Ties That Bind

Rating:
Summary: Another up-all-night page-turner from Phillip Margolin.
Review: Recovering from her run-in with "The Surgeon", lawyer Amanda Jaffe still has nightmares of the traumatic experience, but she returns to work, only to defend a man accused of killing a U.S. senator.

Amanda believes her client's innocence, and when he tells of having evidence that will link the senator to South American drug lords, she knows she must investigate.

The deeper Amanda becomes involved in this case, the deeper she throws herself into danger, as she will be forced to face a world of sex, escorts, lies, murder and a political conspiracy that has involved high-ranking judges, and public officials for over thirty years.

As the powerful men behind the plan close in on her, Amanda makes a shocking discovery'one that has a direct path to the presidency.

'Ties That Bind' is another powerful shocker from master thrill writer Phillip Margolin. Combining legal thrills with the dark underside of the political world, 'Ties That Bind' grabs you from the first page and holds you captive with each murder, plot twist and shocking discovery. As with all Margolin novels the writing is clean, the plotting razor sharp and the pace super-fast, and of course a surprise ending.

Phillip Margolin, a lawyer-turned-author, remains one of my favorite authors, he never strays from what he does best; writing great thrillers. Each new novel is action packed and full of thrills and 'Ties That Bind' is no different'it's intricately plotted with twists galore so expect to see this at the top of the best-seller lists.

Nick Gonnella

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 stars. Par for Margolin
Review: See book summary above.

If you can keep up with the plot and all its characters you'll find this to be a very rewarding thriller. There are some twists and turns you won't see coming, along with thrills and suspense.
This is an average novel by Margolin, which still makes it good.

Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting conspiracy theory action
Review: Since she was kidnapped and tortured on an earlier case, lawyer Amanda Jaffe has lived with flashbacks and panic--to the point where she's considering abandoning her career in criminal law. Being a court-appointed attorney to a pimp accused of murdering a senator and his lawyer is close to Amanda's ultimate nightmare. But as she investigates, she starts to wonder if some horrible miscarriage of justice might not be taking place.

Prosecuting attorney Tim Kerrigan should be happy. He's got a beautiful wife, a wonderful daughter, a Heisman trophy, and a father and friends pushing him for more--like becoming U.S. Senator and eventually even President. Tim has a problem with his self-worth, but his powerful friends are willing to make accomodations--and push him as far as he wants to go. But first, he's got to secure what should be an easy conviction in a death penalty case. Of course, there is the little matter of the blackmailing prostitute.

As Tim and Amanda explore the case they share, each begins to learn that there are powerful currents hidden beneath the surface. Amanda picks up vague hints of some sort of cabel--the rich and powerful take care of themselves and others, and stop at nothing to preserve their power. They might even have sent a lawyer to kill his own client--the man who is now her client. But if they are that powerful and that willing to kill, is her own life safe--or has she stepped into her worst nightmare?

Author Phillip Margolin writes a fast-paced and tight thriller. Although the paperback version is four hundred pages long, I tore through the book in a single afternoon, devouring the story as quickly as I could. The powerful cabel, the fears of the primary protagonists, and their feeling of helplessness they learned that the cabel's reach is long indeed added power to the story. I did have some problems with the characters--both Amanda and especially Tim whined a bit much for my taste, but Margolin's powerful writing kept them from becoming completely unsympathetic. One horrible editing error--where Tim's wife first reports that Tim is alive and then claims that she doesn't know whether he is alive or not did jar me out of the story, but not for long.

If you like conspiracy-theory types of stories, you won't go wrong with TIES THAT BIND.

Rating:
Summary: Whose on first. Whats on Second. I think.
Review: The first 50 pages name as many characters. Some are important to the plot; some are insignificant. What's really irritating is that by page 100, several of these names are flung at you again and you wonder where you heard about them before? You have to literally start thumbing backward dozens of pages to "oh yeah. Page 47. He was one of the onlookers to murder #1. errrr #2."

This is the old story of the successful, educated boys-now-men, banding together for decades, well into middle age, "doing things for eachother. Here in Portland, Oregon it's to murder people who will (a) uncover them or (b) get in their way.

So, the identification of the moving parties is weak and then the plot is far fetched, bordering on unbelievable.

