Customer Reviews

Unlucky in Law

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm a sucker for stories that straddle two different historical eras, so this murder mystery that links present events to the murder of the last Russian czar and his family in 1918 was a natural for me. Unlike so many novels of this sort, the plot is not obvious, yet it is also an easy read for an airplane trip or a commute to work on the train.

The characters are well drawn. Nina Reilly, the attorney hero, is likable and the other primary characters have enough complexity to be believeable. The reader knows right away who the good guys are, but the murderer is not immediately identified.

Overall, this is a very good novel that will hold the attention of an intelligent reader without offering too much challenge to be easily entertaining. If you enjoy page turners and don't want to drag a big, hardcover book around town, this book is for you.

Although "Unlucky in Law" takes a very long time to get to the point, and although I almost gave up several times, I'm so glad I didn't. Because once the tedious and long beginning is done with, the story is one of the best in the Nina Reilly series.

Nina has now moved down to be with Paul, and as always, she is conflicted about the relationship. What else is new? But this time, we see some things from Paul's perspective, and that is both interesting and unique to the series...and adds some real interest to their dynamic.

While Nina is, as always, grappling with her personal feelings, she gets pulled into a case that first appears to be a simple murder--and winds up embroiled in Russian history, all the way back to the last Czar! Nina's client, a hapless young man named Stefan, is accused of the brutal murder of a young woman of Russian descent whom he swears he never met. But his blood was found at the scene of the crime. And the DNA is conclusive.

Hopeless? Nina doesn't think so--something doesn't rub her right, and she's going to find out what. Even if it means destroying her personal life.

Worth the read, worth the series. Give it a try.

Nina Reilly has left Lake Tahoe to spend some time with her longtime lover and PI, Paul van Wagoner in Monterey, partly to sort out their future. She gets a call from an old mentor,Klaus Pohlman, who asks for her help on what appears to be a straightforward murder case. Nina agrees to help with the case and gets taken on a puzzling trip down "history" road. Her client, Stefan Wyatt, a neer-do-well young man, already has two convictions and,if convicted again, is headed for life in prison. He is accused of murdering a young woman,Christina Zhukovsky, and burying her body in her father's grave but removing the father's bones. According to DNA tests blood on glass shards found in Christina's home is Stefan's.

But things are not what they seem. Paul and Nina discover that Christina's father, Constantin Zhukovsky, has links to the Romanov dynasty which was overthrown by the Bolsheviks in 1918. We are led down meandering paths until the identity of the murderer is revealed in the last few pages. This is one of the best-plotted novels in the Nina Reilly series.

Nina O'Reilly is spending some personal time with her boyfriend, Paul van Wagoner in Monterey County. He old boss and mentor, Klaus Pohlmann calls on Nina to be second chair in a tricky case. Stefan Wyatt took a job digging up the bones of an old Russian émigré. As he was digging he came upon the body of a young woman. Stefan is now accused of her murder. Not only was Stefan at the scene of the crime, but his blood was found in her apartment. Nina's role in the case becomes bigger and more involved when Klaus is seemingly unprepared to handle the complex and at times bizarre case.

This book jumped right in to the courtroom with barely any set up of the case. We learn a lot of the facts from a courtroom perspective. Overall, it made the story seem disjointed and not suspenseful. As characters were introduced, it was confusing because we really did not know what was going on. I muddled through the book, but as I was reading along, I really felt I was wasting precious time. Don't waste yours.

I have been a fan of this series from the beginning. "Unlucky in Law" seems to be a stretch to find an unusual plot but rehashing the mystery of the Russian dynasty didn't work for me. The twist of the DNA found at the crime scene was used on CSI earlier this year so that wasn't a surprise either.

Nina is busy with the case and and the same time trying to decide where her life is headed and whether or not it includes Paul. Her unwillingness to commit to him over the duration of most of this series has told us all along where their relationship was headed. Of course it is easier for her to dump him when Paul strays.

It's not a totally terrible addition to the series but it is certainly not the best. I look forward to the next entry and hope that Nina back in Tahoe without Paul will bring some excitement back into what has been, for the most part, a good series.

