Customer Reviews

The Last Innocent Man

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my first book read by this author. Excellent work, I was overly impressed.
This book was filled with the best characters, the best developing plot and the best conclusion. A truly wonderful thriller!

An innocent man is on trial for the rape and murder of a prostitute who was really an undercover cop. David Nash, a defense attorney, must put his career on the line to find the real murderer before the Innocent Man will become the Guilty Man.

This author truly has talent as I normally stay away from the courtroom drama. Suspense would pop out at the simplest element. My attention got me where I could not put the book down until I had read the entire thing. The ending is not what you expect at all.
Don't miss this one!

The Last Innocent Man is a thought provoking thriller that gives Margolin an opportunity to present the moral debate that defense attorneys must go through in defending people accused of indefensible crimes and antisocial behavior. David Nash is a defense attorney who is suffering burn out when he meets a mysterious young woman at a party and takes her back to his house. The next day when he realizes that he wants to see her again, she is no where to be found, surfacing only when her husband is accused of killing a policewoman who was posing as a prostitute. The wife swears that her husband was with her at the time the crime took place, and David agrees to take the defense in spite of his reservations about their involvement. All the while he is trying to come to grips with having successfully defended some guilty clients who will undoubtedly hurt others again as soon as they are free. My review is not nearly as gripping as the book was to read. This is my second book by Phillip Margolin and I am looking forward to my third which will be "Gone But Not Forgotten." In a world full of good legal thriller authors, he is one of the best in my opinion.

Do the Johnny Cochrans and F. Lee Baileys of this world have a conscience? That's what we mere mortals want to know when we see how fiercely they fight (and manipulate!) to have murderers acquitted and returned to our streets. Are they men to whom money, fame and winning the case are all that matters? Or are they, like Margolin's protagonist David Nash, caught in a system where they are morally and legally obligated to do everything in their power to save their clients -- however guilty they might perceive those clients to be? What happens when a defense attorney becomes too good at what he does -- too good at manipulating facts and mastering juries? Margolin, himself a highly successful defense attorney, as well as author of a growing list of explosive legal thrillers, comes to grips wih this dilemma, where all too often it is not Justice but the ability of the defense that determines whether an innocent person goes to prison or a monster is released to continue preying on society.

Brilliant, unbeatable David Nash has reached the pinnacle of his career, but that pinnacle doesn't look the way he thought it would. He became a defense attorney with the ideal of saving the innocent and improving the world. But now he finds that, "there aren't many innocent people around here," and feels that, for the most part, he is turning the worst kind of fiends loose on the world he had hoped to make better. He is losing faith in himself and in his career. Then, just in time, comes his dream: An Innocent Man, deserving of the best defense Nash can give him. But then, when he learns that his "last innocent man" has lied to him and used him and is therefore Presumed Guilty, he falls into a deep depression. There he wallows in the morass until he receives a shock so horrendous that he is impelled to pull himself up and re-enter the fray. Now Nash must find a way to bring down the wiliest and most diabolical killer in order to save not only his soul but his very life -- and the life of! the woman he loves.

While I found more spine-tingling suspense in some other Mogolin novels, especially in Gone But Not Forgotten, this novel is just as compelling in its own way. Another fabulous win for this author -- and for all of us who just can't wait for another Phillip Margolin to hit the stands!

I have to admit that I read this AFTER reading the INCREDIBLE 'Gone, But Not Forgotten' and 'After Dark' mostly because I was SO impressed with the other two that I simply HAD to find something else by Mr. Margolin. What I found was a novel which in many respects reminded me of 'Gone, But Not Forgotten'...It seems to me that 'The Last Innocent Man' was sort of the proving grounds for Margolin as he prepared for his true masterpiece, 'GBNF'. That in NO WAY diminishes how much I truly enjoyed this book. I have said it before, and I'll say it again, Margolin makes Grisham look like a law school drop-out. I think Margolin's true talent lies in his ability to pace his books like an Indy race. You can't help but be swept up into the story and how scenes change almost as fast as you can turn the pages. He paces his books less as chapters, and more like a few paragraphs in between different plot-lines. If you want a book that is ALWAYS moving from one scene to another, and a courtroom battle which will stay with you long after you finish this book than do NOT pass up 'The Last Innocent Man' by Phillip Margolin, it's another home run from one of the genre's best authors.

