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41st out of 61 books
—
13 voters
Heart of a Killer
Jamie Wagner is a young lawyer who is happy to be flying under the radar at a large firm. It’s not that he isn’t smart. He is. It’s just that hard work, not to mention the whole legal thing, isn’t exactly his passion. Underachiever? A little. Content? Right up until the firm puts him on a case that turns his whole world upside down.
Sheryl Harrison has served four years of...more
Sheryl Harrison has served four years of...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
February 14th 2012
by Minotaur Books
(first published February 9th 2012)
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Jamie Wagner is a young lawyer working at a large law firm. He plugs away at the contract law he is working on, but isn't inspired and know he isn't going anywhere there.
When he gets assigned a pro bono case and goes to meet his client, a woman incarcerated for killing her husband seven years earlier, his life changes. Sheryl Harrison is the client and her fourteen-year-old daughter Karen has been diagnosed with a congenital heart condition that will end her young life soon if she doesn't get a...more
When he gets assigned a pro bono case and goes to meet his client, a woman incarcerated for killing her husband seven years earlier, his life changes. Sheryl Harrison is the client and her fourteen-year-old daughter Karen has been diagnosed with a congenital heart condition that will end her young life soon if she doesn't get a...more
Setting aside his popular and irreverent New Jersey attorney, Andy Carpenter, as a protagonist, David Rosenfelt has created a standalone based on another attorney, Jamie Wagner, a Harvard graduate who is a six-year associate at a leading Newark law firm. Basically unambitious, and no less a quipster than Andy, although his area of concentration is in contract law Jamie is handed a pro bono case he is ill-equipped to handle: a woman who wants to donate her heart to save her 14-year-old daughter’s...more
Jamie Wagner is a young lawyer at a large firm on the fast track to nowhere, at least professionally. He knows that he's never going to make partner, which is okay by him because, while he's a really smart guy and a Harvard graduate, he's not all that ambitious. He's generally marking time and flying under the radar when the firm assigns him to a pro bono case.
Jamie's new client is Sheryl Harrison who confessed to the murder of her husband six years earlier and was convicted of the crime. She's...more
Jamie's new client is Sheryl Harrison who confessed to the murder of her husband six years earlier and was convicted of the crime. She's...more
Four years ago, sitting next to her husband’s bloody body Sheryl Harrison confessed to his murder. It was an open and shut case as far as the police were concerned. Now Sheryl needs a lawyer to help her make amends. Enter Jamie Wagner … uninterested, unmotivated and definitely an underachiever at his corporate law offices. Sheryl’s was a mandatory pro bono case that landed on his desk. From the minute he met Sheryl he knew that the pieces did not quite fit. But now she was asking him to do the i...more
In 'Heart of a Killer,' David Rosenfelt combines his many talents -- writing great dialogue, plots with great twists, and a wry sense of humor -- to end up with a book that is difficult to put down.
The plot is unique. A woman convicted of murdering her husband wants to die so that she can donate her heart to her daughter, who will die without a heart transplant. Jamie Wagner is the unfortunate attorney who is handed the pro-bono (free) case by his employers.
Jamie doesn't feel so unfortunate when...more
The plot is unique. A woman convicted of murdering her husband wants to die so that she can donate her heart to her daughter, who will die without a heart transplant. Jamie Wagner is the unfortunate attorney who is handed the pro-bono (free) case by his employers.
Jamie doesn't feel so unfortunate when...more
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“Heart of a Killer” by David Rosenfelt, published by Minotaur Books.
Category – Mystery/Thriller
Sheryl Harrison has confessed to murdering her husband. She has spent the last four year in prison, with another twenty-six years yet to serve.
Sheryl’s daughter, Karen, who is thirteen, has a congenital heart defect and to make matters worse has a rare blood type. It seems the only match for a replacement heart is Sheryl.
Jamie Wagner, a low on the rung attorney for a prestigious law firm, is given a ca...more
Category – Mystery/Thriller
Sheryl Harrison has confessed to murdering her husband. She has spent the last four year in prison, with another twenty-six years yet to serve.
Sheryl’s daughter, Karen, who is thirteen, has a congenital heart defect and to make matters worse has a rare blood type. It seems the only match for a replacement heart is Sheryl.
