153
• ISBN-13: 978-0739490624
• ASIN: 0739490621
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #812,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After twelve years as a trial lawyer with Miami's most prestigious law firm, James Grippando is now a national best-selling author of thirteen suspenseful thrillers in as many years, including Lying with Strangers, When Darkness Falls, Got the Look, Hear No Evil, Last to Die, Beyond Suspicion, A King's Ransom, Under Cover of Darkness, Found Money, The Abduction, The Informant and The Pardon. His first novel for young adults, Leapholes, was published in 2006, as well as his first short-story, Operation Northwoods, which appeared in the critically acclaimed Thriller anthology. His novels are enjoyed worldwide in twenty-four languages.

James's first job out of law school plunged him headlong into death penalty cases. That experience was an inspiration for his 1994 debut novel, The Pardon, a legal thriller that critics heralded as a "bona fide blockbuster." Beyond Suspicion (2002) was the long-awaited sequel to that first novel, and it launched an exciting new series that features Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck and that critics have heralded as "John Grisham meets Robert Ludlum."

As a lawyer, James was an avid writer. His numerous scholarly articles appeared in some of nation's top law reviews, and they are frequently cited with approval by the courts. His trial practice ranged from complex corporate litigation to class actions on behalf of chicken farmers. As a frequent volunteer in Florida's guardian ad litem program, he helped provide legal representation to neglected children in family court proceedings. He was a faculty member with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at Nova Southeast University. He was named by Florida Trend Magazine as one of Florida's emerging leaders, and in 2006 he received the Distinguished Author Award from Scranton University. His alma mater is the University of Florida, where he graduated second in his undergraduate class and earned his law degree with honors. He now serves Of Counsel to David Boies' law firm, Boies Schiller & Flexner, LLP.

James lives and writes in Coral Gables, Florida, and he is married to Tiffany, who has been his unofficial editor since book one.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent South Florida mystery, December 22, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Call: A Novel of Suspense (Jack Swyteck) (Hardcover)

Miami criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck still worries about his former client bar owner Theo Knight as he knows his best friend has lingering resentment, rightfully so. When Theo was a teen raised by kind Uncle Cy (after his mom was killed) in the roughest hood, he was arrested and convicted for murder. He became the youngest person on death row and was only saved when Jack proved he could not have committed the homicide; even then he still almost was executed.

Jack learns that someone tried to kill Theo in his old hood. Apparently, convict Isaac Reems promised to provide Theo with the name of his mom's killer in exchange to helping him elude the law. Instead the escaped con leaves evidence that Theo abetted his escape while setting Theo up for the failed shooting. Theo has always wanted to avenge his mother's murder, but the case went cold for the cops and him as the trail was outside the hood. While Jack joins Theo on his investigation, he hopes to keep his buddy from committing a homicide, but that may not matter when Isaac is found dead with proof that Theo killed him. Meanwhile an affluent unknown adversary wants the son as dead as the mother so that a two decade old murder stays unsolved.

LAST CALL is an excellent South Florida mystery as the key players bring the Greater Miami area to life in a fast-paced tale. Isaac and whoever hired him cleverly use the past that haunts Theo to get at him while Jack is there for him. A touch of two romances and a bit of humor adds depth to a great cat and mouse thriller.

Harriet Klausner

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not up to Grippando's usual par, I'm afraid, December 20, 2007

By 

Brian Baker (Santa Clarita, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Call: A Novel of Suspense (Jack Swyteck) (Hardcover)

I'll start by saying that I've really enjoyed Grippando's series featuring Jack Swyteck, wise-cracking defense attorney in Miami. Usually, the stories rocket right along; a lot of wit, humor and action; colorful characters in dire straits; a great feel for mood and setting.

I won't go into a plot synopsis, other than to include this quote from the product review:

"An escaped convict from the old neighborhood shows up at Theo's back door, asking for help. In return, he'll finger the man who murdered Theo's mother. But the answers aren't so simple, and soon Theo's own life is in danger. Jack and Theo must piece together a twenty-year-old conspiracy of greed and corruption that leads to the very top of Miami's elite, while revisiting a past that Theo has tried hard to forget."

That kind of highlights the problem with this book for me: the central character this time around is Swytek's buddy Theo. Swytek himself is in a secondary role, and frankly, Theo's not nearly as interesting a character as Swytek. The funny lines, quips, and skewed outlook normally associated with this series are all tied to Swytek.... not Theo. Theo's actually a pretty dour guy, and not that interesting; great sidekick material as a foil for Swytek. Not a leading man; not quite ready for prime time.

Further, Theo's Uncle Cy also takes next-to-center stage, and frankly, I found him to be rather boring and pretty much a lame loser. When the scenes centered on codger Cy, I could hardly wait for them to end.

So, bottom line, it wasn't terrible; it was okay. But I certainly hope we're not going to have another Theo-centric book in the future. Crais could pull it off with his Joe Pike character, and Burke with his Clete Purcell, but both are more complex, rounded and -- frankly -- interesting characters than Theo.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reviewed for Midwest Book Review, April 4, 2010

By 

Christy Tillery French "reviewer/writer" (Powell, TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Last Call (Jack Swyteck) (Mass Market Paperback)

This installment of Grippando's Jack Swytek series focuses on Jack's best friend Theo Knight, a man Jack saved from death row. Theo owns his own bar and is on the verge of expanding his business when Isaac Reems, former gang member and an escaped convict, shows up asking for help. Theo isn't so inclined but Reems's bargaining chip is that he can reveal the identity of the person who killed Theo's mother 20 years earlier. The FBI, hot on the trail of Reems, suspects Theo is helping the convict, and when Reems is murdered, their focus is on Theo. Jack and Theo suspect all is tied to his mother's death but that road leads to danger.

This addition to the series is middle-of-the-road, better than some, not as good as others. Grippando brings back FBI agent Andie Henning, and although chemistry is hinted at between Andie and Jack, it's just not there. Swytek seems off his game and Theo's constant emotion is anger, although there is good cause. More is learned of Theo's Uncle Cy, an interesting character.