The Right Book at the Right Time

Title: Plea of Insanity

Author: Jilliane Hoffman

Publisher: Vanguard Press, April 2009

Summary: In a quiet section of Coral Gables, Florida, in a neighborhood of stately homes, a terrible crime has been committed.  Someone has brutally murdered a young mother and her three small children. The prime suspect is also at the scene, with the murder weapon still imbedded in his stomach. He is still alive, though barely. He is Dr. David Marquette, the husband and father of the slaughtered family.

Julia Vacanti is a young Assistant State Attorney in Miami. She is a “B” prosecutor, usually assigned to second degree felonies. It is no wonder that everyone, including Julia, is surprised when she is asked to second seat the murder prosecution of Dr. Marquette. The Assistant Division Chief of Major Crimes, Rick Bellido, has asked for her personally. Julia can only hope that the request came because of her prosecution record, not because she and Rick are sleeping together. This is the type of case that can make or break a career, and Julia’s has really just started. Her aunt Nora begs her not to take the case. She feels the crime is too similar to the events that destroyed Julia’s own family when she was a child. When Dr. Marquette’s lawyer enters a plea of insanity on his client’s behalf, Julia is forced to re-examine the events that led to her own family tragedy.

This is a great legal thriller that will keep you hooked from beginning to end. Jilliane Hoffman is a major talent and I am looking forward to her next book, “Pretty Little Things”, due out in September 2010.

Who will like this book?: Fans of suspense and legal thrillers.

If you like this, try this: Jilliane Hoffman’s “Retribution” and “Last Witness”. William Diehl’s “Primal Fear”.

Recommended by: Sue, Circulation Coordinator