Rating: 
Summary: What a quick read!
Review: I admit it. I love legal thrillers. Even if it's poorly written, I still love them. And fortunately, this one is well-written and it grabs you by the throat and won't let go till the last page has turned. Casey is a star defense attorney who takes pride in being number one, till a sordid murder trial made her take stock of her life and where she was going with that life. Casey was asked by her old professor, Dr. Lipton, to represent him in this horrorific murder trial and he claimed that he was innocent of this woman's murder. Casey won the case for him ... only to have the serial-like murders continue to happen. And the adventure has just begun. It is a quick read ~~ I finished it in one day. It's also a page-turning read as well. If you're looking for a good book to read on that long airplane flight, I'd recommend this one. Green will keep you guessing throughout the book ... and you better make sure that you didn't miss your connecting flight ... it's that good that you can't just put it down. 6-7-02
Rating: 
Summary: Suprisingly good
Review: I was skeptical when I started reading this book. I bought it only because I went to a lecture the author gave. I was intrigued by his background so I purchased the book. Bored, I began reading it on a Saturday morning -- I could not put it down. I loved it. Fast paced and interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Nah!
Review: If you like legal thrillers you will finish this book. That said, it wasn't written badly enough to put down in the middle, and the murder victim, Tanner, in the first chapter, nags at you so you have to finish. But when you're done, you'll feel like you just had one of those little cups of sugar-free jello. Not much taste, not much to remember, you'll be hungry again as soon as it's finished. Characterization is only adequate, with the heroine, Casey Jordan, being forgettable from her first appearance in the novel. "Casey stood before the jury with the power and the majesty of a Celtic princess" ????? Casey does slay the dragon, an impotent serial killer that teaches at law school, but there are plenty of details about his kills that are shared with the reader before she traps him in the wilderness, instead of the courtroom. This was my first Tim Green book, but his courtroom scenes were patently unreal, and there was really no character to like or to identify with in the book. I'm told Green uses football as a backdrop in his prior books. I like football, so I'm not sure I'll want to read Green's attempts with the game. Picked up the book in an airport book store when I'd desperately finished the last one, and my next flight was late. Next time I'll bring a second book rather than take a chance on having to finish an eminently forgettable plot.
Rating:
Summary: A thriilling chiller
Review: In Austin, the police have a witness who swears seeing law professor Eric Lipton running from the murder-mutilation of law student Marcia Sales. Eric hires a former student Casey Jordan to defend him. Believing in the innocence of her former mentor, Casey pulls out all the stops to prove a shadow of doubt, turning the spotlight on the victim's violent father Donald as the possible killer. As the chief juror reads the verdict, the pompous Eric informs his attorney that he in deed did the crime. Stunned by Eric's confession just as he is acquitted, a distraught Casey is abducted by an irate Donald. He plans to teach the lawyer first hand what happened to his daughter before she was killed. Already convinced her former instructor is a psychopathic serial killer, Casey joins with Donald to try to bring down Eric before someone else dies. Tim Green known for his NFL days and his sports mysteries turns to a serial killer legal thriller with his current novel, THE LETTER OF THE LAW. The story line is filled with raw action that never eases up until the final page. However, the characters and their motives never fully develop and some of their actions require leaps across the Grand Canyon. Mr. Green shows the energy of a blitzing linebacker targeting the hit, but the quarterback suffers a concussion before the game is over. This tale filled with action and excitement is for those readers who enjoy hard hitting from the blind side. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Lukewarm thriller, promises suspense but doesn't deliver
Review: In most of the legal fiction thrillers I've read, the author is successful into lulling the reader comfortably into believing they really know "whodunit", and then near the end, they take you down a path you never expected, and you finish the novel satisfied that you didn't waste your time. Green's novel did no such thing. While he tries ardently to get the reader to question who the real killer is, which maybe you do for one chapter, it's just a wash that turns into a haphazard cat and mouse game, rather than a legal thriller. The good guy really always is the good guy, and the bad guy always the bad guy. A hallmark of a good book is when you don't know who's who until the very end. That didn't happen here. There were really no surprises in this book, nor were there any riveting "courtroom drama" scenes. Affluent, accomplished criminal defense attorney Casey Jordan's examinations of witnesses and opening/closing arguments showed as much ingenuity as a law student muddling his way through a trial practice class (having been there myself). There was an obvious effort at character development, but never enough to draw you into their lives; their fear, loathing or depravity. You don't hate the antagonist any more than you like the protagonists. The ending was expected and drawn out too long. They say the journey is far more important than the destination. But the journey at best was boring, and the destination far more rewarding because it meant you didn't have to read this book anymore. To write about the law you have to know about the law, and while good research may pay off, the read is better if you stick to authors who have lived it, not just researched it. To really get the blood pumping with a good page-turning legal thriller, I highly recommend any Lisa Scottoline novel (esp her latest, Moment of Truth) and Alan Dershowitz as well, who successfully incorporates real life issues into legal dramatic fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Ho Hum.
