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Murder One
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Manufacturer: Fawcett
Author: William Bernhardt
Publisher: Fawcett
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $7.50
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Fawcett
Author: William Bernhardt
Publisher: Fawcett
Average Customer Rating:
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Murder One Description
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345428158
ISBN: 0345428153
Label: Fawcett
Manufacturer: Fawcett
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 416
Publication Date: 2001-11-27
Publisher: Fawcett
Product Release Date: 2001-11-27
Studio: Fawcett
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345428158
ISBN: 0345428153
Label: Fawcett
Manufacturer: Fawcett
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 416
Publication Date: 2001-11-27
Publisher: Fawcett
Product Release Date: 2001-11-27
Studio: Fawcett
Editorial Review of Murder One
The crime is remarkably heinous: veteran police detective Joe McNaughton is found savagely slain, mutilated, and hung from a public fountain in downtown Tulsa. The accused is a tabloid reporter’s dream: stunning, nineteen-year-old Keri Dalcanton, a stripper involved in a kinky affair with the married McNaughton. Crusading attorney Kincaid takes up her defense. But when a police raid on his office uncovers the bloodstained murder weapon, Ben himself is charged with conspiracy and murder. What follows is a breathlessly twisting battle of legal wits–and lethal surprises–in which no holds are barred, no secrets are left unexposed, and ultimately, nothing is what it seems. . . .
Customer Reviews of Murder One
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Unbelievable story!
Review: Wow, what a disappointing read. This is the first Berhardt book I have ever read, and at this point, I'm thinking, the last (perhaps after the stench of this one wears off, I'll give him another try). The story was completely unbelievable. A lot of the details seemed to have been described over and over (ie, the "cat fights", the mutilated body). It was almost as if the author didn't have enough material to make the book long enough, so he had to keep repeating himself. Also, I'm certainly an open minded person, but I had a real problem with a successful attorney getting involved with a nineteen year old...I mean, come on. And finally...the ending; I won't spoil it for those who might want to give this book a try, but the ending was SO ridiculous! I felt like I was reading one of those fantasy stories you might find in the back of a porn mag! Uggg!!!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A new but diehard Fan
Review: I was always a Big Legal Thriller fan and a friend told me to read one of William Bernhardt's books and I was hooked. I have since read almost everything I found that he wrote. I think that they get better and better and this was no exception. I love the courtroom scenes and the twist of the plot. This is another great accomplishment by WB.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Reviews by Nan Kilar
Review: A Tulsa cop is the victim in a grizzly murder and his mutilated body is chained up in a public place. Ben Kincaid represents the accused, a nineteen-year-old stripper who was having an affair with the married cop. Ben gets Keri off the first time on a technicality. But when the alleged murder weapon is found in Ben's office, he's in court as a defendant. Ben's law partner gets him off that unfounded charge, but Keri is soon on trial again after the technicality is thrown out.
There are trial scenes, office scenes, hospital scenes. This book is just a tad too long in the middle since the good stuff comes later, even though you have most of it figured out by then.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Better than Perfect Justice
Review: This is the second Bernhardt novel I've read, and it is much better than Perfect Justice. Bernhardt's writing style has matured. I'd give this book a B-.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: You'll Never Figure Out Whodunit, or Why
Review: A lot of writers who have reoccurring characters assume their readers have read the previous books in the series. Not so with William Bernhardt. Readers who have come to know and love Ben Kincaid will devour MURDER ONE with delight, however a reader new to Bernhardt will have no trouble picking up the book and diving right in. There is not an ounce of assumption here. It's as if MURDER ONE was the first Kincaid book penned by Bernhardt.
And there are all the elements of a first rate mystery here. The story opens in court, throwing the reader right into the heat of a death penalty case. "But wait!" you want to exclaim, "Why are we getting the climax on page one?" Good question. At first look one might think that lawyer Kincaid, after getting his client off with a dash of luck and a bolt insight, was going to kiss her goodbye and move on to another case. "Cheating!" I wanted to shout. "No fair getting me involved with this striking young woman who is fighting for her life, then to chuck her out of the story."
But I was wrong, Bernhardt knew well what he was doing. His well drawn cop characters aren't about to let a cop killer go, no matter how young and pretty she is. They quickly contrive a way to get around the constitutional double jeopardy restrictions by planting the murder weapon in Kincaid's office, then arresting and charging him with the crime. This makes for some excellent courtroom drama, not to mention some pretty disturbing scenes describing the abuse a cop killer's lawyer can expect if ever arrested and it aint't pretty.
