Wild Justice Low Price CD [Paperback]

Phillip Margolin (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: HarperAudio (2004)
• ASIN: B000OEU9DK
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)

More About the Author

I grew up in New York City and Levittown, New York. In 1965, I graduated from the American University in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor's degree in government. I spent 1965 to 1967 in Liberia, West Africa, as a Peace Corps volunteer, and graduated from New York University School of Law in 1970, working my way through the last two years by teaching junior high school at night in the South Bronx. My first job following law school was a clerkship with Herbert M. Schwab, the chief judge of the Oregon Court of Appeals, and from 1972 until 1996, I was in private practice, specializing in criminal defense at the trial and appellate levels. As an appellate attorney I have appeared before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the Oregon Supreme Court, and the Oregon Court of Appeals. As a trial attorney, I handled all sorts of criminal cases in state and federal court, and have represented approximately thirty people charged with homicide, several of whom faced the death penalty. I was the first Oregon attorney to use battered women's syndrome to defend a woman accused of murdering her spouse.

Since 1996, I have been writing full-time. All of my novels have been bestsellers. Heartstone, my first novel, was nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for an Edgar for best original paperback mystery of 1978. My second novel, The Last Innocent Man, was made into an HBO movie. Gone, But Not Forgotten has been sold to more than twenty-five foreign publishers and was made into a miniseries starring Brooke Shields. It was also the Main Selection of the Literary Guild. After Dark was a Book of the Month Club selection. The Burning Man, my fifth novel, published in August 1996, was the Main Selection of the Literary Guild and a Reader's Digest condensed book. My sixth novel, The Undertaker's Widow, was published in 1998 and was a Book of the Month Club selection. Wild Justice (HarperCollins, September 2000) was a Main Selection of the Literary Guild, a selection of the Book of the Month Club, and was nominated for an Oregon Book Award. The Associate was published by HarperCollins in August 2001, and Ties that Bind was published by HarperCollins in March 2003. My tenth novel, Sleeping Beauty, was published by HarperCollins on March 23, 2004. Lost Lake was published by HarperCollins in March 2005 and was nominated for an Oregon Book Award. Proof Positive was published by HarperCollins in July 2006. Executive Privilege was published by HarperCollins in May 2008 and in 2009 was given the Spotted Owl Award for the Best Northwest Mystery. Fugitive was published by HarperCollins on June 2, 2009. Willamette Writers gave me the 2009 Distinguished Northwest Writers Award. My latest novel, Supreme Justice, was published by HarperCollins in May 2010. My next novel, Capitol Murder, will come out in April 2012.

On October 11, 2011, HarperCollins will publish Vanishing Acts, my first Young Adult novel, which I wrote with my daughter, Ami Margolin Rome. Also in October, the short story "The Case of the Purloined Paget," which I wrote with my brother, Jerry, will be published by Random House in the anthology A Study in Sherlock.

In addition to my novels, I have published short stories and nonfiction articles in magazines and law journals. My short story "The Jailhouse Lawyer" was selected for the anthology The Best American Mystery Stories 1999. The House on Pine Terrace was selected for the anthology The Best American Mystery Stories 2010.

From 1996 to 2009 I was the president and chairman of the Board of Chess for Success. I am still heavily involved in the program, and returned to the board after a one-year absence in 2010. Chess for Success is a nonprofit charity that uses chess to teach study skills to elementary- and middle-school children in Title I schools . From 2007 to the present, I have been on the Board of Literary Arts, which sponsors the Oregon Book Awards, the Writers in the Schools program, and Portland Arts and Lectures.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this thriller by Phillip Margolin!, September 25, 2000

By 

Nancy R. Katz "NancyK18" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wild Justice (Hardcover)

Run as fast as you can and pick up a copy of this book. That's right. I said run, so don't be walking. Of the several other books which Phillip Margolin has written, and I have read all of them, this is his very best. The action is so fast paced that the pages turn themselves and before you want it to end, you will be closing the book.

In Wild Justice, I found the characters to be so finely drawn and described, it is as if we know them well. And be prepared for a plot which twists and turns and scenes which will send shivers up and down your body as an out of control doctor is arrested and tried for a series of gruesome murders, only to be let go due a technicality. Then years later when it appears as though Dr. Vincent Cardoni is long dead, the police find evidence of bodies murdered in the same manner but this time the doctor's ex-wife Justine Castle is found guilty.

Added to this roller coaster ride of a book, is a young laywer employed by her father's legal firm who not only represents the good doctor but also his wife. And while I won't say anything more I would love to see Mr. Margolin write another book with some of these same characters.

Wild Justice is a wonderful thriller which can easily take its place among the novels written by both James Patterson and Jonathan Kellerman among other noted writers of this genre. I only hope it doesn't take Mr. Margolin too long to write his next book because until then, I'll be waiting.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!, September 4, 2000

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wild Justice (Hardcover)

Detective Bobby Vasquez receives an anonymous tip that a major cocaine deal is about to go down in a secluded mountain cabin. Without warrants or backup he breaks into the cabin and instead of discovering cocaine, discovers two severed heads in the refrigerator of a basement operating room. There is also a bloody scalpel and a half full coffee mug sitting on the counter, both with fingerprints. After calling in reinforcements, the police find a mass grave with nine corpses. All have obviously been tortured and some are missing vital organs. All evidence points to Dr Vincent Cardoni, an unsympathetic, cocaine addicted surgeon with a bad temper. He promptly hires Frank Jaffe and his daughter, Amanda to handle his defense, stating he was framed by his wife. Even though the evidence is overwhelming, the Jaffes get him off on a technicality. He promptly disappears, leaving his severed hand behind. Considered dead, the police close the case. Fast forward four years. Another killing field is found at another secluded cabin with evidence almost identical to the first, including bloody scalpel and mug of coffee. Only this time, all evidence points to Dr Cardoni's ex-wife, surgeon Justine Castle. She immediately calls the Jaffes to defend her and this time their investigation leads to a roller coaster of a ride, to the stunning conclusion of this novel. Wild Justice has it all...great, believable characters, tight plot, compelling mystery and enough twists and turns to keep you off balance and guessing to the very last page. This is a fast paced, page turner you won't be able to put down and will have to read in one sitting. And when you're through with this book, just thinking about it will keep you up all night. Phillip Margolin is back and better than ever. One of the best books I've read all year. Wild Justice is definately headed for all the best sellers lists.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Rather Pedestrian Thriller, September 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Wild Justice (Hardcover)

Several years ago, Phillip Margolin wrote what I consider to be one of the cleverest and most exciting thriller/mysteries I have ever read. Ever since then, Mr Margolin has attempted to match that early success; in his latest, the jacket even states that Wild Justice is a "return to the haunting terrain of Gone But Not Forgotten." Unfortunately, though Wild Justice is a decent thriller, it is no Gone But Not Forgotten. It is not as well-written, the characters are shallow caricatures, and, perhaps worst of all, the killer becomes pretty obvious about half way through. Mr. Margolin is so intent on throwing red herrings at us that he makes figuring out the real villain quite easy. Having said all that, the book is a quick read and does contain some exciting moments, but simply not enough of them. I had high hopes for Wild Justice and will continue to read Mr. Margolin's future books in hopes that he can recapture what he once had. But I suggest that those in search of a good mystery put this book down and go find a copy of Gone But Not Forgotten.