Rating: 
Summary: A story that seems to have it all...
Review: "Criminal Intent" by Sheldon Siegel is a page turning murder mystery that seems to have it all!An interesting plot, a cast of colorful characters, and page turning suspense. A very appealing combination. John Savoy
Savoy International
Motion Pictures Inc.
Rating: 
Summary: A Race for the Courthouse
Review: Criminal Intent is one of the most intricately plotted legal thrillers I've ever seen. This story has enough characters and suspense in it to fill four books. The book brings a whole new meaning to the term "family law." Legal partners Mike Daley (an ex-priest, ex-public defender and ex-corporate lawyer) and his ex-wife, Rosie Fernandez, run a small criminal defense firm. Rosie's niece, Angelina (Angel), is accused of murdering her husband after she is found passed out on the Golden Gate bridge in his car with lots of incriminating evidence. Mike and Rosie run the defense. Mike's brother, Pete, does the detective work. Rosie's other niece, Rolanda, practices law them them, as well. Rosie's brother is having some problems that they help with. This list doesn't exhaust the family connections in the center of the case. Against the main plot line of defending Angel, Mike and Rosie also deal with their own troubled relationship, their daughter, other family members, Mike's girl friend, and various defendants. It's enough to keep your head spinning. To make the book even more dense, the time frame is very brief. Mike is working night and day to keep the balls in the air. It made me tired to think about it. I found the book to be compelling reading, however. I stayed up past midnight to finish it. I would happily have graded the book as five stars, but many aspects are exaggerated . . . unrealistically so in my view. Would the DA really be so beautiful and competent? Would one person really be followed by four detectives at the same time? Would so many witnesses tell so many lies, when their stories could easily be checked? Would the attorneys be so willing to bend ethical bars (for which they could easily be caught) here and there to help their clients? Cumulatively, it was all just a little bit too much. I also thought that the ending was totally telegraphed much too early in the book. I admired the legal accuracy of the presentation. That was well grounded, and made the book more interesting and compelling. After you finish this book, think about what your responsibilities are to family members in trouble. How can you help them avoid trouble in the first place?
Rating:
Summary: A Race for the Courthouse
Review: Criminal Intent is one of the most intricately plotted legal thrillers I've ever seen. This story has enough characters and suspense in it to fill four books. The book brings a whole new meaning to the term "family law." Legal partners Mike Daley (an ex-priest, ex-public defender and ex-corporate lawyer) and his ex-wife, Rosie Fernandez, run a small criminal defense firm. Rosie's niece, Angelina (Angel), is accused of murdering her husband after she is found passed out on the Golden Gate bridge in his car with lots of incriminating evidence. Mike and Rosie run the defense. Mike's brother, Pete, does the detective work. Rosie's other niece, Rolanda, practices law them them, as well. Rosie's brother is having some problems that they help with. This list doesn't exhaust the family connections in the center of the case. Against the main plot line of defending Angel, Mike and Rosie also deal with their own troubled relationship, their daughter, other family members, Mike's girl friend, and various defendants. It's enough to keep your head spinning. To make the book even more dense, the time frame is very brief. Mike is working night and day to keep the balls in the air. It made me tired to think about it. I found the book to be compelling reading, however. I stayed up past midnight to finish it. I would happily have graded the book as five stars, but many aspects are exaggerated . . . unrealistically so in my view. Would the DA really be so beautiful and competent? Would one person really be followed by four detectives at the same time? Would so many witnesses tell so many lies, when their stories could easily be checked? Would the attorneys be so willing to bend ethical bars (for which they could easily be caught) here and there to help their clients? Cumulatively, it was all just a little bit too much. I also thought that the ending was totally telegraphed much too early in the book. I admired the legal accuracy of the presentation. That was well grounded, and made the book more interesting and compelling. After you finish this book, think about what your responsibilities are to family members in trouble. How can you help them avoid trouble in the first place?
Rating: 
Summary: His series is fading fast
Review: I read Sheldon Siegel's first book, "Special Circumstances" and found it an excellent courtroom mystery.
