Counterplay

Butch Karp #18

by Robert K. Tanenbaum

He's a political time bomb whose bid to become New York City's mayor was foiled by Butch Karp. Now Andrew Kane, awaiting trial for murder, escapes custody and stages a shocking and violent standoff in upstate New York. The manhunt is on for Kane before his plan for wide-scale destruction, targeting Karp and thousands of innocent lives, comes to pass. Karp's wife, Marlene Ciampi, is lured into an underworld of Russian gangsters whose ties to global terrorism pull her in over her head. For Butch and Marlene, survival depends on outwitting the world's most depraved criminal masterminds....

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Legal, Legal Thriller

544 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 29, 2006

About the author

Robert K. Tanenbaum is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five legal thrillers and has an accomplished legal career of his own. Before his first book was published, Tanenbaum had already been the Bureau Chief of the Criminal Courts, had run the Homicide Bureau, and had been in charge of the training program for the legal staff for the New York County District Attorney’s Office. He also served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the Congressional Committee investigations into the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. In his professional career, Tanenbaum has never lost a felony case. His courtroom experiences bring his books to life, especially in his bestselling series featuring prosecutor Roger “Butch” Karp and his wife, Marlene Ciampi.

Tanenbaum was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the University of California at Berkeley on a basketball scholarship, and remained at Cal, where he earned his law degree from the prestigious Boalt Hall School of Law. After graduating from Berkeley Law, Tanenbaum moved back to New York to work as an assistant district attorney under the legendary New York County DA Frank Hogan. Tanenbaum then served as Deputy Chief Counsel in charge of the Congressional investigations into the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.

The blockbuster novel Corruption of Blood (1994), is a fictionalized account of his experience in Washington, D.C.

Tanenbaum returned to the West Coast and began to serve in public office. He was elected to the Beverly Hills City Council in 1986 and twice served as the mayor of Beverly Hills. It was during this time that Tanenbaum began his career as a novelist, drawing from the many fascinating stories of his time as a New York ADA. His successful debut novel, No Lesser Plea (1987), introduces Butch Karp, an assistant district attorney who is battling for justice, and Marlene Ciampi, his associate and love interest. Tanenbaum’s subsequent twenty-two novels portrayed Karp and his crime fighting family and eclectic colleagues facing off against drug lords, corrupt politicians, international assassins, the mafia, and hard-core violent felons.

He has had published eight recent novels as part of the series, as well as two nonfiction titles: The Piano Teacher (1987), exploring his investigation and prosecution of a recidivist psychosexual killer, and Badge of the Assassin (1979), about his prosecution of cop killers, which was made into a movie starring James Woods as Tanenbaum.

Tanenbaum and his wife of forty-three years have three children. He currently resides in California where he has taught Advanced Criminal Procedure at the Boalt Hall School of Law and maintains a private law practice.

Reviews

[Tgordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series and only have very few more left after which I will be very sad but until then.... the Butch Marleen family continues in this book to try to deal with ex politician/ crazy criminal Kane. This round goes all the way to include Muslim extremist, the pope, and the Russian mob! Wow Karp and his crazy band of friends get real this time and as always all of the Karp clan is in grave danger! This time one or more may truly not make it to the next book!

[Nancy Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having left us with a huge cliffhanger in the previous book, I couldn't wait to start this. As per his usual style, the first disaster leads to the setting up of more! This book definitely has a higher "body count" than previous books in the series, and it also felt more like a "thriller" than a mystery, with super-villain Andrew Kane definitely stretching the limits of reality. That said, I love the characters and always enjoy the continuing adventures and misadventures of Butch, Marlene, and the crew.

[Carey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I get that you want to establish antagonists and how "super evil" one can be, however there comes a point when the character becomes laughable. I mean killing children and masquering the schools is a perfect description to establish their role. However informing the audience that this character was involved in all the major terrorist attacks from the '80s to the mid-2000s is laughable. Not to mention the logistics of her traveling all around the world to different countries while she is on INTERPOL'S Most Wanted (and even wanted in the countries that don't agree with Interpol and are not part of any extradition treaty with them).

They remind me to my writing days in 5th grade where I would type out how many cops the bad guy killed in one firefight. I would mash on the numeric keypad random digits.

This book seemed like it was going to be a nice thriller. However, the silly unbelievableness led me to quit it at Page 122.

[Lissa Wells · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't care for this book ,too many characters right out of the gate storyline just didn't hold my interest at all

[Lynne Block · Rating 1 out of 5]

Long and tedious

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this guy's books. Once I was made aware that he uses a ghostwriter, it kind of put me off on Robert K. Tanenbaum books, but after finding this at a used book sale, I gave it another chance and realized how great these Burch Karp/Marlene Ciampi thrillers are. I love all the numerous, diverse and oftentimes totally weird characters that show up just in the nick of time. The character development is great, making the novels very immersive. This one is no exception. It was fast paced, suspenseful, and even touching at times without getting too sappy. A definite page-turner!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first time as a Robert K. Tanenbaum reader. His plots are definitely intriguing. There is a bit more blood and violence (even though it involves international terrorists who have infiltrated our most secure organizations) than I can stomach. I can't say I liked the ending but it does leave the reader what is next for Butch Karp.

