In the Name of Honor [Kindle Edition]

Richard North Patterson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A dramatic military trial is at center stage in this engrossing mystery. Lieut. Brian McCarran, a member of a distinguished military family, is on trial for shooting and killing his commanding officer. Capt. Paul Terry, an excellent trial lawyer who is on his way out of the military and into a lucrative job at a civilian law firm, is brought in as defense counsel. McCarran is claiming self-defense, but Terry knows there are secrets being kept and more to this killing than he's being told. John Bedford Lloyd reads with clear, almost clinical intonation, and this works well in the stiff question and answer phases of the trial, but not quite as well when the book moves outside the courtroom. These sections could have used a little more passion in their delivery. Still, this is a small quibble; this book is Patterson at his best, and the listener is in for a suspenseful and thought-provoking listen. A Henry Holt hardcover.
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From Booklist

Patterson returns to the courtroom that made him famous in thrillers such as Degree of Guilt (1993) as military lawyer Paul Terry takes on the case of a young lieutenant accused of fatally shooting his commanding officer with the man’s own gun. Brian McCarran comes from a long line of distinguished officers, including his father, the imperious General Anthony McCarran, the army’s chief of staff. The man he stands accused of shooting, Captain Joe D’Abruzzo, was not only Brian’s commanding officer in Iraq but was also married to Brian’s childhood friend, Kate Gallagher. Brian claims that he was protecting Kate; a witness for the prosecution claims Kate and Brian were having an affair. Paul goes forward with the defense in part because of Brian’s beautiful sister, Meg, who has left her job in San Francisco to serve as his co-counsel. Those familiar with Patterson’s works know they build slowly and carefully. What distinguishes this story is not only the minutiae of the trial but also vivid accounts of what soldiers face in Iraq. Readers will find themselves engrossed as well as pleased by a twist revealing that there’s more to this powerful yet seemingly straightforward story than first meets the eye. --Kristine Huntley

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 735 KB
• Print Length: 413 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0805087745
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.; 1 edition (June 29, 2010)
• Sold by: Macmillan
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003P9W72W
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,236 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #100 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Legal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars couldn't put it down., March 31, 2010

By 

J. Johnson "Allman Brothers obsessive" (Manassas, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Name of Honor (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Brian McCarran is the son of the army chief of staff and comes from a long line of heroes. After returning from Iraq he is different. We find out how different when he kills his commanding officer and husband of a close family friend. He's defended by military lawyer Paul Terry, a short timer, with the opportunity to jump to a large criminal defense firm in New York and his sister Meg who is the family enabler.

This book is written into the context of the struggle the military has had with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its role in the lives of soldiers and its impact on the military criminal justice system. Mr. Patterson weaves a complex tale that,I think fairly, navigates the complexities of the issue and its impact on soldiers, their families and the military system itself. Add in twisted family dynamics, secrets, an affair and betrayal and you have a toxic cocktail of the highest magnitude. The book appears to be a straight ahead courtroom novel, but it takes an interesting twist at the end, presenting Paul Terry with an ethical crisis of the highest magnitude.

This book is a great read. It felt real, it moved quickly and I found it hard to put it down. I found myself caring for the characters and wondering what would happen to them. This is a can't miss story

36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cost of Integrity, March 28, 2010

By 

deeper waters (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Name of Honor (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

In the Name of Honor is a legal and psychological case study that explores the meaning of "honor" and the conscious and unconscious interplay between personal morality, family loyalty and professional obligations. Well researched and presented without bias or conclusion, Patterson allows his multi-dimensional characters to tell the story through their own filters of experience and need. As the truth unfolds, it becomes evident that Brian is not the only character for whom the past and the present are interwoven to such an extent that their freedom to understand and control their judgment and actions is compromised. There is a lot of necessary detail and through the telling and retelling of the same story, the reader is able to have some experiential understanding of the hovering presence of trauma in the minds and psyche of people. In the hands of a less able writer, the combination of adultery, murder, suicide, the military, Iraq and PTSD would have created a toxic manuscript rather than one that is compassionate, thought provoking and honorable.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Military Family and Courtroom Drama, April 7, 2010

By 

Linda Holman "L A Jewel" (Chatsworth, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In the Name of Honor (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This book has it all. I can just picture the handsome military lawyer, Captain Paul Terry, as he takes on a case representing the well-connected golden boy, Lieutenant Brian McCarran, on charges of murder and adultery.

You see, Lt McCarran's father is the Chief of staff of the army, and has been tapped for the top position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Cpt Terry has only two months left to serve as a Jags Corp officer, after being hired by a top notch Wall Street firm, and he hopes that this case will be resolved quickly. He was assigned this case by his commanding officer and also has a reputation to have never lost a case as a prosecutor and only a few as a defense lawyer.

Mr. Patterson takes the reader on a journey that explores not only the JAG system in the military, but also the dynamics within a four generation military family, and the daily life of a soldier in Iraq. He expertly educates the reader on the definition of PTSD, and how the military code has not caught up to the reality of our present time and situation in the world.

I am always spellbound by the stories Mr. Patterson writes, and this one did not disappoint me one bit. His novels are not formulated, fill in the blank stories, in which the supporting cast is the only thing that changes, book to book. Instead, his novels are superbly crafted sagas that I truly treasure and take my time with, rather than speed read over some of the content.

This book is not an action-packed thriller of the Tom Clancy or W.E.B. Griffin variety, but is rather a fine suspense novel, that builds slowly to a conclusion that kept me guessing until the end.

I suggest that when you get this book, you set aside some quality time to just get lost in the story. I stayed up quite late several nights in a row and really didn't want to put this book down at all!

I highly recommend this book.