Customer Reviews

Wild Justice: A Novel

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Margolin is back with another wonderful thriller. This author takes the "mystery/thriller" to the limit and this book is no exception. A great read to the end with lots of twists and turns.

We start with a series of killings in the woods. A local surgeon (who is absolutely loathsome) is seen as a likely suspect. He engages the services of successful attorneys Carodoni and his daughter Amanda. From the get go, Amanda is not comfortable with the whole situation and doesn't like her client. Things only get worse from there...

Absolutely fast paced and exciting reading. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the author takes yet another turn and you are not so sure anymore.

This is a complex, churning and very challenging story that will keep you guessing until the last page. I recommend this one!

It has seemed like a long time since Phillip Margolin wrote his last novel and when you like this writer as much as I do, two years IS a long time. But,the wait has been worth it. Others here have detailed the nuance of the story and the characters therein and they have done it quite well. If you like fast paced action, if you like a good mystery, if you like grown up writing, if you are looking for a real page turner, look no further. This one is for you.

And,if it is another two years before we hear from this author again, I won't complain. He clearly waits until he has something he can be proud to put his name on, unlike some of the other prolific and popular writers we have seen of late.

First of all, Phillip Margolin is one of the very best of his genre. I would say anyone who loves a good scary crime novel should read this. I don't find many page turners, but this one was. In fact, all Margolin's books are exceptional. For a "look under the bed and around the room in the dark" kind of read, read this. I don't like to give away plots or endings, so from one scary book reader to another, try it.

I've read Margolin's books since I came across 'The Burning Man' but I've been sorely disappointed by every one of them since because they have never approached the power or the storytelling of that book. While this one is very much different than 'The Burning Man', it is a great page turner. I found the story to be inventive, if not twisted. Although, I figured out who the killer was with about 100 pages to go, there were so many plot twists that I doubted my conclusion several times. The ending was tension-filled and full of poetic justice. I'll be reading more.

Maybe my judgement of this book was affected by my growing lack of patience for books about doctors and lawyers, but I felt that it was much more artificial in plot and character than I would have expected from Phillip Margolin. Almost from the first page one senses a kind of stiffness in the dialogue and shallowness in the presentation of character that might more reasonably be expected from an inexperienced writer. And what really kills any enjoyment a reader may have in the story is the absolute predictablility of the outcome. The author's deliberate misdirection in trying to set up a villain straw man so that readers don't realize who the murderer really is, is painfully obvious, and doesn't work. Neither does the book.

Wild Justice was my first book by Phillip Margolin. After Wild Justice I raced back to read the reviews of his other books and then ordered them. AND I will be watching for his next book!

In Wild Justice, Dr. Vincent Cardoni, a surgeon with a disgusting personality and abusive temperment appears to have created a horrifying crime. Amanda Jaffe, an inexperienced new criminal defense lawyer is anxious to get her chance in court, but is concerned about getting Cardoni found not guilty when he may actually be a serial killer. Cardoni claims he was "set up" After he is freed, he stages his own death, and years later his wife Justine,also a doctor, is accused of the same kind of murders that Cardoni had been accused of. She too claims she has been set up. The only thing for certain is that many innocent people have been tortured and killed. Who is this serial killer? Read the book!

This book is so fast-paced and sensational; just what a thriller should be. Unfortunately, it does something a thriller NEVER should do -- give away the killer in the first 1/3 of the book. With one sentence, Phillip Margolin handed me the ending of this book and that's why it only warrants four stars from me instead of five. One thing that Margolin does do is explain right away what the title of the book means in a quote by Francis Bacon, "Revenge is a kind of wild justice." And, therein lies the essence of this book -- REVENGE.

Phillip Margolin gives us a cast of characters each one more despicable than the next. Vincent Cardoni is a brilliant surgeon; he's also an abrasive and arrogant cocaine addict. Justine Castle is his beautiful soon-to-be ex-wife; also a surgeon with a dubious past. Clifford Grant is another surgeon who also has a side business -- he sells donor organs on the black market but, unfortunately, his donors didn't agree to give him their organs. All three of these doctors work for the famed St. Francis Hospital in Portland, Oregon. The first piece of advice that Margolin should be giving people is to STEER CLEAR OF THIS HOSPITAL. When an isolated cabin in the woods is searched as a result of an anonymous tip, a gruesome plot unfolds taking the reader on a roller coaster ride. Vincent Cardoni is arrested and hires Frank Jaffe, a renowned criminal attorney and his daughter, Amanda, who is just starting out in her father's firm. All of the evidence points to Cardoni and, even if he isn't guilty, everyone abhors him so much that he might just as well be guilty. The plot thickens and Cardoni claims he is being set up. When Cardoni disappears and the crimes suddenly begin again in his absence, the real story starts.

Having read Margolin's bestseller, Gone But Not Forgotten, many years ago, it's hard not to want the same thrill each time you read a book by this author. I'm sure it must be harder for Margolin to live up to these expectations. While Wild Justice is certainly not on a par with that book, it has enough plot twists and turns to satisfy most readers of this genre. Like I mentioned before, if only he hadn't made it so easy to figure out, it would have been a much better read.