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Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: Julia Valenciano is a young, ambitious Miami prosecutor. Assigned to a hectic trial division with an ornery judge, just getting through the day can be a challenge. When Julia is asked to second chair a case that could very well make or break her career, she doesn't hesitate to jump on board. The defendant: a successful Miami surgeon. The victims: his own wife and small children. The plea: Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity. The perfect father. The perfect husband. Dr. David Marquette seemingly just snapped one night. Or did he? His defense team claims paranoid delusions caused by schizophrenia drove him to slaughter his entire family. But the state suspects that Marquette's insanity defense is being fabricated to disguise murders that were cold-blooded and calculated. And the evidence appears to be mounting that Marquette may be responsible for other unsolved murders around the state as well---murders that bear the frightening signature of a serial killer. It's Julia's first murder trial and her first insanity defense, and the stakes are incredibly high. If convicted, Marquette faces the ultimate penalty---death. If found insane, he could walk free. To bring a killer to justice, Julia will have to journey into the mind of madness herself. For her, the trial of Dr. David Marquette will mean more than just disarming a legal defense; it will take her on a personal journey back into her own past---a past she has struggled for fifteen years to forget. And it will bring her face to face with a future that is so frightening, she's not sure she ever wants to see it..… (more)
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The author very much wanted to explore the reality of schizophrenia which did mean that she left a few ends hanging. But it was still a satisfying read even if some of the characters were a little bit unconvincing at times.
The defendant is a successful surgeon. The victims are his wife and small children. The plea is Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity. The perfect father and husband, David Marquette seemingly just snapped one night. Or did he? His defense team claims schizophrenic delusions drove him to slaughter his whole family. But the state suspects Marquette's insanity defense to be the carefully fabricated work of a deviant psychopath, crafted to disguise murders that were calculated and cold-blooded.
If convicted, Marquette faces the ultimate penalty--death. If found insane, he could walk free. To bring a killer to justice, Julia will have to venture into the mind of madness herself, embarking on a journey into her own past - something she has struggled for to forget for fifteen years. And this will lead her to confront a future so chilling, she's not sure she will ever be able to face it...
Young assistant attorney Julia Valenciano gets a break and is assigned responsibility for prosecuting a case against Dr. David Marquette, a prosperous surgeon who brutally murdered his family.
When the case comes to trial, Marquette pleads not guilty by reason of
Is he really insane? Julia begins to wonder and the reader finds that Julia has a history of murder in her own family.
Julia was a mildly interesting character but I never developed a sense of sympathy for her. The doctor was difficult to find any redeeming qualities after such a brutal crime.
The author is an attorney and writes a clear picture of the trial process. However, I did not feel the urgency to see the story to the finish.
Julia Vacanti is a young Assistant State Attorney in Miami. She is a “B” prosecutor, usually assigned to second degree felonies. It is no wonder that everyone, including Julia, is surprised when she is asked to second seat the murder prosecution of Dr. Marquette. The Assistant Division Chief of Major Crimes, Rick Bellido, has asked for her personally. Julia can only hope that the request came because of her prosecution record, not because she and Rick are sleeping together. This is the type of case that can make or break a career, and Julia’s has really just started. Her aunt Nora begs her not to take the case. She feels the crime is too similar to the events that destroyed Julia’s own family when she was a child. When Dr. Marquette’s lawyer enters a plea of insanity on his client’s behalf, Julia is forced to re-examine the events that led to her own family tragedy.
This is a great legal thriller that will keep you hooked from beginning to end. Jilliane Hoffman is a major talent and I am looking forward to her next book, “Pretty Little Things”, due out in September 2010.
Personally, I often find these flaws distracting and unnecessary, adding nothing to the plot, but I suffer along because the vividness of the setting or intricacy of the story are appealing. But I always question the relevance of the backstory and often long for the elegance of Simenon, Leon, Christie, etc.
Julia Vacanti is a young ADA in Miami who is assigned the case of David Marquette, a physician who went nuts (term used advisedly) one night and stabbed his family to death. The case then revolves around Vacanti’s own troubled past (she should never, ever, in a million years, been permitted to work this case given what happen with her brother and family) and her concern with the possible inheritability of schizophrenia.
Vacanti’s romance with a lead detective was a bit forced, but the trial scenes were good.
Too bad. This could have been a terrific suspense read.
This book was originally published back in 2008, and although that isn’t all that long ago, this book had a dated feel to it, for some reason.
I have enjoyed several of the thought provoking legal thrillers Ms. Hoffman
When a man kills his entire family, he pleads insanity, which stirs up some truly horrific memories for second chair attorney, Julia Vacanti.
Nearly everyone believes the defendant is faking mental illness, but because of her own personal demons, Julia begins to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the killer is telling the truth, which of course provides her with a moral dilemma.
While this set up could have been very suspenseful, full of courtroom banter, and shed light on mental illness at the same time, it becomes a disorganized mess, instead.
The case is a mixture of notorious cases like Jeffrey MacDonald and Scott Peterson, with a Primal Fear element tossed it for good measure. But, the actual case takes a backseat to Julia’s personal issues. Julia is tense, makes lots of professional blunders, and allows her personal feelings to intrude on her career, which of course could have dire consequences. I have to say, I tried to like her, tried to relate, tried to understand her obsession, but ultimately I failed. I ended up being underwhelmed with the whole story, the characters, and the author’s long winded diatribes about mental illness, that cropped up at every turn. The courtroom drama lacked suspense, the dialogue was boring, and the little twist at the end was very anti-climatic.
This author is a capable writer, so maybe this is just a one off, which happens to nearly every author if they write often enough, so I’ll just put this one off to the side and forget it ever happened. I’m sure any future releases will measure up the level of quality I have come to expect from this author.