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Kevin Corvelli #2
Night on Fire
Kevin Corvelli---a hotshot New York defense attorney who packed up his bags and hung his shingle in Hawaii to dodge the spotlight---is deep in his mai tais at a resort when an argument erupts down at the other end of the bar. It’s a pair of newlyweds, married that very day on the beach. And since Corvelli doesn’t do divorces, he all but dismisses the argument.
That’s at least until the fire breaks out later that night, and he barely escapes his hotel room. Most weren’t so lucky, including the new husband. His wife, Erin, becomes not only the police’s prime suspect for arson and murder but also Corvelli’s newest client, and she has a lot working against her, like motive and opportunity, not to mention a history of starting fires.
The heat gets turned all the way up in Douglas Corleone’s scorching legal thriller Night on Fire, his second following the MB/MWA's First Crime Novel Competition winner, One Man’s Paradise.
That’s at least until the fire breaks out later that night, and he barely escapes his hotel room. Most weren’t so lucky, including the new husband. His wife, Erin, becomes not only the police’s prime suspect for arson and murder but also Corvelli’s newest client, and she has a lot working against her, like motive and opportunity, not to mention a history of starting fires.
The heat gets turned all the way up in Douglas Corleone’s scorching legal thriller Night on Fire, his second following the MB/MWA's First Crime Novel Competition winner, One Man’s Paradise.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 26, 2011
7 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Corleone
31 books112 followersDouglas Corleone is the highly acclaimed and award-winning author of contemporary thrillers. His debut novel, ONE MAN'S PARADISE, introducing hotshot defense attorney Kevin Corvelli was a finalist for the 2010 Shamus Award for Best First Novel and winner of the 2009 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award. Corleone's other novels in the Kevin Corvelli series include NIGHT ON FIRE and LAST LAWYER STANDING.
Douglas Corleone's highly acclaimed international thriller, GOOD AS GONE, featuring former U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk, was hailed by the Huffington Post as a "heart-wrenching, adrenaline-producing adventure that...leaves the reader gasping for breath." The second book in the series, PAYOFF is due out in August 2014.
Recently Douglas Corleone was selected by the Estate of Robert Ludlum, internationally bestselling author and creator of the Jason Bourne series, to continue Ludlum's series of thrillers featuring ex-Navy SEAL and former covert government agent Paul Janson. ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE JANSON EQUATION will hit stores early in 2015.
A former New York City criminal defense attorney, Douglas Corleone now resides in the Hawaiian Islands with his family, where he is currently at work on his next novel.
Douglas Corleone's highly acclaimed international thriller, GOOD AS GONE, featuring former U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk, was hailed by the Huffington Post as a "heart-wrenching, adrenaline-producing adventure that...leaves the reader gasping for breath." The second book in the series, PAYOFF is due out in August 2014.
Recently Douglas Corleone was selected by the Estate of Robert Ludlum, internationally bestselling author and creator of the Jason Bourne series, to continue Ludlum's series of thrillers featuring ex-Navy SEAL and former covert government agent Paul Janson. ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE JANSON EQUATION will hit stores early in 2015.
A former New York City criminal defense attorney, Douglas Corleone now resides in the Hawaiian Islands with his family, where he is currently at work on his next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 20, 2011
This has been a fun week of reading and writing for me. The content has been the key. Normally I get to see some pretty neat stuff, but when I get to dig into a character I just can’t get enough of, well it is that much more fun and then it turns to brief sadness. Why sadness? The usual thing, I have to wait another year to devour another installment of the series. Douglas Corleone and his character Kevin Corvelli is one of the characters I cannot get enough of. Let get to the action shall we?
“Kevin Corvelli---a hotshot New York defense attorney who packed up his bags and hung his shingle in Hawaii to dodge the spotlight---is deep in his mai tais at a resort when an argument erupts down at the other end of the bar. It’s a pair of newlyweds, married that very day on the beach. And since Corvelli doesn’t do divorces, he all but dismisses the argument.
