IN DOUBLE JEOPARDY

Rating:
Summary: Justice Denied - for a Time
Review: A daughter is murdered by the son of a very wealthy man. The son is tried and convicted, and sentenced to death by lethal injection. What if the wealthy father, aware that the appeal processes will not free his son, uses his vast resources and connections to surreptitiously defeat the will of the people?

This is the premise of Andrew Neiderman's In Double Jeopardy. It is a well written novel that not only takes a reader down a not improbable path of conspiracy and deception, but it also does a very good job of showing the consequences of a violent crime on the victim's surviving family.

While the suspenseful moments in the novel do not occur mainly until near the conclusion, the planning, "execution" (pun intended) and aftermath of the son's avoidance of the death penalty make this novel a fascinating read. The characters, particularly the father of the murdered daughter, are convincing. A great deal of thought went into the writing of this novel, and it would be an enjoyable read for fans of thrillers and the X Files.

Rating:
Summary: A Jeopardy for the Readers
Review: A synonym for jeopardy is danger and this is exactly what Andrew Neiderman gives us in his book, "In Double Jeopardy"; danger of high shattered exceptions through lack of explanation and subetly, and danger of boredom through unoriginal characters and predictable plot, that is. Not only is the plot foretellable, but it, along with the characters and settings of LA and New York City, makes the novel read like one written after a movie - not before. This is interesting, since Neiderman is the author of "The Devil's Advocate" which was made into an A-list movie. Perhpas he hoped the same for this work and got a little too ahead of himself. Although the plot idea is intriguing - a man sentenced to death row gets his wealthy and powerful father to fake his execution and allow for his son to undergo plastic surgery and walk free again - there seems to be something missing from the entire work. More original and insightful characters could have helped along with additional plot twists. Too many references to celebrity status and the life of the well-off make the book seem somewhat cheap - like it's trying to be something it's not. Also, unrealistic character progression is seen in the antagonist, Dirk Stoner, (again, a less Hollywood-esque name could have been used here) leads to a climax that ironically is anticlimactic as we've been waiting through the entire book for it to happen and when it does, we are neither surprised or on the edge of our seats, biting our fingernails in anticipiation because we could see it coming from a mile away. Although the protagonists do eventually become likeable as there is a sympathy factor worked in and we hope for a happy ending, the hero of the book is typical and contrived - we can sense that from the very beginning. The bottom line for "In Double Jeopardy" is as follows: bland characters, hoaky, movie-script plot and unengaging dialogue and description make this novel a borer and disappointer, not a chiller/thriller. Steer clear of this book because the only jeopardy you'll be in is the danger of wasting your time.

Rating:
Summary: A Jeopardy for the Readers
Review: A synonym for jeopardy is danger and this is exactly what Andrew Neiderman gives us in his book, "In Double Jeopardy"; danger of high shattered exceptions through lack of explanation and subetly, and danger of boredom through unoriginal characters and predictable plot, that is. Not only is the plot foretellable, but it, along with the characters and settings of LA and New York City, makes the novel read like one written after a movie - not before. This is interesting, since Neiderman is the author of "The Devil's Advocate" which was made into an A-list movie. Perhpas he hoped the same for this work and got a little too ahead of himself. Although the plot idea is intriguing - a man sentenced to death row gets his wealthy and powerful father to fake his execution and allow for his son to undergo plastic surgery and walk free again - there seems to be something missing from the entire work. More original and insightful characters could have helped along with additional plot twists. Too many references to celebrity status and the life of the well-off make the book seem somewhat cheap - like it's trying to be something it's not. Also, unrealistic character progression is seen in the antagonist, Dirk Stoner, (again, a less Hollywood-esque name could have been used here) leads to a climax that ironically is anticlimactic as we've been waiting through the entire book for it to happen and when it does, we are neither surprised or on the edge of our seats, biting our fingernails in anticipiation because we could see it coming from a mile away. Although the protagonists do eventually become likeable as there is a sympathy factor worked in and we hope for a happy ending, the hero of the book is typical and contrived - we can sense that from the very beginning. The bottom line for "In Double Jeopardy" is as follows: bland characters, hoaky, movie-script plot and unengaging dialogue and description make this novel a borer and disappointer, not a chiller/thriller. Steer clear of this book because the only jeopardy you'll be in is the danger of wasting your time.