Motion to KillBy Joel GoldmanLou Mason is a lawyer with a case to prove. When Lou's partner Richard Sullivan is killed, Lou is among the suspects. Then Lou is assigned the job of going through his dead partner's files to find out what kind of funny business was going on between the firm Lou works for and a client, O'Malley, who is under criminal investigation. Only Lou is good at his job and begins to find out more than anyone wanted him to know, as the body count rises so does Lou's evidence of what was really going on, making him a risk who simply has to put out of circulation. Can you survive knowing too much?Joel Goldman does a great job taking Lou Mason from the world of ties and business suits to the kick-ass world of mobsters, murder and self-defense. Lou thought he knew his limits before, could be he was wrong as he gets a new education in life the way the dark side lives it. The mob is embroiled in everything Lou is trying to uncover. Everywhere he turns he discovers new signs of their corruption of people he previously thought beyond their reach. Motion to Kill is rich drama set in against the background of a law firm that may have taken part in some illegal activities to help a client out. The lead partner of the firm turns up dead days after asking Lou Mason to lose some critical documents so they don't turn up in the criminal investigation Lou is defending. Lou said no, but now his boss is dead and the evidence points to Lou as one of the suspects. It's in Lou's best interest to discover the killer but along the way he finds out more than he thought possible and he becomes a target for more than one murderer.Goldman does a good job of developing the tension in this somewhat complicated story line. The clues are all there for the conclusion so it makes perfect sense once it comes along. The use of foreshadowing is perfect, just enough to make you satisfied that you guessed the direction the story was heading but not so much that it gives the story away. You have to keep reading to discover if your theories are right and even then Goldman keeps throwing in surprises until the very end. Overall it was a really entertaining read and I recommend it.
Imagine you're on the high dive, scared to death, and you jump off, blindfolded. Halfway down, you can't tell if the pool is full of water or not. That feeling of absolute vulnerability and uncertainty is what graces Lou Mason.It is that rush, that excitement of knowing that the main character DOESN'T KNOW enough to protect himself and just enough to know he is in danger.As the story unfolds, Lou strikes out, makes mistakes, is lied to and mislead. His very relationships with others is either setting him up or helping him out. Even after you know what's going on, Lou is not certain if the journey was to his benefit or not.It is this multidimensionality that makes Lou feel a part of you as you read. He, like you, is not sure what is going to happen next. He, like you, wants to survive. He, like you, is not sure that he can surmount the challenges.Goldman writes in the between of what has happened, and what will happen. Whereas other crime novels have the main character be an amazing superhero, with all the needed tools, Lou is not only human, he's beyond human, with all the frailty and nobility that entails.Do yourself a favor and read this book, and every book by Goldman (His Jack Davis series is even more compelling).Even though I read these a little out of order, as soon as I read my first Goldman book, I bought the rest and enjoyed all of them.
What do You think about Motion To Kill (2011)?
I started this book on Thursday for a Saturday book review and finished it on Friday. I was not familiar with Joel Goldman previously. I also am not usually too interested in lawyer novels, with the notable exception of John Lescroart, who I think is the best in the business in that area. The description on Amazon says to think Jack Reacher meets Mickey Haller and you have Lou Mason. There is nothing Reacher or Haller like about Mason. He is much better! He is a lot like Dismas Hardy. I was expecting him to buy part of the bar with Blue at the end of the book. Lou is the junior member of a law firm. When the senior partner ends up dead, he is chosen to be lead lawyer. Think Rocky Balboa. He was put in charge because they thought he was controllable. Things get really complicated and another senior member ends up dead and Mason goes through a series of death defying events. Lou and Sandra, another junior member get fired, and along with Lou's best friend Blue, they set about making things right. There are obvious bad guys and the trick is fitting the pieces of the puzzle together that lead to the local players. Surprises? You are in for more than a fewas you consider and eliminate possibilities. This is an easy 5 stars and I highly recommend it!
—Jeff Benham
This book was available through the Kindle Lending Library. I picked it up because of the comparison to and recommendation from Michael Connelly. I happen to love Michael Connelly's books but Motion to Kill was a disappointment.I can understand the comparison of the authors; it is the story type. Motion to Kill, however, seems written by an amateur. It was not a page turner and I had no problem putting it down at night. Perhaps the writing style grows in future novels. The story was not bad but it was just run of the mill stuff.Also, Kindle version had a couple typos/errors. A missing word here and there and a couple of grammatical errors ..
—Laura
I received this book from a blog tour. Murder mystery is not my usual preference but this book was a nice surprise.I love books that have great characters. I think I have found a new favorite character in Lou Mason. He is sharp, witty, and not too full of himself. Lou finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery. The law firm that he has been a part of for the past three months is drenched in corruption. Lou needs to find out who murdered one of the partners before he becomes the next dead body. I find it funny what sticks in my mind and helps me love a character more. I connected to Lou over coffee. In one part of the book there is a line that says "Mason had never developed a taste for coffee and still felt like a kid when he was the only one sucking on apple juice." I loved Lou a little bit more at this point. Like Lou I never developed a taste for coffee. My kind of guy.This book kept me on the edge of my seat with all the twists and turns to the plot. There were many characters on this canvas who played their roles well. I was guessing up to the very end as to who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. The story took off from the start and never slowed down. I enjoyed reading this book and will most likely be back for more.
—Jennifer
