Customer Reviews

Mortal Sin

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

 

 

MORTAL SIN is Paul Levine's fourth Jake Lassiter novel. Having learned the lessons about excess represented by FALSE DAWN, Levine has written a superbly crafted and finely focused thriller. MORTAL SIN is well deserving of its John D. MacDonald Award, and certainly lives up to its dedication page to MacDonald and its strong debt to Travis McGee.

Entirely a South Florida story, MORTAL SIN is a tale of corruption, payola and murder with excellent pacing and a completely plausible premise and characters. Levine never lets go of the reins. MORTAL SIN is a fine showcase for his talents as a writer.

Jake Lassiter, the ex-Miami Dolphins linebacker, ex-Public Defender, ex-a lot of things, sets out to defend real estate developer Nicky Florio in a wrongful death suit brought by Melinda Tupton, the widow of crusading environmentalist Peter Tupton who froze to death on the hottest day of the year at Florio's pool party.

Complications arise. Jake is having what lawyers quaintly term a 'meretricious relationship' with Florio's wife Gina, formerly Star Hampton, retired Dolphin Doll and Jake's old live-in girlfriend. And on the last day of trial, Jake uncovers evidence that the 'wrongful death' he has just successfully defended may in fact be murder.

A chance remark to Nicky Florio---and Jake finds himself embroiled in a vast cover-up, running for his life through the dusty courthouses of Miami, the trendy clubs of South Beach, the retirement hotels of North Beach, the golf courses that dot Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, and finally, the vast 'River of Grass,' otherwise known as the environmentally sensitive Everglades, targeted and encroached upon by men like Florio.

A single sitting enjoyable read with some laugh-out-loud humor, wistful nostalgia, and respect for the natural world of its setting, MORTAL SIN is one of the best entries in the Jake Lassiter series, and comes very highly recommended.

My 4th Paul Levine, 3rd Lassiter. The best read so far. Levine is a great legal/suspense writer and in order to enjoy him don't get caught up in how plausible the story line is but relax, enjoy and go for the ride. Lassiter steps into deep "stuff" early on and spends the rest of the tale trying to dig himself out while continuing to complicate matters. A story full of bad guys; most of the rest are only medium bad. No good guys save for Nanny and Dr. Riggs, Lassiter's muse and mentor. The characters are well drawn, the dialog crisp and often very funny, the story slick and fast with enough twists, turns and escapes to satisfy any mystery/adventure fan. Can't miss with this one.

"Mortal Sin" is dedicated "to the memory of John D. MacDonald whose tough lough for an embattled Florida inspires us still." That's the tipoff that the book is about corruption, public and personal, and the environment. Jake Lassiter, who burst into the crime fiction scene with TO SPEAK FOR THE DEAD (The Jake Lassiter Series), is back. This time he's got his own ethical problems. He's sleeping with the wife of a client. A dangerous client who may have killed a quirky environmentalist and might do the same to Jake. The book involves a secret plan to develop the Everglades in a money-making operation that I won't disclose here. It's not oil exploration that some Republican candidates are talking about now). The book is dramatic funny, tense, and touches on profound themes. Shades of MacDonald, as i said, plus some Carl Hiaasen for the humor and the dead-on accurate descriptions of a despoiled Florida. Highly recommended.

Having read other books in the Jake Lassiter series, I knew this would be interesting suspense. However, I found the story to be a little far-fetched. Too many times, Jake finds himself in situations where he should have been killed and finds a last minute escape. Once would have been ok, but by the third time it seemed silly.

The book starts with Jake defending Nicky Florio, and getting him off, even though Jake believes there is more to the story. He starts looking further and gets himself into something unexpected that keeps expanding.

I often find myself suspending reality to read, but with this book, I was more aware of the stretch than usual. For me, that detracted from the book. In addition, I read the Kindle version and there were enough typos that it interfered with the flow of the book.

I'm not usually enthusiastic about "lawyer" books, but this one exceeded my expectations by a mile.
Easy to enjoy, fast-paced, good dialog, nice twisty story line, easy-to-relate-to main character. I will definitely be reading more Jake Lassiter books.

This was my second Jake Lassiter book, and it was as good as the first one. Wonder if he'll ever figure out that people like to take advantage of him? Paul Levine does a good job of setting the background and describing the area so you can envision it for yourself. The plot works like most do, with unexpected twists here and there. I thought it was a good quick read.

While I thouroughly enjoyed this book, it was easy to tell that the author lapsed into his Tv writing mode. This book had many aspects that read like a Tv drama and were extremely far fetched. The book was still fast paced and enjoyable, but very Hollywood-ish!

I've downloaded quite a few Kindle books since getting my e-reader in November. I have a lot to get through but this novel has kept me reading each night. I'm enjoying the story and the style it's written in. I had no idea this was one of a series based on the same character, but I would definitely download more once I get through my reading list.

Nice suspense, and great voice.

This book is my first Paul Levine, and I liked it fairly well. The Jake Lassiter character is agreeable and you begin to care what happens to him - the essential ingredient for a good book in my opinion. The plot is interesting, if not too obvious. What lowered my review to 3 stars from 4 was the completely unbelievabe rescue of Lassiter from the Everglades. I won't spoil the plot for anyone who might decide to read the book, but sufice it to say I thought this was so absurd I almost put the book down. I'm glad I didn't, but it is a major flaw in the book.

This is an excellent book, could'nt put it down. Well written, well described with a balanced approach that made it a satidfying read. Recommended.