That’s at least until the fire breaks out later that night, and he barely escapes his hotel room. Most weren’t so lucky, including the new husband. His wife, Erin, becomes not only the police’s prime suspect for arson and murder but also Corvelli’s newest client, and she has a lot working against her, like motive and opportunity, not to mention a history of starting fires.
The heat gets turned all the way up in Douglas Corleone’s scorching legal thriller Night on Fire, his second following the MB/MWA's First Crime Novel Competition winner, One Man’s Paradise.”
Hmmm, what is it that I love so much about this young series; I mean there are only two installments thus far. My simple answer is the flair and panache of the author. The setting is beautiful, Hawaii, and Corleone paints it in very vivid pictures. I can feel the breeze and hear the tide rolling in and out. For me an almost deaf guy, that is heaven. The dialogue is what has me so taken though above all else: witty banter, great takes on things, and a skewed vision of what is real and what is not. Sarcastic, sublime, smart ass, call it as you see it; it is all good and is just one facet of the author’s ability. It is very apparent, very quickly as you read, as to why this author is an award winner and deserves the read. I say hit the beach, enjoy the surf, check out the honeys and have a drink with Kevin Corvelli. A smile and well described rainbow await you.
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May 18, 2011
Night on Fire is the second in this series featuring defense attorney Kevin Corvelli, a former New Yorker who does what a lot of us dream about — he moves his practice to Hawaii. Of course he does it to escape a lot of unwanted attention and personal tragedy. Of course all the trouble follows him right into paradise.
In Night on Fire, this particular trouble comes in the form of a dangerously seductive woman who might or might not be a murdering arsonist. Kevin knows better than to get involved . . . but I’m giving nothing away to let you know that he gets involved anyway, and not just professionally either. Soon he’s over his head — woman troubles, kid troubles, co-worker troubles, client troubles, somebody-trying-to-kill-him troubles. It’s hot in Hawaii, and getting hotter.
The plot ricochets from crime to crime and criminal to criminal (including one of the creepiest firebugs I’ve ever met — I’m getting the heebie-jeebies thinking about him). Arson, murder, theft, adultery — every flavor of vice, and every one of the seven deadly sins. It’s a roller coaster ride with fireworks and the ever-present possibility of a loose rail, so be warned. The atmosphere is flavored with a tourist’s dream of Hawaii, but leavened with a resident’s knowledge of its mundane realities from the weather patterns to the traffic annoyances. The supporting cast is strong — three dimensional and free from the annoying quirkiness that often substitutes for characterization in some crime fiction. Corleone doesn’t just assemble a bag of personality eccentricities and call it a character. His people are fully realized, not just plot points. I especially enjoyed the scenes with Turi, Corvelli’s happy-go-lucky small-time drug dealer client. The scenes with him in it felt like eavesdropping.
But the main reason I enjoyed this book so much is the main character, Kevin Corvelli. He’s the kind of guy I want really bad to dislike — bigheaded, reckless, a money-where-his-mouth-is hotshot — but because of his immense charm and often painful awareness of his own flaws, I can’t resist him. In this book we get to see his decent and caring side too (even if it’s a reluctant and grumpy decency). I’ve read in interviews that Corleone has woven a lot of himself in his fictional protagonist, supersizing his own qualities for the story’s sake. If that’s the case, then I hope Corleone’s life continues to give him inspiration for Kevin’s adventures. They make an excellent team.
Grab some sunscreen, mix up some mai tais, and pick up NIGHT ON FIRE. Plan on diving in and staying a while. It’s fast-paced, sharply plotted, smart but not smarty-pants, and there’s real heart at the center. I’m looking forward to my next outing in Kevin Corvelli’s Hawaii.
In Night on Fire, this particular trouble comes in the form of a dangerously seductive woman who might or might not be a murdering arsonist. Kevin knows better than to get involved . . . but I’m giving nothing away to let you know that he gets involved anyway, and not just professionally either. Soon he’s over his head — woman troubles, kid troubles, co-worker troubles, client troubles, somebody-trying-to-kill-him troubles. It’s hot in Hawaii, and getting hotter.
