Rating: 
Summary: Kept my attention
Review: Summary:
Tate Collier is a retired prosecuting attorney that has mastered the art of rhetoric. When he convinces a jury to put the son of a famous but mentally unstable psychiatrist, Aaron Matthews, into prison for life he sets off a chain of events that will ultimately change his career, his relationship with his daughter Megan, and his ex-wife Betty; and not all of the changes are for the better. The book begins as Aaron kidnaps Megan during a supposed therapy session. However, Aaron isn't after a ransom; he's out for revenge. Having meticulously studied the lives of all of those near and dear to Tate, Aaron then begins a reign of havoc that ultimately results in a number of deaths and near deaths ranging from dog attacks to car wrecks and arson. But in the end it all boils down to rhetoric and manipulation - who is the master of the tongue. My Comments:
I listened to this book on CD on a road trip. The story kept my attention and was admittedly well thought out - setting up all of the right information to allow numerous twists and turns later in the book. Two of the main characters, Tate and Aaron, seemed convincing, but I was never really able to understand and imagine Megan, the other main character. Connie, a secondary character, also seemed to be well-developed, but Betty, Tate's ex-wife, wasn't convincing and ultimately played a smaller part in the story than her character warranted. The story itself had enough surprises to keep it interesting, though it was pretty implausible and required a substantial suspension of belief (which is fine with me but I always like to mention it). It also seemed as though the author had some points he wanted to make about the power of words, kind of an odd point to be made by an author, or, well, maybe it isn't seeing as how words are his livelihood. I guess if he can convince his readers of the power of words he can continue to convince them to buy his books. Anyway, some of the messages seem overt and some of the dialogue is a bit over the top. Overall, the book has a great story structure that doesn't necessarily keep you guessing but does keep you wondering what morbid thing is going to happen next. Most of the characters are well-developed, but some are pretty enigmatic and don't work very well. The book kept me entertained for the five hours that it took to listen to, but I can't speak for the text version. Not a bad book to take on a road trip; I'd recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Suspenseful
Review: This book held my attention from beginning to end. It goes to show that sticks and stones will hurt you and so can words. The battle of wits between the attorney and the psychologist was interesting. An enjoyable read.
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