Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing continuation of a great universe
Review: After reading the past two books in this universe (Burning Point and The Spiral Path), I was thrilled to see yet another continuation. Spiral Path especially was so beautifully crafted and richly emotional; it seemed Putney was just getting better and better! But this novel disappointingly fell very flat. It was completely predictable from start to finish. At the first mention of each plot point, I knew immediately what the end result would be -- hardly the most fun way to read a mystery! I enjoyed the character of Val at first, but her emotional revelations seemed very forced. Overall, the book read like a very good sermon against the death penalty, with some romance and mystery elements thrown in as an afterthought. Not a bad read, but not at all what we've come to expect from the very talented Putney.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing continuation of a great universe
Review: After reading the past two books in this universe (Burning Point and The Spiral Path), I was thrilled to see yet another continuation. Spiral Path especially was so beautifully crafted and richly emotional; it seemed Putney was just getting better and better! But this novel disappointingly fell very flat. It was completely predictable from start to finish. At the first mention of each plot point, I knew immediately what the end result would be -- hardly the most fun way to read a mystery! I enjoyed the character of Val at first, but her emotional revelations seemed very forced. Overall, the book read like a very good sermon against the death penalty, with some romance and mystery elements thrown in as an afterthought. Not a bad read, but not at all what we've come to expect from the very talented Putney.
Rating: 
Summary: Too many characters from previous books...
Review: I read pretty much all of Mary Jo Putney books, but I am a little disapointed in this one. This book has way too many referenced characters on her previous books that makes it a bit awkward to read. These characters just conviniencely drop into the plot and make this book very boring. I like Mary Jo Putney best when she writes Historical romances.
Rating:
Summary: A fine effort-
Review: I snap up all of Mary Jo Putney's books, but I have to admit this might be changing in regards to her contemporary novels. This most recent one was a good example of the problems I have with her contemporary efforts. I never felt a connection to the main characters - they were rather boring and flat. There is value in reading about the love of two ordinary people, but these people were not just ordinary; they were boring. I felt that the romantic situations were a little contrived, too. I read romance novels primarily for the character development, this definitely took a backseat to the plot in this novel. Unfortunatley, I didn't have much interest in the plot, either. It, too, was sort of dull and flat. In the end, I was much more interested in the story of the secondary characters than the two protagonists. I gave the book two stars, mostly because I like Mary Jo Putney in general, but I do not recommend this book to other readers.
Rating:
Summary: rather boring
Review: I snap up all of Mary Jo Putney's books, but I have to admit this might be changing in regards to her contemporary novels. This most recent one was a good example of the problems I have with her contemporary efforts. I never felt a connection to the main characters - they were rather boring and flat. There is value in reading about the love of two ordinary people, but these people were not just ordinary; they were boring. I felt that the romantic situations were a little contrived, too. I read romance novels primarily for the character development, this definitely took a backseat to the plot in this novel. Unfortunatley, I didn't have much interest in the plot, either. It, too, was sort of dull and flat. In the end, I was much more interested in the story of the secondary characters than the two protagonists. I gave the book two stars, mostly because I like Mary Jo Putney in general, but I do not recommend this book to other readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent learning/guiding ROMANCE book
Review: I was fascinated by this book due to the great value for me personally, in the way MIP discussed and analysed the purpose of life and the directions one may choose at certain time of one's life using her characters. As it's major heroes, I feel at the crossroads, trying to find and recapture the values of my youth and to find out what I am to do with the rest of my life. No matter how little (as other reviewers who are probably much younger than I am claim) "romance" there is, this is a deep, helpful, and wonderful book. You cannot evaluate the book on the descriptions of lovemaking only: you have to learn from it as well, and this is one that can gives you both. I wish the author would consider the continuation, something in the way Suzanne Brockmann does to hook up her readers. *** If there a chance to contact MJP personally, I'd love to.
Rating:
Summary: I'm not sure how I feel about this book.
Review: I'm giving this book four stars, but it isn't because of the plot. I found it completely unbelievable that the two main characters could have fought a complex death penalty case with everything else that was going on in this book, including the heroine working full time at her old law firm for the first part.
I did love the characters, however. There was tremendous chemistry between the two, and made up for the unbelievability of the plot. I liked learning more about Val, who I liked from earlier books.
Rating:
Summary: I'm not sure how I feel about this book.
Review: I'm giving this book four stars, but it isn't because of the plot. I found it completely unbelievable that the two main characters could have fought a complex death penalty case with everything else that was going on in this book, including the heroine working full time at her old law firm for the first part.
I did love the characters, however. There was tremendous chemistry between the two, and made up for the unbelievability of the plot. I liked learning more about Val, who I liked from earlier books.
Rating:
Summary: A fine effort-
Review: If anyone other than Mary Jo Putney had written this book I would have given it more stars. After the emotional brilliance of The Spiral Path however, it seems to pale in comparison. I still give her amazing credit for dealing with harsh subjects like the death penalty, and in that respect cannot find fault with this novel. All in all there was nothing in this that would haunt me afterwards like I find in the majority of her works. The Bride series is one of the most troubling series found in historical fiction today, and this book just didn't stay with me after the first reading. I am the first to admit that I am on my second copies of many of her works, but Twist of Fate is probably my least favorite out of all of her writings.
Rating:
Summary: powerful legal thriller
Review: In Baltimore, a close friend offers attorney Val Covington an opportunity to open her own practice that would include office space in a former church owned by Rob Smith. Val leaps at the chance and offers a job to her sometime paralegal assistant at her old firm. Kendra Brooks accepts on the condition that Val represents pro bono her former lover and father of her child, a death row inmate that the assistant insists is innocent. Seventeen years ago Daniel Monroe was convicted of killing a cop. His appeals are running out and soon the state will execute him unless a miracle occurs. Though believing that Kendra is seeing her beloved through the rose colored glasses of love, Val agrees to work the case. Surprisingly, Rob has investigative experience and skills and assists Val as they seek a smoking gun to prove her client's innocence while falling in love with one another. TWIST OF FATE is a powerful legal thriller that assaults the current capital punishment system that focuses on convictions not guilt or innocence in a due process in which the prosecutor is always right. The story line contains a romantic subplot, but is clearly a call for action, not against the death penalty, but to insure that the wrong person is never executed. Though Rob's skills are too convenient as the cost of an investigator is extremely high (a key prosecutor advantage), the cast is multi-dimensional especially the courageous lead couple and Kendra. Mary Jo Putney condemns a blind system that often fails to catch the guilty by expeditiously going after a convenient victim. Harriet Klausner
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