The plot ricochets from crime to crime and criminal to criminal (including one of the creepiest firebugs I’ve ever met — I’m getting the heebie-jeebies thinking about him). Arson, murder, theft, adultery — every flavor of vice, and every one of the seven deadly sins. It’s a roller coaster ride with fireworks and the ever-present possibility of a loose rail, so be warned. The atmosphere is flavored with a tourist’s dream of Hawaii, but leavened with a resident’s knowledge of its mundane realities from the weather patterns to the traffic annoyances. The supporting cast is strong — three dimensional and free from the annoying quirkiness that often substitutes for characterization in some crime fiction. Corleone doesn’t just assemble a bag of personality eccentricities and call it a character. His people are fully realized, not just plot points. I especially enjoyed the scenes with Turi, Corvelli’s happy-go-lucky small-time drug dealer client. The scenes with him in it felt like eavesdropping.
But the main reason I enjoyed this book so much is the main character, Kevin Corvelli. He’s the kind of guy I want really bad to dislike — bigheaded, reckless, a money-where-his-mouth-is hotshot — but because of his immense charm and often painful awareness of his own flaws, I can’t resist him. In this book we get to see his decent and caring side too (even if it’s a reluctant and grumpy decency). I’ve read in interviews that Corleone has woven a lot of himself in his fictional protagonist, supersizing his own qualities for the story’s sake. If that’s the case, then I hope Corleone’s life continues to give him inspiration for Kevin’s adventures. They make an excellent team.
Grab some sunscreen, mix up some mai tais, and pick up NIGHT ON FIRE. Plan on diving in and staying a while. It’s fast-paced, sharply plotted, smart but not smarty-pants, and there’s real heart at the center. I’m looking forward to my next outing in Kevin Corvelli’s Hawaii.
November 23, 2011
You know, this is my genre--the procedural, the mystery, the whodunit--in television, but I don't spend a lot of time with it in books. This is to say, I enjoyed this, but not as much as I would've enjoyed The Mentalist or Castle--or even the
books.
But Coreleone does a fine job with his story, and this one I didn't guess, which I liked a great deal. I think I understand the angle he's taking on the protagonist, Kevin Corvelli, now. I think it's being positioned as a long-term redemption arc (to a point), which is great, because he's an asshole right now. A believable asshole, but an asshole nonetheless.
I liked Josh as a secondary character, and hope he continues to show up in the future. I'm pretty unenthused about Kevin banging women he shouldn't be banging; maybe this is all a set-up for when he finally meets someone who can school his ass into place, but right now he picks 'em damaged, demented, and a little too dumb for me to take him at all seriously. I suspect it's supposed to be titillating, but from my perspective it's just tiresome and dickish (if understandably in character).
Also, I wish he'd get the hell off Oahu for at least some part of a book. The world does not begin and end with Honolulu.
But you shouldn't let my criticisms of the book keep you from picking it up, especially if you like the legal mystery genre. It's a good read, to pun slightly, and a very quick one.
books.But Coreleone does a fine job with his story, and this one I didn't guess, which I liked a great deal. I think I understand the angle he's taking on the protagonist, Kevin Corvelli, now. I think it's being positioned as a long-term redemption arc (to a point), which is great, because he's an asshole right now. A believable asshole, but an asshole nonetheless.
I liked Josh as a secondary character, and hope he continues to show up in the future. I'm pretty unenthused about Kevin banging women he shouldn't be banging; maybe this is all a set-up for when he finally meets someone who can school his ass into place, but right now he picks 'em damaged, demented, and a little too dumb for me to take him at all seriously. I suspect it's supposed to be titillating, but from my perspective it's just tiresome and dickish (if understandably in character).
Also, I wish he'd get the hell off Oahu for at least some part of a book. The world does not begin and end with Honolulu.
But you shouldn't let my criticisms of the book keep you from picking it up, especially if you like the legal mystery genre. It's a good read, to pun slightly, and a very quick one.