This book started off very well, fascinating story, and kept my interest most of the way, but it came apart in the final fourth part. One is left twirling at the complexity of the case, plus the upheavel in Nina's ralationship with Paul. He's been hanging on for what? nine years. He deserves better.

Attorney Nina Reilly moved from Tahoe to Carmel, California to spend time with her lover private investigator Paul van Wagoner to see if they can make it. As Paul offers her diamonds and great sex, her mentor whom she once clerked for, Klaus Pohlmann, a terrific trial lawyer, asks for her help in court. However, Klaus is not what he once was as his mind wanders with his colleagues at Pohlmann, Cunningham, Turk wondering if the great man should retire.

The client, two-time loser Stefan Wyatt, is accused of murder, grave robbing and grave burying as he is accused of stealing valuables from one corpse and interring a fresh body, that of a fellow student. If convicted of any of the counts, Stefan would become a long time guest of the State due to California's Third Strike law. Nina leads the inquiries with Paul's' help that connect back to Tsarist Russia; she also provides much of the legalese at the trial as she acts more like first seat than her befuddled mentor.

UNLUCKY IN LAW is an interesting legal thriller due to Nina's dilemma to be married or not to be married that is the question and the deterioration of the keen mind of Klaus (even her son Bob waits breathlessly). However, the key courtroom drama seems off kilter and never quite hooks the jury (reader). Still the investigation is fun to follow with its ties to Tsarist Russia and Anastasia on top of whether Nina and Paul move on or move out.

Harriet Klausner

Unlucky in Law is the tenth in the Nina Reilly legal thriller series. In this entrant, Reilly has temporarily relocated to Monterey County to be closer to Paul, her boyfriend. The law firm Nina worked for at the beginning of her career has also offered her work on a murder trial, acting as second to an old and respected former mentor. This creates a background of indecision that plagues Nina throughout the book. Her commitment to Paul wavers, Nina's high-school age son wants to move back to Tahoe, and although Nina enjoys the firm she is working at, she misses her private practice. The writing duo of "Perri O'Shaughnessy" finely illustrates Nina's soul searching, and Nina's hesitancy in making personal decisions adds tension to a challenging trial.

Nina and her former mentor have taken on what seems to be case they are sure to lose. The defendant has left incriminating evidence at a murder scene, and has confessed to grave robbing, including an artifact of sufficient value to present a felony case. Nina has only two weeks to prepare, and her former boss has done a very poor job in getting ready for the trial. Nina's anxiety, and desire to free the client she has come to believe is innocent, is nearly a tangible feeling for the reader.

The storyline twists and turns to include a connection with the last Tsar of Russia, family secrets that change the entire trial, and deepening problems between Nina and Paul. Although I am not a fan of exploitation of the Romanov family as a plot device, the writing skills of "Perri O'Shaughnessy" make this ploy acceptable. The trial unfolds with enough surprises to almost border on the improbable, but the quality of writing will keep most readers engaged. Any fan of legal thrillers or female sleuths will enjoy this book, and look forward to the next installment.

Fairly slow and uninteresting at the begining, but picked up the pace later on

Paul is a hunk, who will Nina's heart pick now?

The saga continues...

Attractive, highly intelligent lawyer Nina Reilly is a force to be reckoned with. However, in this the 10th story to star this in-your-face California gal there's a dark force that may just reckon with her.

Laural Merlington again gives compelling voice to a story that'll hold listeners until the final syllable.

Nina's enjoying some much deserved r&r with the man of her heart, private investigator Paul van Wagoner. Major interruption: a telephone call from her boss Klaus Pohlman handing her a nightmarish case. However, she can hardly say no to the honcho at her firm so she settles in to defend Stefan Wyatt, a known felon. Hardly an estimable track record!

Remember I said "nightmarish" - Stefan has been grave robbing, disturbing the eternal rest of a Russian emigre. Further, a second body was discovered in the grave, a woman whom Stefan knew and he's accused of murdering her. What jury will believe in his innocence or that what Nina and Paul eventually discover dates back to czarist Russia?

Imaginative plotting and likable lead characters make this a worthy listen.

- Gail Cooke