Motion to Kill by Joel Goldman

In Motion to Kill, Lou Mason is a lawyer who's been with the Sullivan & Christenson just a short time, when one of the partner's, Sullivan, is found dead. When another partner turns up dead and a criminal investigation into the firm's transactions is uncovered, Mason is left wondering what he's got himself into with this new job. As he starts digging around, he uncovers a lot more than he bargained for including corruption, a sexual scandal and organized crime to go along the two murders. What's this lawyer to do, but dig deeper and uncover the truth about why the partners are being investigated and picked off one by one.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was suspenseful and exciting, especially the action scenes. They were intense. The story wasn't really straightforward; there were lots of different angles and motives to consider. However, it was still pretty easy to follow. The author moved the story along at a really good clip and with so much going on, it certainly wasn't ever dull or boring. The whole thing was very well written.

The characters were all pretty good; I especially liked Lou Mason. He didn't have to dig around to uncover what was going on, but did so anyway, even when his life was in danger. He was pretty tenacious in his investigation, too. I liked that. I especially liked the way he interacted with Sheriff Kelly Holt, whom I also liked a lot. Wilson "Blues" Bluestone, piano player and ex-cop, was another favourite. Besides his interaction with Mason, which was terrific, I loved his general style and his thoughts about music.

The ending was full of surprises and wonderfully written. It was perfectly timed and wrapped up the story nicely. It was a great way to end the story and leave just a little bit open with Mason to appear in the next instalment of the series.

Favourite quotes: Because I have an inner geek, I couldn't resist the following:

The glistening effect was a mixture of a Madonna-halo and a Star Trek transporter.

Another favourite quote of mine involves Jerry Springer and the type of guests he had on his show. It appears on page 298. However, I can't include it her because it gives away a plot point. I'll just say it's vintage Jerry and priceless.

New word:
pogroms (page 165): massacre of a particular ethnic group, particular that of Jews in Russia or eastern Europe.

I also read No Way Out by this author and really enjoyed it. I'd definitely recommend it.

Highly recommended. I'll be keeping my eye out for more of Goldman's books.

This book was originally published in 2002. Since then Goldman has "updated the book but kept the story intact."

For more information about this book, please visit Joel Goldman'swebsite.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit Joel Goldman's website.

Thanks to the author for this review copy.

Motion to Kill by Joel Goldman, ©2002. ISBN 0786014474(eBook), 301p.