April 27, 2011
What impresses me most about Douglas Corleone’s writing is that he is fearless with his main character and appropriately puts him through the ringer; not just enough to convey conflict and move the story along, no, sometimes just because. This fills me with sadistic writerly glee. Right away, Corleone makes Corvelli pay for his big-boy fun with a midnight hunt for bottled water through the hotel, in his boxers, with a clueless preschooler in tow. More often than not, the repercussions of Corvelli’s actions are not pleasant. I think everyone should read this book just to experience the genius that is Chapter 2. I can only hope, in my lifetime, to create a scene that is as simultaneously funny, awkward, endearing and foreboding as the one he crafted in Chapter 2. Seriously, must read.
Read more:
http://www.hawaiibookblog.com/article...
Read more:
http://www.hawaiibookblog.com/article...
June 28, 2015
3.5 - 4 stars.
2nd in the series. New York lawyer moves to Hawaii to reduce stress and live a laid back lifestyle.
2nd in the series. New York lawyer moves to Hawaii to reduce stress and live a laid back lifestyle.
May 26, 2017
Kevin Corelli takes another impossible case
Hawaii transplant Kevin Corvelli has a real knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also falling in love with the wrong girls. And getting beaten up. Too many characters make for "who said that?" A good author, but this story needed to be tightened up.
Hawaii transplant Kevin Corvelli has a real knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also falling in love with the wrong girls. And getting beaten up. Too many characters make for "who said that?" A good author, but this story needed to be tightened up.
July 30, 2018
Enjoyed the writing, and the main character. This is mostly a mystery about a defense lawyer doing his job, but the main character is a bit different from the norm.
February 15, 2019
DNF Did not find the dissolute drunk viewpoint character engaging.
January 19, 2023
The most entertaining legal drama since Liar, Liar.
I said to myself on reading the first Kevin Corelli book that this is exactly the kind of sleazebag I would move mountains for, and now Mohammed has come to the mountain.
(Apologies to all prophets who lead a better class of life than Blorbo from my books.)
This time, Kevin is appointed as defence attorney for a troubled new bride who got widowed when her husband and several other hotel guests died in a horrific fire. The murder and arson charges are being filed by a new hotshot prosecutor who is slowly turning all of Kevin’s professional friends against him. His personal friends also aren’t so close anymore (one feels ousted from his own law practice, and the other has a teenage daughter he’s struggling to raise). Kevin also finds himself occasionally in charge of a young boy, whose grandmother died in the hotel fire and who has imprinted on Kevin.
I think in many ways, Night on Fire avoids its predecessor’s issues. There is a dramatic shoot-out ending, but it unfolds organically. Kevin loses the girl, but the last girl he lost is referenced beautifully and poignantly, and the loss of this foreshadowed if you squint. There are court room theatrics, but it’s so much more effective and manipulative, and therefore entertaining. The rapidfire dialogue isn’t as funny as in One Man’s Paradise but that is a very, very high bar, and this time it is compensated with even more compelling narrative voice. Chapters end on exactly the right cliffhanger note, and start with a punchy new reveal. There is also the strain of his relationships with people, and this time it has consequences, alienating him from people who used to move mountains to help him.
It’s got courtroom theatrics, okay. Watching your lawyer protagonist alternately decimate and get decimated at the witness stand should be the mainstay of every legal thriller. I don’t know what John Grisham is doing but he’s obviously doing it wrong.
Some of the appalling stuff from the previous book still makes an appearance: the tongue-in-cheek anti-semitism and Kevin’s hard drinking, been-there-seen-that law partner being an incorrigible lech about their co-worker’s seventeen-year-old daughter. Fun!
Otherwise, this is it. Night On Fire has everything. From the cover to the title, to sex, lies and videotape.
I said to myself on reading the first Kevin Corelli book that this is exactly the kind of sleazebag I would move mountains for, and now Mohammed has come to the mountain.
(Apologies to all prophets who lead a better class of life than Blorbo from my books.)
