The Final Judgment

Rating:
Summary: interesting read
Review: Second book I have read of patterson's, will read more. Interesting story line, better character development in the second half and good flash back foundation. Found this book to be above average in all counts and will read more soon.

Rating:
Summary: interesting read
Review: Second book I have read of patterson's, will read more. Interesting story line, better character development in the second half and good flash back foundation. Found this book to be above average in all counts and will read more soon.

Rating:
Summary: Slow start, weak ending
Review: The Final Judgement was a decent book, but like other readers have found, I'm sure, the killer is no real mystery and the story takes some time to get into. The flashbacks into the past around the middle of the book give the book its only real depth. There is a surprise at the end, but it comes off dead. Don't make the mistake of expecting a courtroom thriller; this story is more about the Master's family and their past. A non-distracting vacation book or something to read when you have the flu.

Rating:
Summary: NOT A GREAT THRILLER-MYSTERY FROM RNP
Review: THIS BOOK IS PART MYSTERY WITH LITTLE COURT ROOM ACTION. OUT OF 498 PAGES, THE FIRST 350 DESCIBE THE CRIME AND DEVELOPS THE CHARACTERS. JUST WHEN IT IS GETTING INTERESTING THE NEXT PART FILLS IN THE BACKGROUND. IT IS NOT A PAGE TURNER. CAROLINE MASTERS THE LAWYER IS CALLED HOME FROM SF IN CA TO NH TO DEFEND HER NIECE. SINCE "CARO" IS UP FOR NOMINATION FOR A FEDERAL JUDGE POSITION, SHE DOES NOT WANT TO ANNOY THE PRESIDENT WHO KEEPS CALLING HER THE ENTIRE TIME SPAN OF THE STORY. SHE HAD LEFT HOME AND FAMILY 20 YRS AGO AND IS NOT HAPPY ABOUT RETURNING. YOU DO HAVE TO KEEP GUESSING WHO IS THE GUILTY ONE. PATTERSON BRINGS CARO TO THE SPARKLING DEFENSE LAWYER SHE IS BUT SHE DOES NOT WANT TO BE CRUEL TO THE PROSECUTOR WHO IS HER EX BOYFRIEND. SHE DOES SOME ILLEGAL THINGS TO ROOT OUT THE TRUTH TO PROVE HER NIECE NOT GUILTY. IN THE FINAL PAGES WE FIND OUT WHO HER NIECE REALLY IS AND PARTS PLAYED BY OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS IN MAKING CAROLINE MASTERS WHO SHE IS TODAY. THE ENDING IS NOT UNEXPECTED. I WAS GLAD TO REACH THE END OF THIS BOOK.

Rating:
Summary: Worth the Time
Review: This is the first book I have read by North Patterson. I usually read Grisham if I am looking for a lawyer/courtroom drama but felt lately like his books have been not keeping my interest. I thoroughly enjoyed The Final Judgment and will now buzz through his other books for a critical look. North Patterson managed to go back and forth in time with Caroline Masters in such a way that kept the interest of the reader for the past and present which is sometimes hard to achieve.

Rating:
Summary: filial
Review: This is the second Richard Paterson book I have read and it is better than the first one. Although this is a well written book with clever court scene dialogue, the whole story is very predictable. Caroline Master is not the type of unforgiving character one wishes to admire. Makes you wonder why in US, children just cannot wait to "grow up" and leave their parents no matter how much they love them and being well protected. What future Calorine has by running away with a fugitive whom she met only less than 3 months? Surely, this is more infatuation than love and will end up like one of the many divorces you see in US. It appears as if the author does seem to condone this from the novel. The niece is also no better off if she runs off with a drug addict criminal! I do not even agree with the author's choice of the murderer. Without giving the ending away, I find it difficult ot explained further but I am sure many will agree with me that it is not easy for someone to murder another in cold blood and such a savage manner just on motive alone.
It is difficult for me to explain why I am so dissapointed with this novel without giving the ending away and I shall be fair to those who intend to read the book anyway.

Rating:
Summary: Slow beginning, but towards the end I couldn't put it down.
Review: This is the third book of Patterson's I've read, and by coincidence, the character Caroline Masters was in all of them ... this time as the main character (the others were Degree of Guilt and Eyes of a Child). Although I had a hard time getting into the first half of the book, once I did I was hooked. Lots of flashbacks provided great background that made the characters come to life. The author kept me hanging on as he slowly doled out the pieces of information that brought the story all together to a very good ending.

Rating:
Summary: MY FINAL JUDGMENT -- IT'S A "10"
Review: When I give a book a five star rating, it means on a scale of 1-10, I have rated it an 8, 9 or 10. Believe me, very few books reach the "10" level but this one did. It's a case where Richard North Patterson's writing prowess is clearly evident.

