Wild Justice (Amanda Jaffe Series)

by Phillip Margolin

2001

Status

Available

Publication

HarperTorch (2001), 416 pages

Description

Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: Performed by Anna Fields 8 1/2 hours/6 cassettes, unabridged Seven years ago, Phillip Margolin seized the imagination of thriller readers everywhere with his chilling breakout bestseller, Gone, but Not Forgotten. After five subsequent New York Times bestsellers, Margolin now returns to the haunting terrain of Gone, but Not Forgotten with a mesmerizing tour de force of psychological suspense, an electrifying tale of revenge and retribution that shows a master storyteller at the very peak of his craft. Thursday: Subject is still combative after four days of applied pain, sleep deprivation and minimal food. Vice squad detective Bobby Vasquez, for months on the trail of a slippery underworld figure, receives an anonymous tip that directs him to a mountain cabin. He races through the idyllic Oregon woods, expecting to close the book on a long-standing vendetta. What he finds instead opens a Pandora's box of horror that will haunt him to his dying day. 8:10: Subject bound and gaffed and placed in upstairs closet at end of hall. Turned out lights in house, drove off, then parked and doubled back. Watched from woods. Within hours, Vincent Cordoni �?? a brilliant surgeon with a history of violence and drug abuse �?? is arrested for a heinous crime. Facing a seemingly insurmountable wall of evidence, he turns to Portland's top criminal defense attorney, Frank Jaffe-who, along with his ambitious daughter, Amanda, must put on an inspired defense. Amanda's first taste of criminal defense work is as intoxicating as it is chilling, but it raises moral questions she's loath to address. Is she defending an innocent man? Or is she using her considerable skills to set a monster free? Then Cardoni disappears under bizarre circumstances. Four years later, a second set of murders has begun .... 8:55: Subject exits house, naked and barefoot, armed with kitchen knife. Remarkable strength of character. Breaking her will be a challenge. Has Cardoni resurfaced to ply his deadly trade anew? Is there a copycat killer? Or has the real killer been someone else all along? The police will do everything they can to stop Cardoni �?? but they have to find him first. Following a twisting trail of clues, including a harrowing diary that clinically records the killer's horrible deeds, Amanda Jaffe and Bobby Vasquez join the hunt-and themselves become targets of the twenty-first century's first genuinely monstrous psychop… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Bookmarque
This one I had figured half way through.
Amanda was a weird one. I think her character was forced. Very obvious thoughts had to be written down instead of letting her actions show her character. Margolin had to come right out and have an internal monologue from Amanda say that she didn’t need a
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man for identity, but that one would be nice to have around for companionship. If he had given more care to her character, he wouldn’t have had to spell it out.
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LibraryThing member DBower
I read Gone but Not Forgotten a few years ago and loved it but for some reason never picked up any more of this author's books. I recently picked up Wild Justice and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an easy read with great characters and a good storyline. Although the ending is not totally
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unpredictable you do need to follow the clues to figure it out. I definitely recommend this book.
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LibraryThing member TiffanyAK
I had to knock off a star because I guessed the identity of the killer far in advance of it being revealed as even a possibility. That being said, this was a quite entertaining murder mystery thriller that was well worth reading. I enjoyed reading it, and while I wouldn't be likely to read it
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again, I would recommend it to others.
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LibraryThing member susandennis
I have enjoyed Margolin's previous books but I don't think I've liked any as much as I did this one. Surgeon's selling body parts on the black market, torture for revenge, legal wranglings to get obviously guilty guys off… this story has it all and it's really laid out well. An excellent read.
LibraryThing member burritapal
This was just so-so.
Not that I myself have managed to write a book.

Awards

Oregon Book Awards (Finalist — Fiction — 2001)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2000

Physical description

416 p.; 4.19 inches

ISBN

0061030635 / 9780061030635

Barcode

1601741
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