Hung Jury

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant legal thriller
Review: In London, Dr. Jennifer Fox is on trial for murdering Dr. Charles Easterman. The case was so highly publicized by the international media, England and Wales Attorney General Geoffrey Haversham prosecuted it. The evidence against Jennifer is so overwhelming, everyone expects a guilty verdict. Even the jury goes into deliberation thinking that they only need to discuss guilty.

However, the linear path to conviction is detoured by two simultaneous events. A juror, designer Alex Parrish, believes the accused is innocent. At the same time, England's Prime Minister Edward Haversham is notified that his brother, the same Attorney general on the Fox trial, has been abducted. Haversham will be freed only if Fox is freed. As the jury argue with their one hold-out, a larger stage with another life at stake is the setting for their final decision.

Readers will not be hung up on deciding that they fully enjoyed HUNG JURY, a fast-paced legal thriller. Rankin Davis cleverly develops the story line along two plots that ultimately merge together into a terse climax. The jurors will remind the audience of the jury in TWELVE ANGRY MEN (either version) with a slight twist. The terrorists (especially Pavel) and the Haversham siblings also seem more like genuine individuals rather than characters in a novel. This is must reading for fans of legal thrillers.

Harriet Klausner 11/1/98

Rating:
Summary: Certainly not brilliant
Review: This is the third novel written by the Enlish writer duo I have read. The first two were indeed excellent, but to call this one brilliant, like mrs.Klausner in her review, is in my view highly exaggerated. The writing is good and the pace of the novel OK. Therefore I have finished reading the novel. The storyline is so far-fetched, however, and so improbable at some stages, that it took some effort to continue reading.

The kidnapping of an Attorney-General is an event which leads to high attention. To survive street accidents and pursuits in the sewer is quite unbelievable. That the Prime Minister instead of talking to Judge and Jury ( particularly when the life of thousands of people is at stake) awaits the outcome and goes of on his own enquiry is complete bullocks.

Also the rigging of the jury process is so complicated that it is hardly believable.

The writers better stck to the micro-drama they developed in the first books; they were considerably better!

Rating:
Summary: Decent mystery, confusing at times.
Review: This was an okay mystery. I have not read Mr. Davis before, so I don't know what he is capable of. This was not a book that could be easily read in one sitting. The set-up of the book where it goes back and forth between the jury and its characters, and the Prime Minister searching for his brother and the real killers, and the kidnappers, does not make for easy, consistent reading. The plot felt like it was broken up, even though I thought the problems with the enviro-terrorists and chemical/pesticide companies were and are very plausible. The book just lacked some cohesiveness to it. I will probably try one of Davis' books again, because he is obviously an intelligent writer. I am hoping the problems with this particular story was just a fluke. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh