High Crimes

Rating:
Summary: A very, very scary book
Review:

My practically perfect spouse brought this book home from the library. I settled in to read a few pages before bed.

That was four hours and 300+ pages ago. I finished it in one sitting and was riveted from start to finish.

Yes, there are some obvious errors....Claire and her team should have believed Embry and looked for another source of their leak....and, why was there no formal investigation of the sabatoge on Claire's car....and, why didn't someone follow up on those early morning phone calls?

Even with those glitches, I found this book to be one of the most interesting, complex and suspense-filled stories to come down the pike in a while. I'm a long-time suspense/thriller/mystery reader -- I remember when Ludlum was GOOD, so I was delighted to find a new voice in my favorite genre.

Keep it up, Mr. Finder!

Rating:
Summary: Few Titles Compare, Absolutely Genius!
Review: As someone who despises the corruption far too often found in American government and fascinated with the workings of our legal system - both civilian and otherwise - this title really was a grand slam with me. It was entertaining while still being down to earth and representative of the issues any trial lawyer with scruples must wrestle with.

The pace at which this title keeps the reader turning pages is ferocious and accuracy of the legal events in the title is astounding. At the same time, a sense of realism and a sense of normalcy is maintained throughout. At several times the reader is startled by unexpected events to keep him going.

But perhaps the most startling event of all is the ending. In nearly all cases... the knowledgeable reader already has a good idea what the ending will be before reading 75% of the title and is rarely shocked by the ending. There are plenty of hairpin turns and sharp corners in this book, none are more abrupt than the ending which leave the reader both satisfied and puzzled.

Rating:
Summary: Are The Book And Movie The Same? Or Different?
Review: As usual the book is better than the movie. Having seen the movie first, I hesitated reading this legal thriller about a woman who is a Harvard law professor and a highly regarded defense attorney who defends her husband in a military trial. He is accused of killing 87 unarmed civilians in San Salvador thirteen years previous. He had been living with wife Claire Heller Chapman as Tom Chapman, a new identity for this Special Forces soldier named Ronald Kubik.

Claire is shocked and overwhelmed when he is arrested and charged. After realizing he will be convicted quickly in a military court, she decides to apply her skill as a gifted defense attorney and defend him. She must learn the nuances of military jurisprudence, so she hires ex-JAG attorney, Charles O. Grimes III ( Morgan Freeman in the movie).

Claire wants desperately to believe her husband is not a killer, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. As the evidence is presented, she raises creative challenges that would normally cause reasonable doubt in a civilian jury. However, the judge doesn't give her any favorable rulings and Claire realizes she is working against a stacked deck. This realization helps extinguish any lingering doubt that something is wrong and convinces her of Tom's professed innocence.

This multi-layered plot helped erase my own doubt about the time I spent reading a story of which I already knew the outcome. There is enough difference in the storyline as well as in the complexity of the plot that I was actually unsure if the book would end in the same way as the movie. There is enough difference to recommend the book for both those who have seen the movie and those who haven't to find out how it ends. I think you will be pleasantly satisfied.

Rating:
Summary: Nearly impossible to put down!!
Review: High Crimes was almost impossible to put down. Thankfully I read this book over the Thanksgiving holiday, when some serious time could be allocated to relaxing and reading. High Crimes is a fast-paced, enjoyable read from the very beginning. There is action, excitement, intrigue, and frequent plot twists. In the story itself, law professor Claire Chapman comes to defend her husband, Tom Chapman, against charges that he committed a military atrocity under a different identity while serving in the US Army. Although some of the action is predictable, confusion, uncertainty, and surprise is the general rule, thus driving the reader to want to read "just one more chapter." I strongly recommend High Crimes. It should prove to be an entertaining read. The only downside is that it will be over all to quickly.

Rating:
Summary: wow
Review: I started to read this book during a boring day at work. I could not put it down! This is one of the best thrillers i've read in a very long time, probably since i finished the majority of robin cook's books years ago. High Crimes is truely a riveting page turner. The only thing that saddens me is that apparently the movie version is going to be completely different! Tom's assumed name is Tom Kubic and his real identity is Ronald Chapman and the story doesn't take place in Cambridge as Finder writes but in Marin County, CA. There's no Annie either...well you know what they always say..."the book is better than the movie".

Rating:
Summary: Power Couple powered up
Review: Things are perfect in Claire Chapman's world, so you know an enormous fly is about to land in the ointment of her life: her perfect husband Tom is arrested for a 13 year-old massacre of 87 civilians in Latin America - a crime he says he didn't commit. It's a real comedown after a magazine has asked Claire and her husband to feature in their article on Power Couples. Good thing she's a hotshot lawyer and teaches at Harvard Law School. Despite her talents, Claire has her work cut out: Tom was in the military when he was supposed to have killed the innocents, and in civilian life, as in war, the military don't take prisoners. Despite a few flaws this is an excellent legal thriller. Claire is a bit too perfect to be believable (although she can't cook) - and one wonders how Tom kept his former life and identity secret from his wife of three years, as well as the rest of the world. Nevertheless, the courtroom exchanges, the web of deceit spun by Government agencies and a stand-out, unexpected ending make this a dark and exciting read.