Unfortunately, "Incriminating Evidence," his second book, was a disappointment. The characters poorly drawn and the dialogue awful but still the story was interesting enough for me to finish the book. "Criminal Intent" is another drop in performance. The characters are, let us say, caricatures. If Angelina, Rosie Fernandez' niece, is a woman that is married and a movie actress, you can fool me. She talks like a fifteen year old girl (my apologies to fifteen year olds). The other main characters, the MacArthurs, Ellis, et al are cardboard cutouts. And the dialogue. Both Mike Daley and his ex-wife, Rosie, are attorneys. However, they talk to each other like first year law students. And Siegel's habit of giving his, sometimes, opposing thoughts before commenting, I found annoying. This story needed a good editor who should have cut about one-fifth of the book and changed the relationship of Mike and Rosie to something a bit more heated. Inside this book is a story that under the guidance of a writer like Raymond Chandler could have been a five star tale. The movie actress wife of a film director is charged with his murder. A redevelopment project hangs in the balance. The story goes from the Bay area to LA to Vegas. Again, a competent mystery writer could have done wonders with this story. Unfortunately, Sheldon Siegel is not that writer.
Rating:
Summary: Another Winner by Sheldon Siegel
Review: If you enjoyed Special Circumstances and Incriminating Evidence, then you must pick up Sheldon Siegel's third installment. If you haven't read this author before, you are in for a treat. This novel has all the elements of a winning formula: a likeable and intelligent lawyer-narrator, an intricate and entertaining plot, and complex relationships that drive the story on another plane. Whether you're tracing the suspects' alibis, following Mike's new romance with a superior court judge, listening in on a lawyer's defense strategy, or awaiting Rosie's test results, you simply cannot put this book down. I read it in one read. Looking forward to number four!
Rating:
Summary: Another Winner by Sheldon Siegel
Review: If you enjoyed Special Circumstances and Incriminating Evidence, then you must pick up Sheldon Siegel's third installment. If you haven't read this author before, you are in for a treat. This novel has all the elements of a winning formula: a likeable and intelligent lawyer-narrator, an intricate and entertaining plot, and complex relationships that drive the story on another plane. Whether you're tracing the suspects' alibis, following Mike's new romance with a superior court judge, listening in on a lawyer's defense strategy, or awaiting Rosie's test results, you simply cannot put this book down. I read it in one read. Looking forward to number four!
Rating:
Summary: A MUST read!
Review: Mike Daley is back, and with the help of his partner (and ex-wife) Rosie, he is out to find the killer of movie director Big Dick MacArthur. Richard (Big Dick) MacArthur was riding high as one of Hollywood's top directors, but after several box office disappointments MacArthur needs a hit, and he may have it with his new film "The Return Of The Master." Following a private screening of the film Big Dick is hit with mixed opinions, and much criticism against the performances in the film, mainly that of his wife Angel, who was cast in the lead. On the morning following the screening Big Dick is found dead, beaten with his Oscar statue. The police have their suspect, Dick's wife Angel. Angel was found past out in the front seat of his car parked on the bridge where his body was found, and next to her is a bag of cocaine, to make matters worse her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon. Mike and Rosie could not make it as husband and wife, but they make a great team of defense lawyers, and when the call comes in about Big Dick's murder they know they will have their work cut out for them, especially since Angel is Rosie's niece. Rosie, battling her own personal issues, must find the strength to help her niece, and at the same time look out for her brother Tony who is in the middle of a graft proposal. As the murder case heats up, and Tony gets deeper involved with wrong doings, Mike's relationship with a woman judge is put to the test, a fellow lawyer's son is arrested on drug charges, and Rosie hides a secret that will shock them all. 'Criminal Intent' is an ABSOLUTE MUST READ PAGE-TURNER. This novel starts off with a bang and plummets ahead at warp speed. The murder plot unfolds with the unveiling of secrets, and the discovery of each character with something to hide. The various sub-plots are introduced and then woven into the main plot with such precision that the reader can do nothing but hold on tight and enjoy the ride. Sheldon Siegel has written two previous EXCELLENT novels, and he is continuing the streak with his best novel yet. Complex plot, cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter, interesting characters, witty dialogue, razor-sharp suspense, and lightning fast pacing sets this novel far apart from others in the genre proving Sheldon Siegel will be around a long time. Forget Grisham, Turow, and Lescroart... Sheldon Siegel is the author to read if you want an entertaining legal thriller. While this new novel contains fewer courtroom scenes than the previous two Mike Daley novels it still remains a MUST read novel that should rocket up the bestseller lists, and keep readers anxious for the next book in the series. Nick Gonnella
Rating:
Summary: OK, but flawed
Review: Mr. Siegel works overtime at juggling his characters. His law background makes for an entertaining read. But I'm not sure how believable his characters are. It's still an entertaining book. At the beginning, we learn they don't have much money. His characters fly and drive from San Francisco to Las Vegas to Los Angeles, how magical!
