A Complicated Game of Twists and Turns

ABOUT THE BOOK

A defense attorney is prepared to play. But is she a pawn in a master’s deadly match? A twisting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

Keera Duggan was building a solid reputation as a Seattle prosecutor, until her romantic relationship with a senior colleague ended badly. For the competitive former chess prodigy, returning to her family’s failing criminal defense law firm to work for her father is the best shot she has. With the right moves, she hopes to restore the family’s reputation, her relationship with her father, and her career.

Keera’s chance to play in the big leagues comes when she’s retained by Vince LaRussa, an investment adviser accused of murdering his wealthy wife. There’s little hard evidence against him, but considering the couple’s impending and potentially nasty divorce, LaRussa faces life in prison. The prosecutor is equally challenging: Miller Ambrose, Keera’s former lover, who’s eager to destroy her in court on her first homicide defense.

As Keera and her team follow the evidence, they uncover a complicated and deadly game that’s more than Keera bargained for. When shocking information turns the case upside down, Keera must decide between her duty to her client, her family’s legacy, and her own future.

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas & Mercer
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 28, 2023
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 396 pages

Though I haven’t kept up with all of Dugoni’s books, I’ve read seven and been glad I did. In the case of Her Deadly Game, I love legal mysteries, so I was excited for the opportunity to read it.

Because of a relationship gone bad with her prosecuting attorney supervisor, Keera Duggan finds herself working at her father’s law firm and on the other side of the legal process. Surprisingly, her first case offers her the chance to defend a client against the prosecutor who happened to be her former boss. Naturally, both sides are intent on winning.

And the case is an interesting one. Vince LaRussa is accused of shooting his wife, Anne, who is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Keera works with her dad, Patrick Duggan, who is an excellent attorney when he’s not passed out drunk. But will Patrick be able to stay sober and help his daughter, who is new to this side of the law, defend LaRussa?

This legal story is intertwined with mysterious correspondence and a chess game.

My Concerns

While legal mysteries are among my favorite genre, I have to say this one bothered me in that things were discussed, and then the same things were stated in court, which felt too much like a lengthy transcript. It felt repetitive.

Final Thoughts

Dugoni created an interesting story that is filled with secrets, family relationships, and courtroom drama. 

Though I did have trouble with some of it feeling repetitive, the plot was exciting and the pages kept turning. I’ll be watching for his next book, and hoping this one is the start of a new series.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC to review.

4 STARS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite police series set in Seattle, which has sold more than 8 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, the David Sloane legal thriller series, and  several stand-alone novels including The 7th Canon, Damage Control, and the literary novels, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – Suspense Magazine’s 2018 Book of the Year, for which Dugoni’s narration won an AudioFile Earphones Award and the critically acclaimed, The World Played Chess; as well as the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. Several of his novels have been optioned for movies and television series. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and a three-time winner of the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He has also been a finalist for many other awards including the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award.

Robert Dugoni’s books are sold in more than twenty-five countries and have been translated into more than thirty languages. Visit his website at www.robertdugonibooks.com.

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