Mr. Margolin tells an interesting story and overall, it won't turn off his cadre of fans. However the best you can say is it's like pablum. Weak; milky.

Successful attorney Amanda Jaffe (who carries blackout, nauseous bucketfuls of grief and trauma from a previous case) is asked to defend a rageful, educated, wealthy, frequently high, pimp. See. This is also a little difficult to imagine but nevertheless a connection is made and as Amanda seeks to unravel incongruities in the evidence pointing to Jon Dupre, she begins to envision the conspiratorial arm of the aforementioned conspirators, now grown into middla age and power.

It will entertain you. Nothing more. Three stars. Larry Scantlebury

Rating:
Summary: Fast paced, but too many characters and too many questions!
Review: This is my first Phillip Margolin novel and at first I was excited and intrigued after the first few pages. Then....as many of you have noted, he started introducing too many characters!!! I had to keep flipping backwards, in order to "remember" who these people were! And I'm still confused about the FBI agent, J.D. Hunter. I thought he was the bad guy??? Didn't he do something weird in the beginning of the book that made him look suspicious? But, I'm really puzzled by two things: when Amanda is doing research at the library she pulls out a drawer marked "animals treatment" and flips through till she finds several cards for Pedro Aragon. HUH? Can someone please explain the reference to me? I just didn't get that. And the second thing is the "slender" man--wasn't he one of the kidnappers from the garage? And then he appears later as her ally? I found this inconsistent and would appreciate any answers.

I guess this was the "suspension of disbelief" that other readers mentioned, but it does mar the enjoyment for me.

Rating:
Summary: 2 1/2 Stars
Review: This is the fourth Philip Margolin book I have read. Margolin spins interesting yarns with some creative twists that I do enjoy, but I classify Margolin as a "B" writer at best. His characters are one-dimensional stereotypes of the standard characters in the mystery/thriller genre. The books end neatly, but I feel no satisfaction for the characters in the outcome. There is also a graphic gratuitous nasty and sadistic thread in most of Margolin's books. Ties That Bind is typical Margolin as it follows a beautiful attorney, Amanda Jaffe, who is in recovery from an encounter with a psychotic sexual sadist in an earlier book. She finds herself defending a pimp accused of multiple murders (of a U.S. Senator and then an Attorney). This leads to Amanda uncovering a group of sociopaths (known as the Vaughn Street Glee Club) in high places that have Portland in their web and the Presidency in their sights. Amanda then goes through a new series of perils as she is stalked by a typically evil group of thugs who seem mostly concerned with sexually humiliating her. The other main character is Tim Kerrigan, a former college football hero and Heisman Trophy winner, who is the Prosecutor in Amanda's case. Although outwardly a role-model, Tim is plagued by guilt, self-doubts, and unhappiness with his marriage. Acting on these issues results in Tim being dragged into the Vaughn Street Glee Club conspiracy with a Faustian choice then set before him. Ties That Bind did entertain me and Margolin's ability to frame a plot saves the book from being a stinker. In the hands of a more talented writer (who also avoids the nastiness described above) it could have been great. Although I am giving it three stars, 2 ½ would be a more appropriate rating.

Rating:
Summary: Good Legal Thriller
Review: Ties That Bind brings back Amanda Jaffe who is still affected by the events that befell her in Wild Justice.
The bad guys are really bad and as is often the case, they're more interesting than the white hats. Jon Dupre, a violent pimp accused of murdering Senator Harold Travis, is a world-class scumbag. The evidence against him looks strong and, while in police custody, he kills his court-appointed attorney.
There accordingly isn't a lot of tension for any sort of race against time to find the real killer. On top of that, Travis is an extortionist and a murderer in his own right, so his death is not going to elicit any particular sympathy. When Jaffe is requested by the court to take over his defense, it looks like an uphill battle for her. When she begins to investigate Dupre's alibi and claims of innocence, however, she is pressured to drop her investigation and let justice take its course. As Jaffe nears the surprising truth, she brings danger closer to herself and those she loves, even as the truth that she and her client is seeking comes from a totally unexpected source.

Rating:
Summary: Margolin has written another page turner, despite some flaws
Review: TIES THAT BIND is a vehicle for Phillip Margolin's reintroduction of Amanda Jaffe, last seen in WILD JUSTICE. Jaffe is still adversely affected by the events that befell her in that novel and is making efforts to deal with them. Daniel Ames from THE ASSOCIATE also makes a cameo appearance, but this is primarily Jaffe's book. Jaffe is an interesting character, but in TIES THAT BIND, she tends to get lost among the more interesting people and events around her.

