Reckless Homicide [Mass Market Paperback]

Ira Genberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1998 | Series: Reckless Homicide (Book 1)

He took a chance, told a lie, then a plane went down-- and the nightmare began...

Michael Ashmore, senior partner at a top law firm, has a reputation he cherishes. In a world of liars, he's an honest man. So he shouldn't start an affair with a junior attorney at his firm. But he loves her. As a major airline's counsel, he shouldn't hide a failed drug test for his pilot brother, Charlie. But the test showed a mere trace of a prescription sleeping pill. And Charlie swears he'll never touch a pill again.

Then Charlie's plane crashes, killing everyone on board. Charlie is found loaded with barbiturates. Now Michael, himself charged with reckless homicide, doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell. And that's just what someone planned. For Michael Ashmore, soft-hearted, hard-headed trial lawyer, has been chosen as the perfect patsy in a chilling conspiracy. And he has until the verdict comes in to find out who and why...

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

First-time novelist Genberg has created an astounding courtroom thriller that will keep readers on the edges of their seats until the last page. The story has all the requirements for a high-energy thriller. The main character, Michael Ashmore, finds himself in deep trouble after trying to come to his brother's aid within the corporate structure of a major airline on the verge of bankruptcy; a corporation, he discovers, that will do anything to save itself. As an attorney, Michael could be ruthless when interrogating a witness. However, he never imagined he'd one day be on the other end of the witness stand, charged with "reckless homicide" in the deaths of over 100 people in a horrible plane crash. Readers will sweat during Michael's trial. The unbearable see-sawing of hope and despair, berating of witnesses by the prosecution, and helplessness Michael feels, knowing his whole life and the welfare of his family hang by a thread in the winds of deceit and politics, keep the drama at a high peek. Readers of legal thrillers will find the book in good form. Highly recommended for all public libraries where this genre is in high demand.?Stacey Reasor, ITT Technical Inst. Lib., Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

After Brandon Air Lines pilot Charlie Ashmore's daughter dies in an accident caused by a flammable perfume, Charlie's brother Michael charges the perfume manufacturers with reckless homicide and wins a huge settlement. Swearing off the barbiturates he's abused since the tragedy, Charlie returns to flying after Michael pulls some strings. Then Charlie's first flight results in a tragic crash in which 120 passengers and crew members die. Blood tests reveal Charlie had a potentially lethal amount of phenobarbital in his system. As the damage suits take shape, the airline and aircraft manufacturer posture to deflect any responsibility, and Michael is in the awkward position of clearing his dead brother's name yet representing the best interests of his firm's largest client, Brandon Air Lines. It can't work. Michael is fired by the firm he founded, and in a nightmarish twist of fate, he finds himself on trial for reckless homicide, impaled on the legal precedent he developed in the suit with the perfume manufacturer. This is undoubtedly the best debut in the legal-thriller field since Turow's Presumed Innocent (1987). Genberg, an Atlanta trial lawyer, has created that rarest of novels--a story that is both character and action driven. We meet Michael as a self-assured attorney, but by the last scene he sits in leg irons and a prison jumpsuit. It's a quick drop from heaven to hell, even more so when one willingly steps to the edge of the precipice. Wes Lukowsky --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (December 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312966792
• ISBN-13: 978-0312966799
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,605,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyed this book, December 21, 1999

By 

Robert J. Gross (Potomac, Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reckless Homicide (Mass Market Paperback)

As an aviation trial attorney, I not only enjoyed Reckless Homicide's many twists and turns, but also found it interesting and thought provoking at a time when criminal prosecutions seem to be on the rise in aviation tort cases. Recent examples of such prosecutions involve the ValuJet crash in the Florida Everglades (still ongoing) and the Gondola accident near Cavalese, Italy (the U.S. Marine pilot was acquitted).

The real genius of the book, however, involves whom the prosecution actually charges with "reckless homicide." Unlike the cases cited above, it's not the pilot or the airline.

I also wonder if Ira Genberg owns a crystal ball. Like the mystery involving the pilot's last words in Reckless Homicide (that is, "the up and down is stewed"), we are now faced with a similar mystery surrounding the co-pilot's last words in the recent Egypt Air crash in the Atlantic Ocean.

In addition, I found compelling many of the book's legal arguments, romantic entanglements, and emotional highs and lows. A thrill ride for attorneys and non-attorneys alike, in my opinion Reckless Homicide contains the ingredients for a blockbuster movie.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant story!, June 30, 2000

By 

ANTHIE ZACHARIADOU - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reckless Homicide (Hardcover)

Fascinating! One of the most gripping stories I have ever read. It combines a classic whodunnit plot with a family drama. It can be a cold and rigid courtroom battle or a moving tale of love and devotion. The story is told in the first person viewpoint and provides an insight into the psyche of a man whose life is torn apart. It has the reader aching for this man, while at the same time wondering whether he is rightly accused! Ethics, the law, technical stuff, family love, tragedy and the pursuit of personal agendas are matters that blend together and create this masterpiece of suspense with feelings... an unusual combination. The hero's turmoil becomes your own as you read this book and stays with you long after you finish it. This book tests the reader, presenting in it intellectual puzzles and ethical challenges. It is truly an amazing story. I'd reccommend it to anyone who likes to read books with exciting plots and also meaning.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reckless Homicide, March 3, 2000

By 

Alana T. Denton (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reckless Homicide (Mass Market Paperback)

AMAZING! That is the word I would use to describe this first time novel. It held me captive from the first word...I sat up all night to find out what was going to happen. I was pleased to see that the main characters faced as many trials, family deaths, etc. as I seem to. And the phrase my parent's taught me in kindergarden came to mind 'Be Sure Your Sins Will Find You Out' certainly came true... One Lie. Again, BRAVO...and PLEASE tell me when the next novel is out!