Temporary Sanity: A Crime Novel [Paperback]

Rose Connors (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2007

IS HOMICIDAL INSANITY EVER A LEGAL JUSTIFICATION FOR MURDER?

Cape Cod attorney Marty Nickerson, formerly a prosecutor, faces hard questions as defense attorney for Buck Hammond. With TV cameras rolling, Buck took justice into his own hands. Now he is charged with murder one but he refuses the only viable defense: insanity. Marty and her partner in love and law, Harry Madigan, are already stretched thin when, on the eve of Buck's trial, a bleeding woman staggers into their office. Her attacker has just been found -- dead -- and he's an officer of the court. Now Marty has two seemingly impossible cases. But legal motions and courtroom strategy may be the least of her worries, as shocking revelations soon bring fear to the Cape and devastating twists to Buck's trial....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"It occurs to me, as I pack up my briefcase," says Cape Cod attorney Marty Nickerson, "that I'm two for two. First in Buck Hammond's case, and now in this one, I'm arguing that the dead guy deserved it. I've barely begun my career with the defense bar, but I seem to be developing a niche." Any niche is a good niche for Marty-who in Connors's smart, sassy and exciting second crime novel (after 2002's Absolute Certainty) has switched from ace prosecutor to determined defender without missing a beat. Marty and her lover, former Barnstable County public defender Harry Madigan, have plunged into private practice, taking on the controversial case of Hammond-a distraught father who shot, on live television, the man who raped and murdered his seven-year-old son. Then, to add to single mother Marty's impossible work load as Christmas approaches, a savagely battered woman client is charged with the stabbing death of her attacker, a brutal parole officer. Connors, a veteran trial attorney, has a rich enough stock of mordant legal anecdotes to keep her going for years. Even more important, she is so good at creating believable characters (two very different judges, a sardonically ambitious but sympathetic district attorney, a couple of winning teenagers) that even readers with little interest in courtroom shenanigans should find in favor of her humanity.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Attorney Marty Nickerson has left the Barnstable County (Cape Cod) D.A.'s office to go into private practice with former public defender Harry Madigan. Their first case is to defend Buck Hammond, the man who killed Hector Monteros, murderer of Hammond's young son. It's a seemingly impossible case since Hammond committed the crime in front of numerous witnesses and on live television. At the same time, Marty takes on the case of Sonia Baker, who is accused of killing her abusive boyfriend, parole officer Howard Davis. Along the way, Marty shares her home with Sonia's teenage daughter, affording readers a glimpse into the heroine's personal life. Marty narrates the tale in an ingratiating conversational style, with touches of humor but also with explanations of the laws involved. Characters are well defined, and the courtroom scenes are both exciting and realistic. For readers who enjoy a suspenseful legal thriller with a strong female protagonist. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416575332
• ISBN-13: 978-1416575337
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #716,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtroom thrills, June 24, 2004

By 

Beverley Strong (Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Temporary Sanity : A Crime Novel (Hardcover)

Marty Nickerson, a former prosecuting attorney, is now working for the first time as a defence attorney in Cape Cod and is called upon to defend Buck Hammond, a man with a spotless record who shot Hector Monteros, the man who kidnapped and brutally raped Buck's young son. The trouble is that a TV news crew filmed the event as it happened and that Buck refuses to use a plea of temporary insanity, insisting that he knew what he was doing and would do it again. Marty teams with Harry Madigan, her law partner and lover to produce a credible defence in the face of overwhelming evidence and at the same time, defend a battered woman whose live-in attacker was murdered. M/s Connors own courtroom experience comes into play here with her expert knowledge of procedures and some almost unbelievable courtroom characters who, one only prays, we will never have to face in person. I look forward to her next book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Five-Star Follow-Up to Her Debut Legal Thriller, July 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Temporary Sanity : A Crime Novel (Hardcover)

Rose Connor's second crime novel, "Temporary Sanity," picks up where "Absolute Certainty" left up. Former ADA Marty Nickerson is now a criminal defense lawyer caught up in defending two accused murderers. The story grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go until the last. Nickerson is a strong, intelligent, and often wryly humorous protagonist who cares deeply about the law and justice. The main storyline, her defense of a father who has killed the murderer of his young son, is compelling and heart-wrenching. The characters are likable and believable, the courtroom scenes are well-drawn, and the threads of the storyline are neatly brought together in a slam-bang climax. Connor's books are a great addition to the legal thriller genre. If you like Perri O'Shaughnessy and Lisa Scottoline, you'll love Rose Connors.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant pacing, great characters, January 8, 2004

By 

hjr "butterbeer213" (Wylie, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Temporary Sanity : A Crime Novel (Hardcover)

I won't reiterate the story as it is well documented on this page.

I read a lot of mysteries, and a few of them are so good that I buy a hardcover and give them a precious space in my bookcases. This is one of those keeper books. The author brings all the characters to life, tells a great, if gut-wrenching, story; winds it up with a terrific ending that keeps you wondering until the last words; AND she knows about guns. It is so aggravating that guns are used so often in mysteries by authors who are too dang lazy to do any research on them. Then their gun clankers in the book yank me right out of the story.

The big issue in the book is jury nullification, another one of my hot buttons (but that's just icing on the cake, it is a great book.) I really could not tell how the ending would come out until it did. Most authors I have seen treat issues like jury nullification as either for or against, all the way through, so you know what the ending will be depending on which soapbox the author climbs up on.

It is a hard read in places because of the horrific crimes that take place, but not stomach-turning.

Read it!