Lead Review

• Book: Judgment
• Location: Boston
• Author: Joseph Finder

Review Author: tripfiction

Judgment (or Judgement if you’re from this side of the Atlantic…) is a fast moving American legal thriller. Judge Juliana Brody falls out of character just once – she is happily married, but sleeps with a handsome stranger at a law convention in Chicago. She convinces herself it doesn’t matter, and that she will never see him again. But she does. Matias (his name) turns up in her court shortly afterwards as part of a defence team. He had spun her a line which she had swallowed hook, line, and sinker. Blackmail is now the order of the day in order to get the verdict the defence wants. But the case is only about an employment issue is which a woman claims sexual harassment… why should the defence go to so much trouble?

Juliana is not prepared just to roll over… she hires a private detective to investigate Matias and what is going on. Things get pretty murky and pretty violent straight away. She is honest with her husband about her problem, which leads to some (unsurprising) marital strife. The CIA gets involved as does a somewhat secretive Russian oligarch (closely connected to Putin). The action is fast and furious, and leads to a dramatic conclusion. The book turns into a high level spy drama…

Judgment is a very good thriller that will keep you enthralled – providing you suspend belief. It is not real world… Juliana is extremely well connected and has an uncanny ability to call on high level assistance whenever required. She can open doors. There are also bits that jar, and which you question. How, for example, does the smooth Matias who seduced Juliana manage to turn into a snivelling wreck only a few chapters later?

Joseph Finder is a New York Times best selling author with fourteen titles to his credit. He is obviously very much on top of his game.

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