Halfway through the book I was sure I had the ending figured out. The carefully planted clues led me right where I suppose I was supposed to go and I willingly went like an ox with a ring in it's nose. I mentally shouted, "I knew it!" and I was kinda safisfied, you know, the way you get when you've been proved right. But the book wasn't over and all of a sudden I was as wrong as Nixon`s people were when they didn't think that little Watergate thing would get them in any trouble. The who and the why of it all came as a complete surprise to me as it did to Kincaid. The subtle clues were there, but lawyer and reader glossed over them, the lawyer wanted the girl and I guess I wanted him to get her as well, so we were both blindsided. And then there was still another twist that put everything right in a way that even the most sophisticated mystery reader will marvel at. Mister Bernhardt is certainly a master of his craft.
Review Summary: Unbelievable story!
Review: Wow, what a disappointing read. This is the first Berhardt book I have ever read, and at this point, I'm thinking, the last (perhaps after the stench of this one wears off, I'll give him another try). The story was completely unbelievable. A lot of the details seemed to have been described over and over (ie, the "cat fights", the mutilated body). It was almost as if the author didn't have enough material to make the book long enough, so he had to keep repeating himself. Also, I'm certainly an open minded person, but I had a real problem with a successful attorney getting involved with a nineteen year old...I mean, come on. And finally...the ending; I won't spoil it for those who might want to give this book a try, but the ending was SO ridiculous! I felt like I was reading one of those fantasy stories you might find in the back of a porn mag! Uggg!!!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A new but diehard Fan
Review: I was always a Big Legal Thriller fan and a friend told me to read one of William Bernhardt's books and I was hooked. I have since read almost everything I found that he wrote. I think that they get better and better and this was no exception. I love the courtroom scenes and the twist of the plot. This is another great accomplishment by WB.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Reviews by Nan Kilar
Review: A Tulsa cop is the victim in a grizzly murder and his mutilated body is chained up in a public place. Ben Kincaid represents the accused, a nineteen-year-old stripper who was having an affair with the married cop. Ben gets Keri off the first time on a technicality. But when the alleged murder weapon is found in Ben's office, he's in court as a defendant. Ben's law partner gets him off that unfounded charge, but Keri is soon on trial again after the technicality is thrown out.
There are trial scenes, office scenes, hospital scenes. This book is just a tad too long in the middle since the good stuff comes later, even though you have most of it figured out by then.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Better than Perfect Justice
Review: This is the second Bernhardt novel I've read, and it is much better than Perfect Justice. Bernhardt's writing style has matured. I'd give this book a B-.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: You'll Never Figure Out Whodunit, or Why
Review: A lot of writers who have reoccurring characters assume their readers have read the previous books in the series. Not so with William Bernhardt. Readers who have come to know and love Ben Kincaid will devour MURDER ONE with delight, however a reader new to Bernhardt will have no trouble picking up the book and diving right in. There is not an ounce of assumption here. It's as if MURDER ONE was the first Kincaid book penned by Bernhardt.
And there are all the elements of a first rate mystery here. The story opens in court, throwing the reader right into the heat of a death penalty case. "But wait!" you want to exclaim, "Why are we getting the climax on page one?" Good question. At first look one might think that lawyer Kincaid, after getting his client off with a dash of luck and a bolt insight, was going to kiss her goodbye and move on to another case. "Cheating!" I wanted to shout. "No fair getting me involved with this striking young woman who is fighting for her life, then to chuck her out of the story."
But I was wrong, Bernhardt knew well what he was doing. His well drawn cop characters aren't about to let a cop killer go, no matter how young and pretty she is. They quickly contrive a way to get around the constitutional double jeopardy restrictions by planting the murder weapon in Kincaid's office, then arresting and charging him with the crime. This makes for some excellent courtroom drama, not to mention some pretty disturbing scenes describing the abuse a cop killer's lawyer can expect if ever arrested and it aint't pretty.
Halfway through the book I was sure I had the ending figured out. The carefully planted clues led me right where I suppose I was supposed to go and I willingly went like an ox with a ring in it's nose. I mentally shouted, "I knew it!" and I was kinda safisfied, you know, the way you get when you've been proved right. But the book wasn't over and all of a sudden I was as wrong as Nixon`s people were when they didn't think that little Watergate thing would get them in any trouble. The who and the why of it all came as a complete surprise to me as it did to Kincaid. The subtle clues were there, but lawyer and reader glossed over them, the lawyer wanted the girl and I guess I wanted him to get her as well, so we were both blindsided. And then there was still another twist that put everything right in a way that even the most sophisticated mystery reader will marvel at. Mister Bernhardt is certainly a master of his craft.