This time, Kevin is appointed as defence attorney for a troubled new bride who got widowed when her husband and several other hotel guests died in a horrific fire. The murder and arson charges are being filed by a new hotshot prosecutor who is slowly turning all of Kevin’s professional friends against him. His personal friends also aren’t so close anymore (one feels ousted from his own law practice, and the other has a teenage daughter he’s struggling to raise). Kevin also finds himself occasionally in charge of a young boy, whose grandmother died in the hotel fire and who has imprinted on Kevin.
I think in many ways, Night on Fire avoids its predecessor’s issues. There is a dramatic shoot-out ending, but it unfolds organically. Kevin loses the girl, but the last girl he lost is referenced beautifully and poignantly, and the loss of this foreshadowed if you squint. There are court room theatrics, but it’s so much more effective and manipulative, and therefore entertaining. The rapidfire dialogue isn’t as funny as in One Man’s Paradise but that is a very, very high bar, and this time it is compensated with even more compelling narrative voice. Chapters end on exactly the right cliffhanger note, and start with a punchy new reveal. There is also the strain of his relationships with people, and this time it has consequences, alienating him from people who used to move mountains to help him.
It’s got courtroom theatrics, okay. Watching your lawyer protagonist alternately decimate and get decimated at the witness stand should be the mainstay of every legal thriller. I don’t know what John Grisham is doing but he’s obviously doing it wrong.
Some of the appalling stuff from the previous book still makes an appearance: the tongue-in-cheek anti-semitism and Kevin’s hard drinking, been-there-seen-that law partner being an incorrigible lech about their co-worker’s seventeen-year-old daughter. Fun!
Otherwise, this is it. Night On Fire has everything. From the cover to the title, to sex, lies and videotape.
April 26, 2011
Still reading this, but enjoying it so far. The central character is very engaging, and there is a little boy in the story that makes you want to sweep him up and hug him. Doug is going to be a guest on my blog on April 27th and I look forward to his appearance.
Detailed review will come later.
Okay, it's later.. LOL
In NIGHT ON FIRE, hotshot Honolulu defense lawyer Kevin Corvelli narrowly escapes a deadly arson fire at a popular Hawaiian beach resort only to land the prime suspect - a stunning but troubled young bride charged with murdering her husband and ten others - as a client.
This is an entertaining read that really picks up momentum as it races to the end. There are some suprises at the end, so don't think the story is over until you read the last word. The book is set in Hawaii, and while some landmarks are mentioned, as well as popular restaurants, I wanted a little more of a feel for the island. I've been there and the sounds and smells and breathtaking beauty of the island was missing in this story. But maybe that was because the story is in Kevin's POV and that wasn't important to him.
The mystery is a good one as Kevin tries to get his client off and find out who really killed her husband. Also very enjoyable is the relationship Kevin forms with the young boy he rescued from the fire. It is strong and well defined in the story without being too predictable or sappy.
Detailed review will come later.
Okay, it's later.. LOL
In NIGHT ON FIRE, hotshot Honolulu defense lawyer Kevin Corvelli narrowly escapes a deadly arson fire at a popular Hawaiian beach resort only to land the prime suspect - a stunning but troubled young bride charged with murdering her husband and ten others - as a client.
This is an entertaining read that really picks up momentum as it races to the end. There are some suprises at the end, so don't think the story is over until you read the last word. The book is set in Hawaii, and while some landmarks are mentioned, as well as popular restaurants, I wanted a little more of a feel for the island. I've been there and the sounds and smells and breathtaking beauty of the island was missing in this story. But maybe that was because the story is in Kevin's POV and that wasn't important to him.
The mystery is a good one as Kevin tries to get his client off and find out who really killed her husband. Also very enjoyable is the relationship Kevin forms with the young boy he rescued from the fire. It is strong and well defined in the story without being too predictable or sappy.
May 5, 2011
Write what you know is good advice for any author, and it certainly applies here. Mr. Corleone was a defense attorney in New York City and moved to Hawaii where he has now written two books featuring Kevin Corvelli, described on the book jacket as "a hotshot New York defense attorney who packed up his bags and hung his shingle in Hawaii to dodge the spotlight". I'm not sure how well that's working for him.