Jamie Wagner, a low on the rung attorney for a prestigious law firm, is given a ca...more
A guy who begins his author profile by saying "I am a novelist with 27 dogs" gets a chance to show me what he's got. For sure. The man has his priorities straight.
This was pretty good. 3.5 stars
What I found even more compelling than the heart donation dilemma was the "co-plot" reminding us of how truly vulnerable we are in this modern age where absolutely everything is run by computers.
This was pretty good. 3.5 stars
What I found even more compelling than the heart donation dilemma was the "co-plot" reminding us of how truly vulnerable we are in this modern age where absolutely everything is run by computers.
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The author introduces a new lead character, Jamie Wagner, a less than enthusiastic contracts lawyer for a prominent blue blood law firm. Confident that he won't make partner Jamie spends more time thinking about life and what the future holds--little--when one of the senior partners dumps a pro bono case onto him. He is to interview a female prisoner who was convicted of murder years ago--a murder she confessed to--who has an unusual request. Following the initial meeting with the convict, Jamie...more
I really enjoyed this book. It has an unusual premise: a lawyer is sent to defend a woman in jail for killing her husband - a crime to which she confessed. But now her 14 year old daughter is dying of heart disease but a transplant would save her. Mom decides she wants to commit suicide to make sure her daughter gets the heart she needs. The truth: Mom didn't kill her husband but was so afraid of the man who controlled her that it was easier to confess. The lawyer, Jamie Wagner, isn't sure how t...more
A stand-alone from David Rosenefelt (the Andy Carpenter series)and while some of his trademarks have been retained - witty asides, etc. - this book deals with more violence, and quite deep ethical issues. Jamie is a young lawyer going nowhere fast when he is given a pro bono case of a woman in prison, who confessed to killing her husband - who now wants to commit suicide to provide her perfect-match heart for her daughter, who is dying. Lots of discussion, by various agency reps, etc of how the...more
It was a bit fantastic with a lot of extraneous side tracks which went no where. There was the guy who died from an overworking heart monitor as well as several others having their own chapters. It seemed like these events were going to work into the story, but they really didn't. I realize that he put them there to show the extent of our dependence on computers; but for me, it just didn't work. There were definitely holes in the story line, but all in all it was a good read and very enjoyable....more
I've always enjoyed David Rosenfelt's books, especially the Andy Carpenter series. This book, "Heart of a Killer" introduces a new character, Jamie Wagner, a seemingly underachieving lawyer who isn't on the fast track to make partner. One day, Wagner is called in by upper management in his firm to do a pro-bono case. The client is a young woman (Sheryl) in prison for confessing to murdering her husband. But this case isn't about that murder - it's about her wanting to kill herself in order to do...more
I think that his may be,in my humble opinion, Mr. Rosenfelt's best. Heck, what a page turner. Each short chapter was thrilling with a cliff hanger sentence at the end of each. Interesting plot and wonderful character development,evoking empathy,sympathy,admiration,fear and loathing. A self proclaimed underachieving Harvard lawyer..a divorced police detective that is smart on the job and loving his ex wife off the job..the imprisoned client who may or may not have killed her mysterious husband Ch...more
David Rosenfelt's stand alone hero, Jamie Wagner has the same kind of snarky style as his Andy Carpenter. With 2 seemingly seperate plots, I really had no idea how this book would end. A murder mystery, computer thriller and love story, this book has it all. A mother, in prison for killing her husband, wants to save her daughter by donating her heart. This is the catalyst for the rest of the story, and the plots nicely come together. I could not put this book down. I had to read it in 1 sitting!...more
Terrific book - full of suspense and intrigue. Fast-paced and intellectually stimulating. But it's also a scary plot, more so because it could actually happen. It's going to give me nightmares for sure. The characters are well-described and realistic, as well as likable. Rosenfelt does a remarkable job of making complex ideas easy for the lay person to understand. This is a fascinating book and a really enjoyable read.
I really enjoyed this book. The author is witty and it comes through in his character's dialog. Good murder mystery story with a plot that I hadn't really read before. One minor complaint; a few typos in this book. One very amusing one - the dead guy was named Charlie, yet in one scene Charlie was walking down the street really quickly. Pretty amazing for a dead guy! :)
I really like Rosenfelt---I've read several of his mysteries. His hilarious observations are great. This one is a can't-put-it-down about a woman in prison for murder who wants to die and give her heart to her very ill teenaged daughter. Unknowingly, her case is tied up with an ego-maniacal hacker who is terrorizing the US with plane and train crashes.
My rating is actually 3.5 stars.This is the 4th novel by D.R.that I have read and I'm convinced that he is one of the truly underrated novelists out there. His stories are real page turners with suspense, wit, gripping plots and lots of twists and turns. I did not see the surprise ending at all.If you're looking for a new writer in the mystery /thriller genre look no further. I'm quite sure you will not be disappointed.
This was a most enjoyable read. Mr. Rosenfelt has such an easy way of writing and is easy to follow.
His characters are well built, the story is interesting, the ending is great. What more can you want in an easy read. Perhaps I need to go back at read the Andy Carpenter books as some time. So far I've just jentured into a couple independents. One day I will. Enjoy this one.
His characters are well built, the story is interesting, the ending is great. What more can you want in an easy read. Perhaps I need to go back at read the Andy Carpenter books as some time. So far I've just jentured into a couple independents. One day I will. Enjoy this one.
This is one of the best legal and techno thrillers I've read in the last twelve months. It sweeps along at a terrific pace and blends a fascinating legal problem with some plausible threats from some hackers. Well worth reading!
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Per his usual style Rosenfeldt combines action, humor, & a dash of romance to create good fiction. Although Andy Carpenter was absent from this plot, it still the feel of Carpenter mystery. I found this novel to be very engaging but I was somewhat disappointed by its brevity.
Not sure what is going on with one of my favorite authors, I really love his Andy Carpetner series, and found his other stand alone very engaging. His last Andy book, One dog night, was lackluster and makes me wonder if the series should end. This book has a good plot idea, should a prisoner be allowed to donate a heart to her daughter and die, but it was never executed. Instead it ran into murky waters with secrets, black mail and political views not needed.
Excellent; an attorney with little enthusiasm is assigned a pro-bono case where a prisoner wants to be allowed to die in order to supply a heart to her daughter; the story makes front-page news until a terrorist starts striking at various targets using computer hacking
3.5 Stand alone but I love his characters. They are always humorous, self effacing and the new lawyer in this one is very likable. The plot is a very different type of case and it moves along swiftly. Strange to read a Rosenfelt book minus Golden Retrievers but I enjoyed this book.
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I'm a huge fan of Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter character but his new lawyer character, Jamie Wagner, in this new novel doen't disappiont. The case is interesting, the characters are well developed, and the story keeps going right to the final page. I enjoyed this one!
I really like this author's Andy Carpenter series about a dog-loving lawyer; this is the first of Rosenfelt's stand-alone novels that I have really liked; the premiss--a prison inmate wants the right to die to donate her heart to her ailing daughter--is pretty far-fetched but this is an easy and enjoyable read.
Lacks the humor of the Andy Carpenter books. The plot depends on an over-the-top conspiracy that I found hard to swallow. However, still readable because Rosenfelt can always generate sympathetic characters.
WOW! What a quick, complex, thrilling read. He is an entertaining author, and if you've not read any of his others, they are equally fun so read them. But with this one, I believe he really stepped it up.
I absolutely loved this book--couldn't put it down. I've always enjoyed David Rosenfelt, but some of his books are better than others. This one was terrific! Even better than John Grisham.
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I am a novelist with 27 dogs.
I have gotten to this dubious position with absolutely no planning, and at no stage in my life could I have predicted it. But here I am.
My childhood was relentlessly normal. The middle of three brothers, loving parents, a middle-class home in Paterson, New Jersey. We played sports, studied sporadically. laughed around the dinner table, and generally had a good time. By...more
More about David Rosenfelt...
I have gotten to this dubious position with absolutely no planning, and at no stage in my life could I have predicted it. But here I am.
My childhood was relentlessly normal. The middle of three brothers, loving parents, a middle-class home in Paterson, New Jersey. We played sports, studied sporadically. laughed around the dinner table, and generally had a good time. By...more
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Mar 14, 2012 07:11pm