The Murder List by Hank Phillip Ryan

My latest audio book was The Murder List by Hank Phillipi Ryan. This book was nominated for an Agatha Award this year.



About: "Law student Rachel North is the ultimate reliable narrator--she will tell you, without hesitation, what she knows to be true. She's smart, she's a hard worker, she does the right thing. She's successfully married to a faithful and devoted husband, a lion of Boston's defense bar. And her internship with the powerful District Attorney's office is her ticket to a successful future. 
Problem is--she's wrong. 

Rachel. Jack. Martha. Who is next on The Murder List?
And in this cat and mouse game--the battle for justice becomes a battle for survival.

The Murder List is a new standalone suspense novel in the tradition of Lisa Scottoline and B. A. Paris, (and of the intense legal thrillers from John Grisham and Scott Turow), from award-winning author and reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan."

As above, Rachel is a law student married to Jack Kirkland who is a very good and popular defense attorney in Boston. When Rachel is picked to intern with Martha Gardner, Jack is adamant that she not work with Martha. They have a history in the courtroom that he cannot overlook. Rachel convinces him this a good opportunity for her and she can handle Martha.

As the story progresses, we find out more about Rachel and her previous job as an assistant to a Senator. Before she met Jack. Before she went to law school. When one of the other assistants in the office is murdered, the Senator's wife is put on trial for the murder but is found innocent. Jack is her lawyer. Jack and Rachel meet and begin dating, eventually getting married.

Rachel works with Martha on a murder case. Martha is ruthless and doesn't like to loose. Seems like as a prosecuting attorney, she doesn't really care if the person on trial is innocent or guilty, she just wants to win.

The author goes back and forth between these two stories, weaving them together. There are some things that seem strange, but then explained. Just as you become mesmerized, something big happens and took me by surprise.

I did like the book. The audio book was really good because the narrator was so good. Her voice could place doubt and questions in your mind. At some point, I wondered when something was going to happen, or else it was kind of just an o.k. story. The mesmerizing part. But the ending was very suspenseful and fast paced.

I had also read Trust Me last year by the same author. I may have liked it a bit better, but I am certainly a fan of Hank Phillip Ryan. I would recommend this book if you like thrillers and suspense.