I have now read every single book that Phillip Margolin has written, excluding Wild Justice and I feel that The Last Innocent Man is the best! The best characters, the best developing plot and the best conclusion of any of his novels. An INNOCENT man is on trial for the rape and murder of a prostitute (undercover cop). David Nash, a defense attorney, must put his career on the line to find the real murderer before the Innocent Man will become the Guilty Man.

Another great book by Philip Margolin. This book is about a lawyer who is asked to defend a man who is accused of killing a prostitute. This book is a mystery but it also deals with a lawyer who is questioning the reasons of why he is a lawyer. I think at some point, any criminal lawyer with integrity starts questioning the reasons why they are defending criminals. The thing that makes this book so remarkable is that it really opened my eyes about the legal system. Sometimes you wonder how lawyers can defend people that commit heinous crimes and this books explains why even the worst serial killer is entitled to a proper defense. After reading this book and enjoying the storyline, I also had a new respect for our legal system. It may not always work in favor of the innocent party but most time you do get the bad guy and you lock em up and throw away the key.

Is a lawyer dutybound to defend a client he suspects is guilty? To what extent is the lawyer-client privilege protected? Phillip Margolin tackles this and more in the very readable legal thriller The Last Innocent Man.
After wrenching a client, accused of murder, from the jaws of justice, David Nash, lawyer extraordinaire, christened "The Ice Man", has about had enough.
He feels no pleasure in his victory, having grown tired of defending guilty men. Nash is looking for an innocent man.
However when Nash defends a fellow lawyer Larry Stafford for murder, he realizes he has gotten more than he bargained. For not only is he sleeping with his client's wife, he discovers they both could be lying to him.
Realizing what is at stake, The Ice Man mounts a robust defence for Stafford. Will it be enough? You'll have to read the book to find the fate of the Last Innocent Man.
Margolin, a criminal defense attorney at Portland, writes decently well. His tackling of the ethical implication of defending the guilty, or of inappropriate relations with a client's spouse provide for juicy thinking.
Gault comes across as an impressive street version of Hannibal Lecter; Nash, as seriously conflicted. The court scenes though not exceptional are nonetheless formidable. Imagine the drama of the Mercedes Benz testimony in a real courtroom.
Yet as with most books from this genre, there is stuff that stretches the imagination. I have known sex to be a legendary prop for authors, but having sex with a lady the first hour you meet her is taking it a tad too far.
The courtroom scenes with his ex lacked flying sparks, while Conklin's murder merited greater attention. The book ended nicely, though I would have expected a greater punch.

Still The Innocent Man is worth a read, meriting the attention you would give to a Grisham.

What a book. It was very, very good. I gave it four stars for a couple of reasons. I did not like the beginning. I was totally confused for the first several pages. Where were about five different stores going at one time. Finally, they got all tied together. On pages 208 and 209, paperback, it was crazy over the description of a car. No one could follow that bunch of numbers. I really liked the book except for those two things. I did not want to put it down after it really got started. It will keep you reading fast in order to see what is going to happen. David Nash is great as a defense attorney. His morals leave a lot to be desired, but he is a good attorney until he meets his match in Tom Gault. If you like legal thrillers you must read this.

Margolin comes through with a book that keeps the pages turning but at times I wondered about the series of incredible coincidences that linked all of the characters together (I won't go into them here, for fear of revealing too much of the plot for those who have not yet read the book).

ARe you looking for a book that leads the protaganist through a series of difficult choices until finally everything is forced to come to a head? Than this is your book. However, be aware that you'll be forced to suspend your sense of disbelief from time to time as well.

In addition to generate an ethical debate about the defense of crime offenders, entertains, providing other key elements like deep suspense, romance and police procedures. The author is skilled enough to pop deep suspense out of simple elements and as a result of that the plot becomes a blend of debate and mistery. I enjoyed it very much and could not put it down. This book is an example on how using simple everyday situations and characters a good work can be created.