If you've followed any of his earlier books, you'll know that he likes to bring back characters that he's already introduced you to in previous novels. The Final Judgment centers around one of my personal favorites, Caroline Masters, a character who put herself through law school and spent 15 years as a public defender before being appointed to a minor judgeship in the San Francisco Municipal Court. This appointment leads to a judge's dream. A high profile televised case is thrown in her lap where a well-known journalist is accused of killing an equally famous novelist. By the end of this trial, which occurs in Patterson's Degree of Guilt, Masters is a celebrity. Many offers pour in and Caroline chooses the one that would serve her ambitions and accepts a partnership in San Francisco's largest law firm. With the strength of this law firm behind her, in Eyes of the Child she ends up defending another high profile defense attorney who is accused of murder, once again putting her in the public eye.

As Final Judgment opens, we meet Caroline once again as she is waiting for the phone call that could change her life -- an appointment to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals which would put her one step away from her true goal in life -- a Supreme Court nomination. Just when it seems that Caroline's life is finally on track, she is summoned back home to New Hampshire to defend her niece who is accused of murdering her boyfriend. She hasn't been back there in over twenty years. Prior to this book, Caroline's private life has been an enigma. The only thing that the reader knows about her is that she is very fair, self-confident, intelligent and beautiful. We know virtually nothing about her personal life until it is finally revealed in this book. Richard North Patterson takes us back twenty-three years to Martha's Vineyard where Caroline's trust in her family was once shattered. In coming back to New Hampshire to defend her niece, it will be the first time she has seen her half sister and her father since then. What follows is a trial that proves Caroline's ability beyond a shadow of a doubt but also shows us the compassionate side of this possible future appellate court judge. This is an emotional story that starts out with Caroline finally realizing her dream of a high court judgeship yet could easily end with her finding herself empty handed as this trial becomes very public and her secrets could be revealed possibly ruining her chance to achieve her ultimate goal.

Of course, you have to read this book to find out if she ever makes it to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. I might even suggest reading all three of these books in order so you can appreciate, as much as I have, the development of this fascinating character. If you decide to do this, you have some excellent reading ahead of you.

Rating:
Summary: MY FINAL JUDGMENT -- IT'S A "10"
Review: When I give a book a five star rating, it means on a scale of 1-10, I have rated it an 8, 9 or 10. Believe me, very few books reach the "10" level but this one did. It's a case where Richard North Patterson's writing prowess is clearly evident.

If you've followed any of his earlier books, you'll know that he likes to bring back characters that he's already introduced you to in previous novels. The Final Judgment centers around one of my personal favorites, Caroline Masters, a character who put herself through law school and spent 15 years as a public defender before being appointed to a minor judgeship in the San Francisco Municipal Court. This appointment leads to a judge's dream. A high profile televised case is thrown in her lap where a well-known journalist is accused of killing an equally famous novelist. By the end of this trial, which occurs in Patterson's Degree of Guilt, Masters is a celebrity. Many offers pour in and Caroline chooses the one that would serve her ambitions and accepts a partnership in San Francisco's largest law firm. With the strength of this law firm behind her, in Eyes of the Child she ends up defending another high profile defense attorney who is accused of murder, once again putting her in the public eye.

As Final Judgment opens, we meet Caroline once again as she is waiting for the phone call that could change her life -- an appointment to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals which would put her one step away from her true goal in life -- a Supreme Court nomination. Just when it seems that Caroline's life is finally on track, she is summoned back home to New Hampshire to defend her niece who is accused of murdering her boyfriend. She hasn't been back there in over twenty years. Prior to this book, Caroline's private life has been an enigma. The only thing that the reader knows about her is that she is very fair, self-confident, intelligent and beautiful. We know virtually nothing about her personal life until it is finally revealed in this book. Richard North Patterson takes us back twenty-three years to Martha's Vineyard where Caroline's trust in her family was once shattered. In coming back to New Hampshire to defend her niece, it will be the first time she has seen her half sister and her father since then. What follows is a trial that proves Caroline's ability beyond a shadow of a doubt but also shows us the compassionate side of this possible future appellate court judge. This is an emotional story that starts out with Caroline finally realizing her dream of a high court judgeship yet could easily end with her finding herself empty handed as this trial becomes very public and her secrets could be revealed possibly ruining her chance to achieve her ultimate goal.

Of course, you have to read this book to find out if she ever makes it to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. I might even suggest reading all three of these books in order so you can appreciate, as much as I have, the development of this fascinating character. If you decide to do this, you have some excellent reading ahead of you.

Rating:
Summary: Among Hist Best
Review: While not the "standard fare" for Richard North Patterson, this was among his best novels. The characterization he brought to Caroline Masters and Sandy Stern was eloquent. In prior novels, Caroline was a supremely distant character whose history is now revealed and helps explain her behavior and mien in earlier novels. Sandy Stern continues to be something of an enigma, but he comes out being more "human" by the end of the tale.

As for the plot, I daresay there are a few flaws, most of which seem to come out during the lake scene. Beyond that, this novel is an extremely good read for those who enjoy not only plot, but character development as well. If character development is NOT something the reader enjoys, this is probably not the book for them.