Rating: 
Summary: Philadelphia Gothic
Review: "Bitter Truth" is a grand novel of epic proportions, rich in detail, complex, and long. In this, the sequel to author William Lashner's debut, "Hostile Witness", he serves up a surprisingly gothic mystery with all the trimmings: a dark and decrepit mansion - "Veritas", the wealthy family with secrets that are literally buried, hidden passageways and, of course, murder. Throw in Lashner's usual cast of south Philly mobsters and other assorted bizarre supporting characters, and this adds up to one engrossing and entertaining read.Philadelphia lawyer Victor Carl has a history defending organized crime. He is approached by Caroline Shaw, an attractive young woman who, unbeknownst to Carl at the time, is heiress to the "Reddman" Pickle fortune. Caroline believes her sister's recent suicide was in fact a mob hit, and that she would be next. Given Car's connections to the underworld, enlists his help. Reluctant at first, but, envisioning a wrongful death law suit with millions of inheritance at stake, he eventually succumbs to greed and agrees to take the case. Carl is soon over his head in a delightfully convoluted tale of old money and old murder, deception, greed, and mayhem that span four generations and two continents. Street smart and self-depreciating, Victor Carl proves he can deal with street thugs and aristocratic bankers with equal ease. While neither fitting the mold of the competent lawyer of a Grisham novel, and certainly not the physically tough hero of a Lehane or Crais mystery, Carl is nonetheless an endearing and effective narrator. In summary, if you like a spooky old-fashioned thriller mystery with some real skeletons in the closet, engaging characters, intelligent dialog, and don't mind investing some time, (the paperback stretches to 568 pages), "Bitter Truth" is a highly recommended read.
Rating:
Summary: An original sequel
Review: First things first-"Veritas" is different from "Hostile Witness",i.e. it's NOT a courtroom drama. Say what you want,but this is a brave move for the author(can you remember another series with novels belonging to different sub-genres?)."Veritas" is Victor Carl playing Philp Marlowe.It's a really good novel with lots of interesting characters(including Beth,who is back working with Victor).The only drawback is that Victors mind isn't as sharp as Marlowes,so it sometimes takes him forever to come to raver obvious conclusions.I liked "Hostile Witness" better,but this one is still good.I admire Lashner for writing noir novel instead of another courtroom drama,but,to be honest, I hope the next one will be the latter.
Rating:
Summary: An original sequel
Review: First things first-"Veritas" is different from "Hostile Witness",i.e. it's NOT a courtroom drama. Say what you want,but this is a brave move for the author(can you remember another series with novels belonging to different sub-genres?)."Veritas" is Victor Carl playing Philp Marlowe.It's a really good novel with lots of interesting characters(including Beth,who is back working with Victor).The only drawback is that Victors mind isn't as sharp as Marlowes,so it sometimes takes him forever to come to raver obvious conclusions.I liked "Hostile Witness" better,but this one is still good.I admire Lashner for writing noir novel instead of another courtroom drama,but,to be honest, I hope the next one will be the latter.
Rating: 
Summary: Suspenseful, enjoyable novel...
Review: I "read" this novel as an unabridged audiobook and without having read "Hostile Witness", but I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot. Lashner did a great job of making Victor Carl a believable character, who is alternately annoying and appealing. I'm now returning for more of Lashner's writing in Hostile Witness...
Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful, enjoyable novel...
Review: I "read" this novel as an unabridged audiobook and without having read "Hostile Witness", but I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot. Lashner did a great job of making Victor Carl a believable character, who is alternately annoying and appealing. I'm now returning for more of Lashner's writing in Hostile Witness...
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing, but slow to read. Complicated, absurd ending.
Review: I bought Veritas while on an Alaskan cruise because, being a professor of languages, I was intrigued by its Latin title. The beginning, however was disappointingly slow paced. The redeeming feature seemed to be the variety of thought systems introduced by Victor, the lawyer hired to unravel the meaning behind the apparent suicide of a multimillion dollar pickle heiress. New age thought, mob connections, highly moral investigators, a saucy heroine and a mysterious garden finally lead the reader to the middle of the book where the many threads seem to become one story. The ending, like the beginning is twisted and complicated as the reader tries to remember who is who in the complicated bloodline. An emotional letdown occurs when "nothing" happens at the end that is unanticipated.
Rating:
Summary: It's an Excellent Read!
Review: I read Veritas 1st, then read his first novel, Hostile Witness. I would advise reading Hostile Witness before Veritas since the novels devleop Victor Carl's personality. Both books are excellent reading!
Wm. Lashner is a great writer. He creates an exciting story and also caused me to think about how I would react in the same situation.
I am looking forward to his future books!
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing sequel
Review: I read Veritas after reading Hostile Witness and found the author using the same old plot devices that seemed novel in the first - letters/statements from characters that explained complicated plot antecedents. While a lot of the dialogue is quite good, much is long declamatory prose that explicates the character or the plot. The intricacies of the relationships and the exaggerations of plot elements became unbelievable and sort of silly in what was meant to be a realistic novel. It just got sort of boring - I finished it but didn't care.
Rating:
Summary: William Lashner continues a good series
Review: I was impressed with Mr. Lashner's first work, and he delivers again with Veritas. Veritas is a continuation of Hostile Witness, with the same central characters - the lawyers, the mafia, and the private investigators. Victor Carl is still chasing the elusive big payout client, and he stumbles into what could be a very lucrative case. Different worlds collide in a very well written work, where Victor Carl is forced to confront exactly what wealth can and cannot do for you.
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Summary: Vacation in Belize
Review: I'm not into murder/mystery/lawyer novels, but I was in the bookstore buying a new book for an Easter vacation I was taking in Jamacia the next day and thought why not something different. Well the book was HOT, the weather was HOT & the Beach was HOT - my friends had to remind me to put more sunblock on I got so into the book. It hasn't made me an avid murder/mystery fan, but I did book a Christmas vacation in Belize!!
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