You know
the drill: big-time New York firm publishes first-time author and I analyze according to Larry Brooks'
Six Core Competencies.
Concept: What if a new public defender was assigned to help on a murder case? This weak concept kept me from really enjoying this book. At times it was tough to be motivated to keep reading, but I plowed on hoping the stakes would be raised. They ultimately were, but not until about the 90% mark, at which point it was too late.
Theme: The theme appears to be redemption. Or maybe it's lack of concern for truth in the legal system. Either way, it wasn't too moving.
Structure: The four part structure of set-up, response, attack and resolution was followed, but with such a weak concept, it didn't deliver too much drama or tension. At the first plot point, the stakes didn't change for the hero, they just got another piece of the puzzle for the case they were defending.
Character: The hero and his partner were reasonably developed. The defendant as well as other minor characters were also drawn well. This element was probably the strongest of the six in this novel.
Writing Voice: Although there was nothing special about the style, it was well done overall.
Scene construction: This was well done too, but not much happened in the scenes because of the weak theme.
I suppose I was underwhelmed by this novel. It wasn't really lacking in any of the areas except for concept, but that was enough to sink the novel. Surprisingly, the ending was quite good and a real page-turner. It's too bad larger stakes for the hero weren't introduced earlier so as to add dramatic tension throughout the novel.
