Customer Reviews

The Twelve Apostles

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

 

 

This is the third William Coughlin book I've read (the others were Shadow of a Doubt, Day of Wrath). The Twelve Apostles seems to be the best so far, and the female lawyer is sketched very nicely & far more accurately than some of the female characters in Coughlin's other books.

The book is set in Manhattan, in a large law firm that concentrates on corporate law. Auxiliary plot threads include a overly endowed business man who loves to take over other corporations, a Japanese/Englishman who is extremely possessive of business interest as well as lovers, and another lawyer who is an ex-Boston Celtic player.

Recommended for those who like lawyer mysteries, New York and international settings, and for those who like excellent plotting and action. The love interest in here is well developed.

Having read "Death Penalty", I was looking forward to "The Twelve Apostles". Mr. Coughlin did not let me down!! His masterful weaving of plots and subplots, although at times confusing, is nonetheless the best in mystery/thrillers. I literally did not want to put the book down until I finished the last page. I look forward to reading his other books, and regret there will be no more.

I'm in love with William Coughlin stories. It's a crying shame that Coughlin didn't live longer to write more. I particularly like his Charlie Parker stories. Twelve Apostles isn't a Charlie Parker story, but it's nonetheless a very entertaining and eye opening read. The thing that impresses me about Coughlin's novels is that the writing itself is so skillful. There are never any errors of grammar or style in his works. Reading his novels is a lesson in English writing. Beyond that, Twelve Apostles is dramatic, keeping the reader engrossed page after page after page. At the same time, the story, I believe, is enlightening in its revelations about how large law firms in big cities operate. Anyway, in my opinion, William Coughlin surpasses even Scott Turow as a writer of the legal thriller, and I'm about to buy another of his novels, one of the few that I know he's written and I haven't previously read.

William J. Coughlin, The Twelve Apostles (Putnam, 1984)

It didnt take long to see that this one was going to my feeding my nearly-starved dustbunnies. The characters were completely wooden and presented in confusing fashion, too many plot threads were thrown at the reader all at once, and Coughlin gives his readers just one too many stereotypes by the time you get to the end of chapter three. With a bit more organization and some depth of character, this might have been a worthwhile book. As it stands, its a morass of mediocrity in the highest degree. (zero)