What do you think?
Rate this book
Recollections of Murder
The case looks like it could be a slam dunk – young prosecutor Joe Brandt has a high profile murder to build a career on, a likely suspect and even an eyewitness. It seems that justice will be swift and sure.
That might be true...if the boy who saw something the night his mother was brutally murdered hadn’t become mute from his trauma.
That might be true...if the possible suspect didn’t have an alibi in addition to being well connected, utterly ruthless and accustomed to getting his own way at literally any cost.
That might be true...if the prosecutor’s own troubled past and family history weren’t raising horrific memories that attack and distract him at every step while opening doors for his opponents.
That might be true...if the lethal assaults would only stop.
The path to justice is never easy, but this time it’s downright treacherous.
The first in the Joe Brandt Thriller Series, Recollections of Murder, is a taut and fast-paced legal thriller with memorable characters, strong conflicts, exciting twists and genuine, believable psychological resonance.
What readers are saying about Joe Brandt Thrillers....
Loved this novel! Smart! Intelligent, crafty, convoluted, exciting and credible!
Very good read. Awesome book. Really enjoyed reading it. It held my interest all the way. Loved the ending and I’m hoping for more in the near future.
Great book. This is the best book I have read in quite a long time. I will be checking to see if he has written others.
Great read!!!! This is a not the run of the mill mystery. No boilerplate plot with cutout characters. Bigger than life characters with a intriguing plot will entertain you.
Great story. Well written. Strong characters and believable storyline. A lot of emotions throughout the entire story. Would like a part 2.
Also look for The Unraveling Man, the second Joe Brandt Thriller.
That might be true...if the boy who saw something the night his mother was brutally murdered hadn’t become mute from his trauma.
That might be true...if the possible suspect didn’t have an alibi in addition to being well connected, utterly ruthless and accustomed to getting his own way at literally any cost.
That might be true...if the prosecutor’s own troubled past and family history weren’t raising horrific memories that attack and distract him at every step while opening doors for his opponents.
That might be true...if the lethal assaults would only stop.
The path to justice is never easy, but this time it’s downright treacherous.
The first in the Joe Brandt Thriller Series, Recollections of Murder, is a taut and fast-paced legal thriller with memorable characters, strong conflicts, exciting twists and genuine, believable psychological resonance.
What readers are saying about Joe Brandt Thrillers....
Loved this novel! Smart! Intelligent, crafty, convoluted, exciting and credible!
Very good read. Awesome book. Really enjoyed reading it. It held my interest all the way. Loved the ending and I’m hoping for more in the near future.
Great book. This is the best book I have read in quite a long time. I will be checking to see if he has written others.
Great read!!!! This is a not the run of the mill mystery. No boilerplate plot with cutout characters. Bigger than life characters with a intriguing plot will entertain you.
Great story. Well written. Strong characters and believable storyline. A lot of emotions throughout the entire story. Would like a part 2.
Also look for The Unraveling Man, the second Joe Brandt Thriller.
310 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2016
168 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
David Howard
179 books22 followersI attack stories and storytelling from a variety of perspectives. I write both fiction and non-fiction books as well a screenplays. I have written or co-written more than two dozen produced film and television projects which have won a number of national, international and festival awards. I have taught screenwriting for a long time at USC where I am a tenured full professor in the School of Cinematic Arts and have published two books on the art and craft of screenwriting. When I'm not working on my own stories, I'm helping my students and a variety of professionals finesse their projects.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 13, 2017
Original and Riveting Plot
Loved the flawed hero, the twists and turns and the sheer improbability of it. Eager to watch Joe Brandt evolve.
Loved the flawed hero, the twists and turns and the sheer improbability of it. Eager to watch Joe Brandt evolve.
February 15, 2018
I'm a lifelong reader of murder mysteries and detective fiction and this has to be one of my favourites ever. I knew within the first few pages I was in the hands of a master storyteller. Joe Brandt is a rich and complex character but best of all, so are all of the supporting cast. Each character has been expertly drawn so that I remember them from their first introduction. The dialogue is cracking and the setting vivid.
I loved that (we thought) we knew from the start who the killer was - but the real drama lay in whether ADA Joe, newly elevated to first chair on a high-profile case, could prove it. The narrative never stops but every twist and turn was credibly built.
I loved that Joe was fighting battles on all fronts, from the internecine politics in the DA's office, to the media manipulation of his opponent, to a witness falling in love with him, complicating his already complicated relationship with his beloved. Add in jeopardy for his shut-in mother and the case intensifying Joe's nightmares and waking flashbacks and we're all set for a great story. How Howard keeps all the balls in the air is a wonder. I have an aversion to murder stories that linger on grotesque details and perverted murders. Howard certainly doesn't shy from violence but it's not lovingly lingered over as in some novels in the genre.
I couldn't stop reading this so I've had a few late nights recently, reading till I couldn't keep my eyes open - but it was completely worth it. I'm afraid I'm in for a few more because I'm about to start the second Joe Brandt book now. I hope there will be many more.
I loved that (we thought) we knew from the start who the killer was - but the real drama lay in whether ADA Joe, newly elevated to first chair on a high-profile case, could prove it. The narrative never stops but every twist and turn was credibly built.
I loved that Joe was fighting battles on all fronts, from the internecine politics in the DA's office, to the media manipulation of his opponent, to a witness falling in love with him, complicating his already complicated relationship with his beloved. Add in jeopardy for his shut-in mother and the case intensifying Joe's nightmares and waking flashbacks and we're all set for a great story. How Howard keeps all the balls in the air is a wonder. I have an aversion to murder stories that linger on grotesque details and perverted murders. Howard certainly doesn't shy from violence but it's not lovingly lingered over as in some novels in the genre.
I couldn't stop reading this so I've had a few late nights recently, reading till I couldn't keep my eyes open - but it was completely worth it. I'm afraid I'm in for a few more because I'm about to start the second Joe Brandt book now. I hope there will be many more.
October 8, 2017
Five stars
This thriller kept me in thralled for the next chapter. The hero, Joe, was humble and a great legal mind while overcoming personal family trauma. Read it. You won't be disappointed.
This thriller kept me in thralled for the next chapter. The hero, Joe, was humble and a great legal mind while overcoming personal family trauma. Read it. You won't be disappointed.
July 7, 2018
Hard to put down.
Deep stuff. Really hit a nerve. Tells a story with lots of intrigue, and covers a topic most people shy away from. A nail biter of an ending.
Deep stuff. Really hit a nerve. Tells a story with lots of intrigue, and covers a topic most people shy away from. A nail biter of an ending.
August 12, 2019
Very good book. Good character development and dialogue. Some of the actions at the end strained credibility, but...
October 2, 2018
I love detective stories; I think I have read over a thousand so I am hard to please in this genre. But Recollections of A Murder did the trick. It has all the elements the genre demands (lightning-fast pace, plot twists that are unforeseeable yet credible, witty dialogue, a terrific narrator) and then it has some more. The sense of place (St Paul, Minnesota) is vivid and evocative, the specifics rooting the story in reality. This is the detective novel in its highest form - an exploration of the outer limits of humanity. Howard is equally able to convince when writing moments when we are surprised by joy and generosity, as he is chronicling violence and darkness. Joe Brandt is that classic character, a damaged but good-hearted detective who may yet be redeemed by the love of a good woman - in Howard's hands he and she are richer, more complex and contradictory - in short, more human than I have come to expect from a murder mystery. It's high art packaged inside a page-turner. I was lost in it for the few days I could make it last. Just what I love in a reading experience. More, more.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews