Desperate Justice (A Marc Kadella Legal Mystery Book 2)

Dennis Carsten the author of the Marc Kadella Legal Mystery book series says that he likes “novels that make me think; novels that are not just entertainment for the mind.” Desperate Justice, book 2 of the series, surely fits that categorization. It is a relatively simple and straight forward murder trial but the subplots and side stories elevate the story to much more than a story of a trial.The book begins with almost too much background details that at times had me wondering what this book is about. It is about half way through story that the reader finds out that despicable and loathsome Judge Gordon Prentiss is charged with murdering his wife. He hires Marc Kadella to defend him even though their past relationship was contentions and agnostic. From that point forward, Desperate Justice becomes a relatively routine trial narrative except for the complicating relationships and unexpected incidents that keep reader thinking what comes next.Desperate Justice is another rich and complex story from Dennis Carsten. If you like murder mysteries books full of twists and turns this is a book for you enjoy and find thought provoking.

Author is obviously bright and has nailed many of the skills necessary for literary success ... but where was the editor who should have told him which holes in the story needed filling and when too much is too much? The killer was not determined, nor was this pointed out as a deliberate choice. The professional assassin should either have evolved as a character, or not been introduced. Ditto for the Italian and Russian mafia angles. Ditto again for US government involvement, power play by the wealthy, and the politics of prosecution. Too many undeveloped themes - all potentially interesting - but unrealized. I like the author’s style and would read him again, but please get him some editorial direction to slim down and focus the plot. His principal characters are whole and believable and the primary story was fascinating.

This was one of the best novels I have read. It is a novel, and some of the things that took place are probably far fetched for real life. There are many characters, all very well defined. There are several things going on at the same time, so it was exciting when they all came together for the conclusion. There are several twists and turns, so you really do not get to the end of the story, until you get to the end of the story!!Towards the end, there seemed to be a few proofreading/editing mistakes. Gender pronouns were mixed up, punctuation was lost at least one point, and even characters were mixed up on one or two occasions. I was following what and who very carefully - I do some proofreading and editing, so this sort of stuff jumps out at me. It was a good read anyway, and I highly recommend it.

This was a good book. I enjoyed reading it. I don't want to be a spoiler, so I'll be a little vague, but wouldn't the murder victim's fingerprints be on the knife that killed her? It was HER knife from her kitchen, after all. I'd be willing to bet that her fingerprints were on all of her other knives in the knife block in her own kitchen. That should have been noticed and brought up by Marc Kadella.Also, I thought the testimony by the victim's friend was ridiculous. That word never happen. Anyway, I'm about the download the next one. Thanks!

Most of my review has already been written by other 3 & 4 star reviews.A GOOD courtroom battle, but also included too much : sex, Romance, the Mob, and other FILLER sub plots.Overall, a decent but lengthy read.

I liked Key to Justice but this book was disappointing.The sex scenes were unnecessary. Most of his readers, as I, are reading this for the legal story and how court cases are handled. Sounds like someone suggested he put some heavy sex in the book so he did. Enough already. Also tiresome to read every time Maddy comes on the scene, everyone stops and checks her out. No one could possibly cause so much attention. The elderly patriarch of the family was another one who was constantly attracting the male as well as Gabriella giving news reports. An editor should check Carstan's over-the-top descriptions of all these women, including his judge lover. US Government involvement hopefully contrived. For whatever reasons, hard to believe they would allow all they did. and for weak reason. Who actually committed the murder, if there was one, is a bit confusing. Some spelling errors and I can't imagine why. Also Mark not Marc in some places. Why? No proofreader? Not sure I will read book 3.

I have been reading the 1-6 box set of this series. I have read books 1 and 2 and just started book 3. I have to say these are some of the best books I have ever read. All the characters are well defined and thought out and love the surprise endings in both books. I will buy all the books this author can write. Thanks for the great books,,keep writing so I can keep reading.

I admit I am hooked on Dennis Carstens stories! Before retirement, I spent my entire career working with law enforcement officers, judges & lawyers within the legal system. And I am an avid reader. No other author I have ever read can compare to this one when it comes to realistically spinning a great legal thriller. He hooks you at the beginning & never lets go. He is phenomenal at describing the behind-the-scenes workings in the courtroom. I love the main character of Marc Kadella because his actions are real & he is easily relatable to the everyday lawyer. I also loved the character of Vivian Donahue...please bring her back!! And I love the twists that keep you guessing throughout his stories. And in this book, the quandary is that while the reader knows the defendant is not guilty, should he really be convicted of a crime he did not commit? If you haven't read Carstens yet, you're in for a real treat....the only negative is that you can't put it down & you'll lose a lot of sleep!! Great job again!

An interesting story line. I particularly like the character Maddie. I also like the 2 intertwined story lines but was it suicide or did the hit man kill Catherine???

Wow! This is a legal thriller up there with the likes of Lee Childs or John Grisham. It has a little bit of everything in it from the rich and powerful, Vivian Corwin with a secret Mafia Connection, to a degenerate and arrogant judge, and a government protected "thug." It is a complex plot involvingcorruption, murder, the mob, the government, the legal system, the very rich, the very powerful, and the very depraved. A critic may find that the author has a political agenda and that protagonist Marc Kadella was not very effective; however, such criticism ignores the realities of the real world in which we live and how witness protection and courtroom dramas play out.

I have read the first book in the Marc Cadella series and this is the second. I must say, I am really impressed. The book gives a deep insight into the workings of American legal system.Marc Cadella is an ethical criminal lawyer who feels that every accused person has a right to be represented by an attorney who gives his 100%.The thing I love the most about this series is, every character has an established background which helps us understand them better. No character is larger than life. They are just like normal people going through their daily lives. Very human,very relatable characters.The storyline is gripping,the plot is as complex as a Jeffrey Archer novel and it beautifully comes together at the end.I am buying more books in the series and I would say all the ardent fans of legal thrillers genre should buy these.

Just about scraped in as a 5* - but did really enjoy it. There are a few typos and wrong words here and there (Site instead of SIGHT, for example) - but not too many.I liked all the characters - although, in the early stages, I struggled to remember who a few people were and just had to role with it (Ike / Ivan for example, was a complication that wasn't necessary in a book with a LOT of players).Some reviewers have complained about the court process descriptions being too long - but I read a lot of legal thrillers and thought it was about right. There are a couple of twists in the final couple of chapters and I never saw them coming.Will look out for more in the Kadella series.

This is the second book of this author that I have read, and they have both been excellent, I like the lawyer side and then the crimes and the familiar people that one way or another are involved as well