Confession [Hardcover]

Sheldon Siegel does it again, in his fifth and newest outing for San Francisco attorney and ex-priest Mike Daley. The book opens with Daley's confession to one of his best friends, priest Ramon Aguirre. Before it closes, Daley, Aguirre, and the normal cast of characters in a Siegel novel (Mike's ex-wife and law partner Rosie, their various relatives, "McNasty", the lead prosecutor in the DA's office, Banks and Johnson, a crack SFPD homicide team and the Catholic diocese of San Francisco) will come and go, but the bond between Mike and Ramon will grow due to Daley's defense of Father Aguirre in a murder trial.

In his investigation of what really happened to the victim, Siegel shares with us a slice of her life, in flashbacks - she's a close friend and former teenage fling of Aguirre's, and another fixture in the neighborhood, crusading attorney Maria Concepcion. In a pace too fast for many readers, Siegel introduces us to everyone of relevance in Maria's life, and one by one, eliminates them from the crime. The book, as in many of Siegel's former novels, climaxes in the courtroom, this time in a preliminary hearing. Of little help is the fact that Father Aguirre feeds the defense team information little by little, confirming the damning information about his relationship with the victim only after they have learned about it from the police. Although this fact is grating on the reader, Siegel's fans will be more than satisfied with a couple of characteristics of his writing, which have become his signature.

The first is Daley's mental corrections of nearly everything he says that is politically correct. When queried by the higher ups in the church's in-house legal counsel, "I trust you will provide full disclosure of all relevant information?"...Daley's response of "Of course." Is prefaced by his real answer, which is never enunciated..."We'll see". Throughout the book, the dichotomy of Daley's out-loud answers and his mental gymnastics is an entertaining Siegel tradition. One of the other Siegel signatures is his prefacing of each chapter with a brief blurb or quote from a publication (such as the San Francisco Chronicle) about the case he's working on. This technique pulls the reader into the context of the story within the boundaries of SF, and makes it come alive. Some examples?

When Daley's offices are destroyed by a fire that is apparently arson, and when the church withdraws its support as co-counsel, chapter 43 begins with "Mr. Daley and Ms. Fernandez should ask for a continuance...Legal Commentator Mort Goldberg, Channel 4 News, Monday, December 15, 8:30 a.m." After having this priest charged with the murder of an attorney that was suing another priest for sexual misconduct, after learning that Father Aguirre donated sperm to help the victim become pregnant, and after the dirty tricks played by the SF Diocese's legal team against the victim come out in court, Chapter 51 begins with a quote from its chief in-house counsel, Francis X. Quinn, "We have to avoid any appearance of impropriety."....an understatement if there ever was one.

I hope the broader reading community that enjoys thrillers, both legal and mystery, doesn't ever discover Siegel's books in a big way, because that will put more pressure on him to produce the commercially acceptable; in the meantime, he can just continue with his penchant for a great yarn, with a cast of memorable characters, and a sweeping humor that doesn't undermine the thriller aspects of his writing. One of my very favorite authors....read Siegel's 5 Daley books in order, so you don't miss a single drop!

A terrific mystery novel that will keep you turning the pages long after you should have tucked yourself in for the night. Smart, funny and completely enjoyable.

An ironic thing about this author's first book, "Special Circumstances." I didn't know the author, enjoyed that book, found out he was from my area, and there were community ties within our families. I suppose, then, that as a reviewer, anyone can now claim my pro-Sheldon Siegel bias. I confess to that. But it is BECAUSE of the stories he writes, and because of the way he writes them, that attracted me as a reader. Further, Sheldon is one of those writers who has enjoyed rare success in the industry, based, of course, on his hard work. But there is more. Sheldon is a supporter of other authors. He is a family man and, as anyone who has attended his readings would know, a heck of a nice, funny, entertaining person. The Confession carries all these traits onto the written page. Great story line, original characters, unique way of laying out the story, tension with humor and drama. Congratulations once again to Sheldon Siegel, his family, and all readers who have the fortune of reading The Confession, or anyone of his other books.

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