And I don't need to be rescued: THE MURDER LIST.

The Murder List: A Novel of Suspense by Hank Phillippi Ryan

My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars


Law student Rachel North has a coveted summer internship in the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office with Assistant District Attorney Martha Gardiner. This is great, except Martha just happens to be Rachel's husband's arch nemesis. Jack, a defense attorney, hates to lose, and it seems like Martha is the only one who can beat him. Jack is on the murder list, a special group of attorneys who represent accused murderers who can't pay for their defense. Once Rachel's internship is over, she'll pass the bar and join in a partnership with Jack, defending those who need them most.


"'Plus we've planned the whole thing. We're gonna be partners. You'll get me on the murder list. And we're a team.'"


Well, this was quite the clever suspense novel, which weaves together two intersecting stories from various time periods. We learn about Rachel's present, interning with Martha, and then her past: her days at the statehouse--when six years ago--she supervised interns of her own. That's when she worked for Senate President Tom Rafferty. These two time periods are far more connected than we'd think--linked together by Jack and Martha as well, both of whom hate each other deeply.


"Two sides. And me in the middle. But why did Gardiner bring me here?"


We hear from Rachel, Jack, and Martha across these differing time periods and vantage points. I won't reveal more, but it's a very intriguing tale. I enjoyed how the two timelines intersected, bringing us a dark story of law, politics, and justice. What is right, what is wrong, and who exactly--if any--of our crew can we truly trust?

There were a few places where I found my eyes glazing over a bit and skimming the pages: a lot of pontificating about law and mostly Jack haranguing Rachel about his hatred of Martha and then Martha rambling about her thoughts about law and hating Jack. That was a bit much for me. But when the book focused on the action (and lies!), it was great. Very crafty and when it finally dawned on me what was going on, I was all in.

Overall, I certainly enjoyed my first book by Hank Phillippi Ryan. It was interesting, smart, different, and a fun tale of intertwining time periods. The characters were a bit too wordy for me at times, but the story made up for it in its surprising twists and turns. 3.75 stars, rounded up here.

I received a free ARC of The Murder List from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. It is available everywhere on 8/20/2019.

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