The story is broken into two main parts:
1. Where our hero spends most of his time goofing off from his office, getting drunk and chasing women. Until he gets trapped in an almost fatal fire.
2. Where our hero goes to court and the story takes off like a rocket defending the woman accused of starting the hotel fire that kills 11 people.
Kevin gets into a lot of fights and seems to have a knack for making serious enemies. Except for the 4 year old boy he rescued from the hotel...I think he should have taken him on as a foster son.
The story is broken into two main parts:
1. Where our hero spends most of his time goofing off from his office, getting drunk and chasing women. Until he gets trapped in an almost fatal fire.
2. Where our hero goes to court and the story takes off like a rocket defending the woman accused of starting the hotel fire that kills 11 people.
Kevin gets into a lot of fights and seems to have a knack for making serious enemies. Except for the 4 year old boy he rescued from the hotel...I think he should have taken him on as a foster son.
August 8, 2011
The second book in a series, this is a top notch mystery with more twists andd turns than one can imagine. Just when you have everything all figured out....something happens to shske up your thinking. Trouble seems to follow our lawyer-hero, from New York City to beautiful Hawaii, and he does not seem too inclined to avoid it. Throw in a beautiful woman, widowed on her wedding night, a massive fire at the resort which started in the honeymoon suite, a cast of strange characters, and we have the makings of something great. Oh! Don't forget there is a prosecuting attorney that one just loves to hate -- just to make everything more interesting.
September 16, 2011
Interesting although it appears very boozy, like booze flowing throughout the book, I was happy when he ran into the youngster, and was hoping for a great story about him and taking care of the youngster, instead it is loaded with courtroom antics, , I guess not being too familiar with the US court system, it seems like a lot of wasted time, not to speak of the moneys involved, the parents had to sell their house, fork over 600.000 , so the laywer could live the life to which he had made himself accustomed, it would appear that true justice was only secondary.
I would not recommend the book, but realize there are different strokes for different folks.
I would not recommend the book, but realize there are different strokes for different folks.
November 15, 2014
Twists and turns at every corner finally connecting the dots at the end revealing who in fact committed the horrible murder of 11 people at a Hawaiian hotel. You get to see first hand the lengths a defense attorney will go to in order to get an acquittal for a client. Turmoil erupts between the law partners Kevin and Jake, but by the end things are back to normal if not looking better! Good read.
May 24, 2011
If you’re looking for a literary vacation—a rum-drenched mystery to help you pass the time by the pool—Night on Fire is a decent pick. But for a courtroom thriller that’s less tropical but more cunning, try a Mickey Haller thriller instead.
Read the full review at http://www.nightsandweekends.com/arti...
Read the full review at http://www.nightsandweekends.com/arti...
June 28, 2011
This is the second book in the Kevin Corvelli series. I enjoyed this installment as much as the first. The story kept me guessing until the very end and each time I thought I figured out who the bad guy was, I was thrown another curve ball. I am looking forward to seeing what legal and personal calamity hits Mr. Corvelli next.
September 27, 2013
I really enjoyed this! I like the humor, the legal explanations, and how it dances with being literary without making me have to grab a dictionary. And of course, the plot is gripping. I still can't decide whether I care if Kevin survives, but that's probably just because I'm a jerk.
April 18, 2011
Great airplane fare: think Hawaii Five-O. Fast paced, high octane. Brash young defense attorney falls in love with client and also a young boy left adrift after devastating hotel fire. LJ 4/11
May 30, 2011
I don't recommend it.
May 22, 2011
Very good, and I don't even usually read legal thrillers! Kevin Corvelli is a sometimes unlikable lawyer who you will nevertheless be rooting for.
October 27, 2011
Almost as good as his first. Hope writes another soon!
January 17, 2012
Really enjoyed. Am going back to read the first one.
September 17, 2013
not as good as author's first novel. Choppy ending.
December 31, 2013
This book was better than the last. I'm enjoying this author. One more book in the Corvelli series, then he has a stand alone novel. Hope they are as good!
June 9, 2011
4.50 rating for this legal thriller. Nice location scenes on Oahu.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews