- Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (Nov 27 1996)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 034540498X
- ISBN-13: 978-0345407610
- ASIN: 034540761X
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.7 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 249 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,833,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Richard North Patterson frequently rejects the label "legal thriller" for his novels, and The Final Judgement works hard to transcend this limiting category. A cleverly assembled murder mystery told with rich prose ("Moonlight refracted on the still, obsidian waters of the lake and traced the pines and birches and elms surrounding it. The only sound Brett heard was the rise and fall of James's breathing.") and filled with a cast of quirky small-town New Englanders, the novel ultimately succeeds through Patterson's talents as a writer, not just as a plotter.
As in many of Patterson's best novels, The Final Judgement draws on flashback sequences to ground the story and establish key characters. Forty-five-year-old Caroline Masters, a minor figure in Degree of Guilt and Eyes of a Child is the narrative center, and much of the suspense in the novel derives from the slow unwrapping of her past--the death of her mother and estrangement from her father. In the opening of the novel, Caroline is waiting for a message from the White House appointing her to the U.S. Court of Appeals, when, instead, her long-distant father gives her a call. Her niece has just been named the primary suspect in the murder of her boyfriend. The college-age Brett Allen was found naked, passed out from drugs and alcohol, with a knife in her hand, and covered in her boyfriend's blood. The family wants Caroline to return to New Hampshire to defend the girl.
The perils that face Caroline multiply quickly. By taking the case, Caroline clearly jeopardizes her chances for the Court of Appeals appointment. And by returning home, she must inevitably face the accumulated memories and resentments of the New Hampshire crowd, including Caroline's high-school boyfriend who is the prosecuting attorney. But her niece's life is at stake. Ultimately, The Final Judgement is a tale of the deep and twisted history of a New England family, but it is told in a captivating style that is--despite Patterson's reservations about the rubric--"thrilling." --Patrick O'Kelley
From Publishers Weekly
Patterson's legal thriller of a lawyer defending her niece against a murder charge was a PW bestseller for seven weeks.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
This is the only one of his books I've read.,
By John Candy (Silver Spring, MD) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Final Judgement (Paperback)
And here's why. Without giving away the ending, I knew who the killer was about halfway through. I kept going because it is well written, and I was hoping for a shocking surprise at the end. I was disappointed. I read this about 3 years ago and at the time I bought this one, I bought another one of his books. I haven't opened it yet. I'm sorry, Mr. Patterson, but I like to keep guessing until THE VERY LAST PAGE. "The Final Judgement" failed in this aspect.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Another dreadful formulaic tabloid thriller,
By Dan McKenzie "Dan McKenzie" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Final Judgment: A Novel (Paperback)
I made the serious mistake of reading this straight after a real novel, James Ellroy's 'The Cold Six Thousand'.I could scarcely believe how bad The Final Judgement was in comparison. I had hoped it would be a lightweight but competent holiday read. Instead it was full of the most tedious and contrived characterisation married to a silly and self-conscious plot. I was very disappointed given the gushing praise on the jacket (who are these people?!). More and more it seems as if there are hardly any excellent thriller writers around today and the publishing industry is pushing books which barely make the readable grade, like this piece of nonsense. I will never again go within 100 yards of a Richard North Patterson book.
3.0 out of 5 stars
NOT A GREAT THRILLER-MYSTERY FROM RNP,
By
This review is from: Final Judgment (Mass Market Paperback)
THIS BOOK IS PART MYSTERY WITH LITTLE COURT ROOM ACTION. OUT OF 498 PAGES, THE FIRST 350 DESCIBE THE CRIME AND DEVELOPS THE CHARACTERS. JUST WHEN IT IS GETTING INTERESTING THE NEXT PART FILLS IN THE BACKGROUND. IT IS NOT A PAGE TURNER. CAROLINE MASTERS THE LAWYER IS CALLED HOME FROM SF IN CA TO NH TO DEFEND HER NIECE. SINCE "CARO" IS UP FOR NOMINATION FOR A FEDERAL JUDGE POSITION, SHE DOES NOT WANT TO ANNOY THE PRESIDENT WHO KEEPS CALLING HER THE ENTIRE TIME SPAN OF THE STORY. SHE HAD LEFT HOME AND FAMILY 20 YRS AGO AND IS NOT HAPPY ABOUT RETURNING. YOU DO HAVE TO KEEP GUESSING WHO IS THE GUILTY ONE. PATTERSON BRINGS CARO TO THE SPARKLING DEFENSE LAWYER SHE IS BUT SHE DOES NOT WANT TO BE CRUEL TO THE PROSECUTOR WHO IS HER EX BOYFRIEND. SHE DOES SOME ILLEGAL THINGS TO ROOT OUT THE TRUTH TO PROVE HER NIECE NOT GUILTY. IN THE FINAL PAGES WE FIND OUT WHO HER NIECE REALLY IS AND PARTS PLAYED BY OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS IN MAKING CAROLINE MASTERS WHO SHE IS TODAY. THE ENDING IS NOT UNEXPECTED. I WAS GLAD TO REACH THE END OF THIS BOOK.
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