There aren't a lot of sympathetic characters in TIES THAT BIND. The bad guys are really bad and as is often the case, they're more interesting than the white hats. Jon Dupre, a violent pimp accused of murdering Senator Harold Travis, is a world-class scumbag. It's difficult to let your sense of justice rise to the occasion and see him acquitted of a crime for which he might be wrongfully accused. However, the evidence against him looks strong and, while in police custody, he kills his court-appointed attorney. To paraphrase Tom Sawyer's Aunt Polly, he wouldn't miss a lick if he rode the lightning, even if it was for the wrong crime.

There accordingly isn't a lot of tension for any sort of race against time to find the real killer. On top of that, Travis is an extortionist and a murderer in his own right, so his death is not going to elicit any particular sympathy, one way or the other. When Jaffe is requested by the court to take over his defense, it looks like an uphill battle for her. When she begins to investigate Dupre's alibi and claims of innocence, however, she is pressured --- violently --- to drop her investigation and let justice take its course. What is interesting here is what the investigation ultimately uncovers, which is a conspiracy that has existed for decades and that links Travis to a mysterious group of public officials and drug lords. As Jaffe nears the surprising truth, she brings danger closer to herself and those she loves, even as the truth that she and her client is seeking comes from a totally unexpected source.

Margolin's plot doesn't always hang together perfectly. The method by which the surprise ending is effected, in particular, is somewhat of a stretch and requires some suspension of disbelief, though it is ultimately quite satisfying. Overall, Margolin remains an exciting writer of great economy with the ability to keep readers turning pages as fast as they are capable of reading. TIES THAT BIND ultimately continues Margolin's unbroken string of riveting, spellbinding novels that are almost impossible to put down without finishing.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding
Review: Ties That Bind is the third novel from Margolin that I have read. I would rate it as better than Wild Justice and as good as The Associate. Following an intriguing prolog, the main story starts fast and never lets up. The story is set in the Pacific Northwest with the Jaffe father-daughter legal team profiled in Wild Justice. Amanda Jaffe is called upon to represent a suspected murderer. In the process, she begins to uncover a massive conspiracy that challenges her ability to retain her sanity and ultimately threatens her and her family. Although this story is clearly better having read Wild Justice, it still is good enough to stand on its own merits. Once you start, it will be very difficult to stop.

Rating:
Summary: Twists, Turns, and Surprises.....
Review: When Portland, Oregon defense attorney, Amanda Jaffe, is asked by the court to defend Jon Dupre, a drug dealer and owner of an upscale escort service, her first instinct is to just say no. This case is a slam dunk for the prosecution. Dupre is accused of not only murdering a U.S. Senator, but of also stabbing and killing his high-profile, big named attorney right in the jailhouse conference room under the watchful eyes of a guard. No other lawyer will touch the case, for obvious reasons. Dupre claims he's innocent and being framed. He says his attorney came at him with the shiv, and he was only defending himself. Amanda finds one aspect of the case intriguing. Dupre's arms and hands are covered with defensive wounds that add some credibility to his story. But the obvious question hangs in the air. Why would his own attorney try to murder him? As she begins to investigate, Amanda stumbles over a connection between her client's case and some of Portland's high-powered elite that goes back thirty years. And the deeper she digs into the past, the more she comes to realize that these men will do anything to protect themselves, their secrets, and their way of life. Finding justice for Jon Dupre won't be easy, and has placed not only her life, but everyone she loves in harms way..... Buckle your seatbelt and pull it tight, Phillip Margolin is about to take you on a roller coaster of a ride. This is an action packed thriller filled with twists, turns, and more than a few surprises. Unfortunately, the story line never really rings true, is awkward at times and a bit over-the-top. When it comes to the climax and implausable ending, you definitely have to be willing to suspend disbelief. Mr Margolin's cast of too many characters tend to be one dimensional and uninspired. It's really hard to empathize or care about these people, and you almost need a scorecard to keep track of who's who and what's what. Ties That Bind is an entertaining, fast read, easily finished in one sitting. Nothing memorable. A good book for a long plane ride.