Helpful Score: 5
This is the first book I have read by Margolin. I think I just found a new favorite author. The story is about a very honest judge. Just when you think you have figured out where the plot is taking you, another bit of information changes your mind. I was kept guessing until the very end. The plot was great. All the loose ends were neatly tied up. This is a great book. Do not miss it if you like a good mystery.
Helpful Score: 1
Five stars all the way for this page turner. I'm not going to summarize the plot. That has already been done. Conspiracy, blackmail, murder and politics are just a few story lines. The characters are all well developed. The twists and turns in this book all come together for the surprise ending. I didn't see it coming. Don't cheat and read the last few pages before finishing this book. I think it is Margolin's best one yet.
Helpful Score: 1
Did the senator kill her husband, or is it a frame because it is election time?
Good read.
For some reason, I couldn't develop any empathy for the main character in this novel. Despite this, the book was an enjoyable read. It had a number of plot twists that kept one guessing. In the end, everything tied together - including an ironical turn in the epilogue.
ISBN 0553580884 - There are few books I enjoy more than those involving cold-blooded murder, and this one says "cold-blooded murder" right on the cover - a match made in heaven? No, sadly. More like a nap made in heaven!
The husband of senate candidate Ellen Crease is murdered in their bedroom. Her immediate response? To kill the killer on the spot, giving her quite a bounce in the polls. Her step-son, however, is certain that she's behind his father's death. Richard Quinn, an almost extraordinarily honest judge, is asked to hear the case, a case that seems tailor-made for a man who will dole out justice to anyone - even another judge.
Lou Anthony investigates the crime. Anthony's a cop who knew Ellen when she was on the force and he's the moral equal of Quinn; he's not about to let the fact that he's friendly with Crease taint his investigation. Various twists and turns, from murder to blackmail, muddy the waters and Judge Quinn, who'd thought his greatest fight would be to save his marriage, finds himself fighting for his life.
There's this weird name thing going on in this book, and it's distracting. Men's names include: Lou Anthony, Leroy Dennis, James Allen, Richard Quinn, Frederick Gideon, Ryan Clark, Jerome Ross, Kyle Fletcher and Art Bradford. Margolin's habit of giving his male characters first names as last names draws attention to that weird pattern and away from the story. The story itself is the sort that is so convoluted, at times, that the reader ought to have no trouble at all staying a step or three ahead of the twists. Not a bad summer read, it's quick, easy and painless... but a bit boring.
- AnnaLovesBooks
The husband of senate candidate Ellen Crease is murdered in their bedroom. Her immediate response? To kill the killer on the spot, giving her quite a bounce in the polls. Her step-son, however, is certain that she's behind his father's death. Richard Quinn, an almost extraordinarily honest judge, is asked to hear the case, a case that seems tailor-made for a man who will dole out justice to anyone - even another judge.
Lou Anthony investigates the crime. Anthony's a cop who knew Ellen when she was on the force and he's the moral equal of Quinn; he's not about to let the fact that he's friendly with Crease taint his investigation. Various twists and turns, from murder to blackmail, muddy the waters and Judge Quinn, who'd thought his greatest fight would be to save his marriage, finds himself fighting for his life.
There's this weird name thing going on in this book, and it's distracting. Men's names include: Lou Anthony, Leroy Dennis, James Allen, Richard Quinn, Frederick Gideon, Ryan Clark, Jerome Ross, Kyle Fletcher and Art Bradford. Margolin's habit of giving his male characters first names as last names draws attention to that weird pattern and away from the story. The story itself is the sort that is so convoluted, at times, that the reader ought to have no trouble at all staying a step or three ahead of the twists. Not a bad summer read, it's quick, easy and painless... but a bit boring.
- AnnaLovesBooks
not his best
I consider this to be one of the best he has written.
Great legal suspense!!!
Thrill Thrill Thrill
Beleaguered Richard Quinn is a judge so ethical that he is willing to risk his own life to ensure that right prevails in his courtroom. But as he discovers when he presides over the trial of tough-talking state congresswoman Ellen Crease, the path to justice is not always clear.
Phillip Margolin's masterful new legal thriller is full of suspense at its finest, with a keen sense of the inner workings of the Amercian justice system, surprising twists and turns--and erotic undertones that can quickly turn deadly...
A riveting new tale of blackmail, betrayal and murder.
Phillip Margolin's masterful new legal thriller is full of suspense at its finest, with a keen sense of the inner workings of the Amercian justice system, surprising twists and turns--and erotic undertones that can quickly turn deadly...
A riveting new tale of blackmail, betrayal and murder.
A legal suspense novel about a young judge, Richard Quinn, who's reputation is beyond reproach. Because he is held in such high regard, he is the one chosen to oversee a sensational homicide case involving a candidate for the US Senate who shot and killed an intruder that murdered her husband. Some of her story wasn't completely plausible and after further investigation, it was believed that she had set the whole thing up and hired the intruder to kill her wealthy husband and then shot and killed him.
