Not as good as the others in the seriesWilliam Bernhardt has a whole collection of books he has written concerning small-time lawyer Ben Kincaid and his (mis)adventures and legal maneuverings. Most of the books feature Ben and his ragtag office staff going against well-funded corporate lawyers or the District Attorney's office and somehow coming up with a win.Murder One is no different, except that it is not as good a book as the others he has written. In fact, I would not have reviewed this book for this forum at all except for the review quote on the cover that says, "...You never see the end coming." In today's over-hyped marketplace I've seen a lot of quotes like this, but this time it was true. I did not see it coming and that (and the accurate quote) deserves recognition.This book, however, only rates a "3 stars" from me - it did not stay true to the strong character development that was present in the other books and I thought Ben Kincaid strayed from the character that has been built throughout the rest of the books.I do, however, recommend any of his very early books - they are fun and well-written.http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/
wow...this was actually my first legal thriller ive read and if all Mr. Bernhardt's are like this then count me into reading them all as much as i can (afford)! Christina was an absolute hound she took over the scene graduating fresh out of law school nearly knocking Ben off his throne: keyword nearly. Ben was also an impressive one too. a profoundly intelligent type of fellow meticulous in his doings and confident in his work (so was Christina). as it came down to th last 20 or so pages thats when things became climatically intense. i double took on the situation, right then as it was happening it was definitely a twist to a story you would never forget. i absolutely loved the graphic details he put in this book. from Kirk getting beat up by three little hoodlums (getting in a few licks hisself) to the rough sex scene with him and the hooker Chantelle. a classic. i would recommend this to anybody who is a fan of legal thrillers cause i know i am. im also going to give John Grisham a try.
What do You think about Murder One (2001)?
Lawyer Ben Kincaid defends an exotic dancer accused of killing her policeman lover. He is able to get the case dismissed when it is revealed that the policeman never presented the search warrant requested but used a presigned warrant. The police get a warrant to search his office where the murder weapon is found and thus get an appeals court to reopen the murder trial without double jeopardy. Meanwhile the police arrest Ben and put the squeeze on him at the same time his client puts on her moves.
—Fredrick Danysh
