A fast-paced novel filled with righteousness, duplicity and seismic twists, The Murder Rule is a killer thriller that begs to be consumed in one sitting. Dervla McTiernan has produced an absorbing, unputdownable legal and psychological thriller that compels you to keep reading in pursuit of the truth.
Hannah Rokeby is a 3rd year law student who transfers from the University of Maine to the University of Virginia in order to volunteer for the Innocence Project, an organization run by noted Professor Robert Parekh, with the objective to exonerate falsely convicted and imprisoned individuals. Hannah is drawn to the high-profile case of Michael Dandridge, a man convicted on suspect evidence of raping and murdering a young mother eleven years ago. The team assigned to this case is full, but Hannah is motivated and not above trickery and deception to worm her way into the inner circle. Is she just that motivated to help save this innocent man from death row? Not quite. Her objective is more sinister. She wants to sabotage the case to make sure he doesn’t get out.
This story is a wonderful concept for a novel. It’s based in the reality that our justice system is flawed and sometimes incarcerates innocent people, requiring organizations like Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative to challenge the system and win freedom for the falsely convicted. It then adds in the juxtaposition of the idealism found in some college students with dreams of changing the world against the pragmatism and school of hard knocks that shapes the worldview of others. Next, it incorporates how the rich and powerful get to play by a different set of rules versus the poor and downtrodden. Lastly, it shows how important it is to keep an open mind to not allow confirmation bias to give you tunnel vision towards a singular outcome; that it’s critical to consider all available alternatives and explanations. So while this is a work of fiction, it is grounded in storylines and concepts that we experience in the real world. Resulting in The Murder Rule being more than a thriller – it’s an authentic mirror held up to reflect our society.
This may have been my first Dervla McTiernan novel, but it certainly won’t be my last. Well-written with incredible pacing and compelling characters, The Murder Rule captured my full attention early and never let go. Now I hope and wish for this book to kick off a new series, because it has massive potential with an unlimited number of miscarriages of justice storylines for a captivating protagonist like Hanna Rokeby to pursue.
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Purchase The Murder Rule
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Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
