Customer Reviews

Temporary Sanity: A Crime Novel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

Hector Montero, a convicted pediophile, kidnapped seven-year-old Billy Hammond, tied his arms and legs together with wire, stuffed a rag into his mouth then proceeded to rape and kill the child. The lad's father Buck identified the body at the morgue. Buck proceeded to the area where Hector was being transported to the Barnstable County jail on Cape Cod and killed him with his deer rifle. The authorities charged Buck with murder in the first degree.

The shooting and the subsequent arrest was caught on tape and shown on television, a situation that worries defense attorneys Harry Madigan and Marty Nickerson. Marty is particularly concerned since this is her first case as a defense attorney after working as an assistant trial attorney for over ten years. When the presiding judge is knifed in chambers and Harry's archenemy takes up residence on the bench, matters look even more dismal for the defense team.

TEMPORARY SANITY takes the reader from the opening arguments to the jury verdict in courtroom scenes so vivid and intense that readers will feel they are part of the case. Rose Connors can hold her own with such heavy weights as John Grisham, Scott Turow and Nancy Taylor Rosenberg using her expert knowledge of the law to make the case very realistic. It is interesting to see how a temporary insanity plea is used within the legal world and not on a Hollywood movie screen.

Harriet Klausner

Well, I have to admit that Rose Connors is one of my favorite authors when it comes to easy reading crime/court/murder mysteries. Her easy writing style is filled with humor and she throws in enough twists to keep you off balance throughout her books. For me, these are reading candy at its best; they are a fast read, keep me entertained and above all, are logical and believable.

In `Temporary Sanity' we have many of the same characters as in her previous book. This work entails a primary plot line concerning a father who kills his young son's murderer and rapist in front of witnesses and insists he was perfectly sane while doing the deed. The second, or sub plot deals with the murder of a rather nasty and abusive parole officer.

The first murder is obvious and we absolutely know who did it, when he did it and why he did it. The question is...can our rather audacious defense attorney Martha "Marty" Nickerson defend the revengeful father in a court of law. Was the father temporarily insane? If not, can the deed be defended? The second murder is more complicated in that the primary suspect is pretty obvious...or is she?

It is up to Marty and her team of friends to unravel some pretty knotty problems here. The author is quite good at throwing doubt into the readers mind with each turn of the page. It should be noted that there are no "red herrings" thrown in at the last minute; something that drives me up a wall when an author uses this sort of lazy ploy...no, if you read closely, all follows a logical sequence and if you read closely enough, you may (or not), pick up bits and pieces here and there.

I must say though, the ending, even though I should have seen in coming, caught me completely off guard...delightfully so!

If you enjoy this particular genre, I can hardly see how you can go wrong. Of course reading tastes vary so much that it is hard to tell if this one will have universal appeal. I only know I enjoyed every page...cover to cover. This is a good author and I am looking forward to reading the rest of her work.

Don Blankenship

The Ozarks

I don't read much fiction so when I find a book I that really holds my attention like "Temporary Sanity" did, I take special note.

The whole book was woven together very well - I enjoyed each character - even the ones who were created especially so we would be frustrated with them.

Marty is very likeable as the able and highly intuitive defense attorney with a heart. I can imagine the small firm she works in is actually a positive place to hang your hat. (This must be fiction *smiling*.)

Not only is the writing thoroughly engaging and entertaining, the subject matter is one we can all relate to - in all its horrifying glory.

What worked especially well was the ending. I had no clue what was coming. I love when I am taken by surprise like this - kudos to Rose Connors for pulling off such a delightful conclusion.

I've always loved legal thrillers, ever since the early Grisham and Martini books, and it is refreshing to have a new writer on the scene who actually knows how to plot a book well and how to keep you turning pages.

Rose Connors does that quite nicely in this book. Two major plotlines and one minor one tie up nicely at the end. I read the book in two sittings, which is very unusual for me. I usually read about fifty pages at a time. This book just couldn't be put down that quickly.

I recommend it strongly. In fact, after finishing this book, I went onto Amazon and ordered the first book in the series and the new one also.

"Temporary Sanity" is a robust, power-packed, legal thriller. Rose Connors introduces readers to: Martha (Marty) Nickerson, trying her first case as a defense attorney, J. Stanley Edgerton, an in-your-face, by-the-book assistant DA and Buck Hammond, who had the misfortune to murder the killer of his seven-year-old son in front of the sheriff and a slew of TV cameramen. To keep the action alive the author adds a feisty Judge and a series of murders. Marty's task is to convince the jury to find Buck Hammond `not guilty.' Connors' court room drama is lively, her characters vibrant and her dialogue authentic. "Temporary Sanity" is the classic legal thriller with interesting new twists and the perfect page-turner book to read when you are alone and won't be interrupted.
Beverly J Scott, author of Righteous Revenge and Ruth Fever
http://www.beverlyjscott.com

I have read both of Connor's books, and enjoyed them thoroughly. As a summer Cape dweller, I heard her speak at a literary event, and found her interesting, down-to-earth, and believable. This book, the second, continues with the main characters that were introduced in the first novel. The plots in both, work well for any mystery, and are not predictable. This is a pleasant suprise, as there are few Cape Cod set novels that avoid being simplistic. Entertaining and well-written summer or winter reading for any legal thriller fan!

purchased used very good (former library) book, stated as one of best former library books. Book's outside was 'good' not very good. The inside pages were smeared with dried debris, foods, markings, etc. worst used book I ever bought