Review: Let's put it this way; Tim Green is no John Grisham. The story is mildly interesting-- a serial killer with a twist. But as the story develops, there never is really any doubt as to who did it. The characters are painted loudly, with no real depth. The only character of some interest is Bolinger, the detective. We never really care for the other characters, especially the main one, Casey Jordan. There were some mildly engaging scenes, such as when Casey gets kidnapped, and the FBI agent stumbling onto his breakthrough. But I found it hard to believe that a woman with Casey's strength and independence would act as she did after being kidnapped, i.e, helping the kidnapper, and I also snickered at the "Norton Utility". And when I got to the finale, the showdown, it was anticlimactic and only semi-believable. Sales surviving underwater after being sprayed with a Tec-9? And strong enough to fight Lipton to boot? Patti surviving after having her abdomen slit from nave to chops with a knife? Pu-leeze. I give this two stars for mild engagement in certain scenes. But in a nutshell, this is the literary equivalent of a Sunday night made-for-TV movie. Perhaps a few commercials would have helped.
Rating:
Summary: Writing Style and chracter development could be better
Review: Letter of the Law started with a good premise, but the author's style made it not live up to its potential. Each chapter included multiple voices of charcters and provided insight into the thought of each chracter. Because of this, the book was not very suspensful, with a couple of exceptions. The killer in this novel was also not presented as diabolical as he could have been and therefore did not add that much to the suspense. I especially did not like the mentality the author gave for why the killer was doing what he did. It was very unbelieveable and should have been in an x-files episode. Any person who is seasoned in reading legal thrillers and other suspense novels will be disappointed in the simpleness of this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes the Guilty Go Free
Review: Marcia Sales eviscerated body was discovered by her paperboy. She'd been a beautiful co-ed studying law at the University of Texas. Austin cop Bob Bolinger has a list of suspects and he's not crossing anybody out, not even the girl's father. However his prime candidate for the murder is Eric Lipton, one of Marcia's law professors. Lipton flees, is caught near the airport and a bloody lingerie is found in his baggage. He claims he was sexually involved with Marcia. Lipton engages former student Casey Jordan, who is driven by success, but all through the trial Casey is uneasy, because Bolinger is convinced of Lipton's guilt, not only that, he thinks the man is a serial killer. Finally the verdict is in, it's about to be read. Lipton leans toward Casey and admits to the murder. And now the killing begins. Reviewed by Vesta Irene
Rating: 
Summary: The 'Hannibal' in legal thrillers
Review: New York attorney & former football player Tim Green’s latest legal thriller, is for one thing, a thriller having more legal action than his previous works — & for the second thing is the first among his novels that is not football themed. Green’s earlier works were a fine blend of legal action in the background of big league football. As in Tim Green’s first two books The Letter of the Law also focuses on glamorous high–profile attorney Casey Jordan who is called to defend Eric Lipton, her former criminal law professor accused of the sex murder of one of his law students. Jordan is over–awed & proud that she has been given the opportunity of defending her “Guru,” & she does a fabulous job of getting an acquittal. Just before the jury announces its verdict, however, Lipton whispers to Casey that he had in fact committed the murder. Casey is shocked, & doesn’t know whether to dismiss it as a macabre joke, for which the professor is famous, or consider it as a confession & report it to the police, violating the attorney–client privilege. Later, more murders begin to take place, & we know that a serial killer is on the loose. All evidence points to two people: Donald Sales, the father of the murdered law student & Professor Lipton. The murders are committed in the gore & manner that would make Hannibal Lector proud & Casey is caught in the middle as she finds herself targeted by the killer. The Letter of the Law deals with an interesting question: a lawyer’s professional duty & ethics, vis–a–vis a citizen’s public duty to inform the authorities concerning a crime. The author keeps the arguments strong & steady on both sides & the reader can form an opinion as to which “duty” should be given more importance. Green takes us into the action right from the first page itself, & keeps it strong & tense for about 250 pages, but it sort of fizzles out in the last 50 pages or so. The narration is simple, but taut, & as the blurb proclaims, it is Green’s best novel to date. All in all a good novel although it falls just short of being a great whodunit. An enjoyable evening’s read, & I eagerly look forward for his next work.
Rating:
Summary: this book moves
Review: once in while you come across a hard hitting writer
and this qualifies. this is like watching Primal Fear.
it is good.
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