Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | Fic Siegel, B. 1999 | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
California lawyer Greg Monarch was in no mood for visitors. But it's not every day a federal judge comes knocking at his door, especially with a curious request: to review the final appeal of a murderer on Death Row who personally asked for Greg's assistance. Tired of defending killers, Greg has every intention of turning it down--until he discovers the prisoner is a former lover he hasn't seen in two decades: the fiery, impetuous Sarah Trant. Her fate sealed in a verdict rendered five years before, Sarah Trant was found guilty of slashing an old man's throat in central California's sheltered El Nido Valley. All subsequent appeals have been denied. Now, six months from execution, she turns to the one man she hopes can save her. Greg failed once before trying to rescue Sarah from her private demons. This time, however, the demons may not be just in her head. After arriving in the deceptively peaceful valley of El Nido, Greg begins to investigate the events surrounding the original trial, and discovers a seriously compromised case rife with flagrant prosecutorial misconduct, doctored reports, concealed evidence, and witness tampering. But perhaps more alarming is the rich, dark history of the valley itself; a history that seems to have coiled itself around each and every inhabitant, locking them in a conspiracy of silence. For Greg suspects that the earthy, plain-talking citizens of El Nido conceal something deep and damning--and all of them appear to have an unsettling stake in seeing Sarah executed. As gripping as a walk down Death Row, bolstered by an unforgettable cast of characters and an atmosphere so vivid that it radiates menace, Barry Siegel's Actual Innocence is an electrifying, psychologically charged novel of suspense.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Despite its sleepy appearance, the tiny hamlet of El Nido, Calif., harbors terrible secrets. As Siegel's second thriller featuring attorney Greg Monarch (after The Perfect Witness) begins, El Nido resident Sarah Trant has been sitting on death row for five years, convicted by a jury of townsfolk on the basis of very shaky evidence. Monarch, who lives in the nearby town of La Graciosa and was formerly Trant's lover, agrees to handle her appeal, though he knows Trant has a history of mental instability. Upon arriving in El Nido, he gets a frosty reception. The district attorney won't help with even the most basic information, the sheriff is downright hostile and Trant's former attorney refuses to take his calls. Monarch pushes on, eventually discovering aspects of the case that were covered up the first time around. These include the fact that the testimony clinching Trant's convictionÄa dying declaration from the victim identifying Trant as the killerÄis patently false; the dying man's throat was cut all the way to the spine. Monarch figures the key to the case is the victim, Brewster Tomaz, an elderly geologist who had been working for an oil company that wanted to build a huge health spa on its now dry fields. Trant, who vehemently opposed the health spa plan, had clashed with Tomaz several times in the past, but so had many others, including people with knowledge of one of El Nido's even bigger secrets. Though some of the plot turns are predictable, Siegel beautifully captures the flavor of scandal in a small communityÄthe knowing looks, the awkward silences, the amateur attempts at coverup. The novel ends, appropriately, not with big-city drama, but with a quiet, small-town America nod-nod-wink-wink deal. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
After his strikingly original debut (The Perfect Witness, 1998), Siegel settles into a more well-worn groove, inviting his returning lawyer hero Greg Monarch to reopen the five-year-old murder conviction of his onetime lover. Sarah Trant has always had a thing for blades, as Greg first realized when she pulled a knife on a cat she insisted was waiting to attack her, effectively sending her off to a psychiatric clinic and ending their romance. Now Sarah, who'd gone after her release to live in the snug California valley of El Nido, is in much bigger trouble. Charles Whit, founder and managing director of ModoCorp, had planned a modern development project for El Nido and hired ancient local geologist Brewster Tomaz to burnish his reputation with the natives. When Tomaz was found with his throat cut, it took a jury less than an hour to find Sarah guilty. Looking over the case documents after Sarah's final appeal has landed on his desk, Greg can see why. Along with the physical evidence against Sarah, the State had presented a dying declaration of Sarah's guilt, courtesy of her friend, rancher Diana Sanborn, a witness whose reluctance made her testimony all the more damning. But when the witnesses he deposes keep contradicting the case put together by Sheriff Roy Rimmer, Greg decides that instead of arguing the appeal on procedural grounds, he'll assert Sarah's actual innocence, condemning the guilty verdict as a gross miscarriage of justice. Sadly, the moment Greg's settled on his strategy, things get even more predictable, with witnesses rushing to recant their depositions on the stand. Only an eleventh-hour surprise can save Sarah. Hmm. Rousing stuff for fans of legal intrigue who aren't up to the challenges of Siegel's memorable debut.
Library Journal Review
California attorney Greg Monarch is back (after The Perfect Witness), and this time out he's helping old girlfriend Sarah Trant in her last-ditch efforts to avoid execution. Sarah is claiming "actual innocence" as her final defense, saying that she was framed for the murder of old Brewster Tomaz, that she didn't cut his throat and leave him dead in El Nido Creek. Greg's investigation turns up not only flagrant trial misconduct by the prosecution but also a dark tangle of lies and twisted relationships that have pushed the citizens of seemingly peaceful El Nido Valley into a conspiracy of silence. And when Sarah's original defense lawyer suddenly dies of a mysterious illness, Greg begins to realize just how dangerous his investigation is. Crime reporter Siegel has again crafted a thriller filled with a wealth of legal detail and realistic characters that will appeal to Phillip Margolin fans. Highly recommended.ÄRebecca House Stankowski, Purdue Univ. Lib., Hammond, IN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.