The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan
4 out of 5
There are more twists and turns in The Murder List than a roller coaster on steroids, with Ryan adeptly taking the reader into the minds of law student Rachel North, her criminal lawyer husband Jack Kirkland, and her new boss, DA Martha Gardiner, where North is interning for the summer. That in itself causes trouble in North’s marriage, as Kirkland and Gardiner have been adversaries on several occasions; both take losing a case personally.
Alternating between flashbacks of a murder case six years ago, where North served on the jury (and met her husband) but firmly rooted in present day, I was convinced midway through that I knew exactly what was going on and how this was going to end. Ryan, however, had other ideas, drawing me ever deeper into a web of lies and deception as Gardiner reinvestigates the old case, bringing rookie Rachel into the mix.
An enjoyable story told by a master storyteller, though there was far too much is made of a clip-on earring found at the murder scene – it seems like every woman in the book wears clip-ons, vs. pierced earrings. I personally don’t know anyone who wears clip-on earrings – didn’t even know you could still buy them. That dropped it down a point for me. 4 stars.
GOODREADS RATING SYSTEM:
5: It was amazing
4: really liked it
3: liked it
2: It was okay
1: didn’t like it
Best of Luck, Hank!!
Wait until you read Hank’s newest psychological thriller THE FIRST TO LIE. It has even more twists. Love her books and her encouragement of her fellow writers.
Thanks Beth. I will definitely read that one. Hank is the best when it comes to her encouragement of fellow authors. But my reviews are always based on my enjoyment of the book, and not the person. I wanted to give this one 5 stars but the earring thing really bugged me — especially the “tell” at the end. Don’t want to say more here in case it’s a spoiler for someone who hasn’t read it.