Rating:
Summary: engaging legal thriller
Review: Producer Richard "Big Dick" MacArthur dies by apparently falling off the deck of his Baker Beach, California home. The police detain the movie mogul's third wife, Angelina Chavez, who was found by a bridge unconscious in a family car. After questioning and checking out her story, the police accuse Angelina of murdering her spouse as the murder weapon, his Oscar, is in the trunk of her vehicle. San Francisco attorneys Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez become the defense team because Angelina is the niece of the former. The Big Dick case would be difficult enough to provide a defense for without the family connection. However, the lawyers have other clients in various states of legal trouble with most related in some way to the firm. Trying to balance each one's need while working a homicide case keeps Mike and Rosie working overtime. The latest Daley-Fernandez novel is an engaging legal thriller that is superior when the story line focuses on either the Big Dick homicide case or the tour of the Streets of San Francisco. The secondary legal cases feel like filler and leave the impression that except for the police, the entire Bay Area is related to Mike, Rosie, or someone else in the firm. Still the prime plot is cleverly developed so that sub-genre readers will enjoy the homicide defense while series fans will like insight into the extended family. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Characters to Care About, Plots to Ponder!
Review: Sheldon Siegel has done it again. What a guy! I read 3-4 mysteries a week in between my non-fiction work. And it is difficult to avoid boredom, necessity to keep "research notes" while reading, characters fixed in clay, complexity that swirls in unintellible circles, clumsy writing, vapid portrayals, unrelenting darkness for the sake of darkness, and to remember a week later that I even read the book. So what do I and avid mystery fans look for, even require? Complex, intricate plots that one can follow without a check list. Characters that catch one's imagination. Straightforward writing that captures the time and the place and the people. Riveting suspense that goes somewhere. Perhaps a touch a humor and a handful of humanness. And careful attention to detail and reality. Sheldon gives us all of this - and in ONE BOOK! This mystery, the 3rd in a series, is as fresh and involved as the first two. The author loves his writing, lives his characters, walks his scenes. And his characters grow, book by book. And so does the author. The California Bay Area has been overdone in books and movies. But Siegel brings it alive with a freshness and joie de vivre that places one there, walking the walk, learning the cultures, listening to the sounds, smelling the smells. He takes his reader INSIDE the city to experience it, not just watch.
And his "plots." I wonder if any current mystery author develops a more intriguing, yet concise, panorama of carefully interlaced plots than Siegel. They require, demand attention, but not labor. And the great bonus - his characters. He does not just "develop" them, he enlivens them. And we begin to know them, root for them, understand them, hope for them. How many times do we have the opportunity to walk away from a novel and really care about the folks in them, and hope for continuing change and growth in the next book? Not often. But here we have come to know the whole bloody family and the friends and their challenges and joys and sorrows. This writer really has it all and he shares it so "nicely" with his readers. Surely this mystery will hit the best seller list again and raise enormous anticipations for Book #4. "Thanks for the memories," Sheldon Siegel!
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