Judge Quinn was compromised when his reputation came into question and he came close to losing his wife and his position in the court. Very interesting set of events!!! Good book.
Judge Quinn was compromised when his reputation came into question and he came close to losing his wife and his position in the court. Very interesting set of events!!! Good book.
This is a legal suspense. A simple case of self defense becomes a nightmare in which justice itself is held hostage.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
At the center of The Undertaker's Widow is the beleaguered figure of Richard Quinn - a judge so ethical that he is willing to risk his own life to see that justice prevails in his courtroom.
But as Quinn discovers when he presides over the trial of tough-talking state senator Ellen Crease, there is not always a clear path to justice.
A former police officer, Crease is a flamboyant public figure who stands accused of conspiring to murder her husband, a wealthy tycoon who got his start in the funeral parlor business. Things, however, are not as they seem, and Quinn soon begins to suspect that Crease may well have been set up. As he zeros in on the deadly secret at the heart of this trial, Judge Richard Quinn finds that his efforts to do the right thing lead him ever deeper into an insidious maze of murder and deceit.
At the center of The Undertaker's Widow is the beleaguered figure of Richard Quinn - a judge so ethical that he is willing to risk his own life to see that justice prevails in his courtroom.
But as Quinn discovers when he presides over the trial of tough-talking state senator Ellen Crease, there is not always a clear path to justice.
A former police officer, Crease is a flamboyant public figure who stands accused of conspiring to murder her husband, a wealthy tycoon who got his start in the funeral parlor business. Things, however, are not as they seem, and Quinn soon begins to suspect that Crease may well have been set up. As he zeros in on the deadly secret at the heart of this trial, Judge Richard Quinn finds that his efforts to do the right thing lead him ever deeper into an insidious maze of murder and deceit.
An explosive novel,a simple case of self-defense becomes a nightmare in which justice itself is held hostage.
Judge Richard Quinn is handed the most sensational homicide case in Oregon's history. Is it self-defense, or was the female candidate for the US Senate taking out a political enemy? Justice will not be blind or its final victim!
'Judge Richard Quinn is young, idealistic, and honest to a fault. That's why he's handed the most sensational homicide, of Senator Ellen Crease, in Oregon history' TWO COPIES
It was a very good book
i am into mysteries and this is very good. The hero and heroine are well done.
An excellent "Who done it?". Your protagonist is set up, he is in plenty of trouble. Who set him up, and who is the guilty party. There are plenty of twists and turns in this story. I like the morality play angle this story takes. Compromising your ethics can lead you where you don't want to go. I felt more invested with the protagonist and his journey to find the truly guilty and clear himself.
very, very good
Nice mystery set in Oregon, so it was fun for a homesick girl to read. Some twists and turns, worth the read.
"A cold blooded murder. A beautiful suspect.An honest judge forced to do the unthinkable."
Suspenseful & good reading!
Suspenseful & good reading!
Great who done it. A Senate candidate Ellen Crease kills and intruder who killed her wealthy husband. She becomes a widow, victim and hero all at once. The trial-the most sensational in Oregon history-his handed to Jude Richard Quinn. Let's see how he handles it.
Judge Richard Quinn is young, idealistic, and honest to a fault. That's why he's handed the most sensational homicide case in Oregon history. Locked in a race for the U.S. Senate, Ellen Crease gunned down the intruder who murdered her wealthy husband. In a single, brutal instant she became a widow, a victim, and a hero.
Soon it becomes clear that a deadly plot of murder, blackmail, passion, and double cross is unfolding around Judge Richard Quinn. And unless he breaks the rules, justice will not only be blind, it will be the final victim.
Soon it becomes clear that a deadly plot of murder, blackmail, passion, and double cross is unfolding around Judge Richard Quinn. And unless he breaks the rules, justice will not only be blind, it will be the final victim.
Judge Richard Quinn is handed the most sensational homicide case. A deadly plot of murder, blackmail, passion and double cross unfolds.
Judge Richard Quinn is young, idealistic, and honest to a fault. That's why he's handed the most sensational homicide case in Oregon history. Locked in a race for the U.S. Senate, Ellen Crease gunned down the intruder who murdered her wealthy husband. In a single, brutal instant she became a widow, a victim, and a hero.
Yet disturbing questions remain. What secrets did the man who started his fortune running mortuaries keep that might have cost him his life? What about the son frozen out of his will? Or his wife's political enemies? And what about Ellen Crease herself?
Soon it becomes clear that a deadly plot of murder, blackmail, passion, and double cross is unfolding around Judge Richard Quinn. And unless he breaks the rules, justice will not only be blind, it will be the final victim.
Yet disturbing questions remain. What secrets did the man who started his fortune running mortuaries keep that might have cost him his life? What about the son frozen out of his will? Or his wife's political enemies? And what about Ellen Crease herself?
Soon it becomes clear that a deadly plot of murder, blackmail, passion, and double cross is unfolding around Judge Richard Quinn. And unless he breaks the rules, justice will not only be blind, it will be the final victim.