[Jan Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Andrew Kane story continues. in this book. The story is interesting but continues to be implausible I wonder why Karp continues in his job with his family always in danger. I like most of the characters, but find it harder to believe in their actions and the results. I wish it went back to the stories that were courtroom based. That being said, I did enjoy the book.

[Pamela Seaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little unbelievable

This latest in the Butch Marlene series crossed over to the really??? More than a bit unbelievable. Will the next book let us think it was all a dream? Of course I'll have to read to find out.

[Roger Smitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second walk through this book. While I continue to like fiction that is anchored in the courtroom. I enjoyed the complex story time and the rough guy talk of some of the characters that we don't find in the current material in this genre.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read. Plenty of twists and turns, lots of action and great characters.

Definitely recommend!

[glenna weis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Legal mystery

Multiple themes ongoing simultaneously. It continue the Karp series but is not as good as previous stories. Still worth reading.

[Susan Moxley]

Butch Karp and Hus cast of crazy and unusual charcters are at it again trying to save the world.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book . Full of suspense and kept me that way until the end!

[Lopsided]

This audiobook was not available when I listened to the series.

[Greg D]

DNF - Too wordy. Too many names/characters introduced at the beginning. Difficult to keep track of who is who. Lost interest.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first of his books I have read and it obviously has predecessors (that he continuously reminds you of throughout...mildly annoying) Its a decent criminal/suspense/action type book but had a few weird undercurrents and characters. I guess it would probably be better if you had read the books before hand as I liked the parts where he was introducing new characters and story lines but was not as big a fan of the way he "reintroduced" or dwelled on previous characters and story lines, I prefer a series that is linked but all books can also stand alone as a fluid story...not so much in this case but it definitely had its moments (or chapters I guess!)

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was delighted to find a book about Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi that I hadn't read. Thank heavens for used book sales! There is one section toward the front which gives the background of Samira Azzam, the Islamic lesbian terrorist who yearns to die as a martyr that bogs down somewhat from the major thread of the story, otherwise it is fast paced and provides intelligent twists and turns. The main villain is Andrew Kane, who is running for District Attorney against Butch. Tran, the Vietnamese former noodle shop owner, Clay Fulton, a cancer surviving Ray Guma, and many others add to the interest and drama. Read it on the bike.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Kane has become New York's worst nightmare. A prominent figure in the city, running for mayor, he finds himself instead awaiting trial for a murder which he's determined not to serve for. Escaping, he's put D.A. Butch Karp and his family on his "list" of those to be eliminated. Karp only figures this out as pieces of a horrendously expensive chess set come to him, his friends, and his family - one piece at a time. A sadistic, manipulative, depraved criminal Kane leads Karp and the judicial system on a fast, crazy race to justice.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expect some level of ridiculousness with these Karp books now--unbelievable plots, intricate threads weaving every single criminal ever together, spiritual manifestations, Vietnamese ninjas, blah, blah, blah. But this book took it to whole new level. With the exception of a couple of extremely tedious chapters near the beginning it held promise as an adventurous romp but then it just got too out of control. I not only can't recommend this book, I'm not sure the rest of the series is worth tackling.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Butch Karp - Marlene Ciampi #18, and #3 apparently without the help of Michael Gruber. I can't deny it's a page-turner, but it has to be a candidate for having the most unlikely events in the climax - so implausible it's sometimes funny. Again, the bad guys are pure evil, and there's a disappointing number of errors in English usage that would never, I think, have gotten past Gruber. Having come this far, I can't stop now, and this series has some beloved and charming characters. But it sure ain't what it used to be.

[Bert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at the local county used book sale, and the author's background as an attorney got me to take it home. It's written in 2006, 5 years after the World Trade Center attacks. The protagonist is the Manhattan District Attorney, with a hodgepodge of family, friends, and professional associates as supporting cast. The novel is a tad far-fetched, feeling more like the script for an action movie, but the author got the criminal justice details right, and the book is properly edited. My rating: ☆☆☆☆

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#18 in the NYC ADA Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi series (#3 actually written by author Tanenbaum after the first 15 of the series were ghost-written by Michael Gruber).

NYC DA "Butch" Karp & Marlene Ciampi continue with the trilogy of the struggle against sociopath Andrew Kane started in "Hoax (2004)" and continued in "Fury (2005)". Kane acquires support from al-Qaeda and Chechyan terrorists, while Karp gets assistance from his Russian gangster relatives in Brooklyn. Kane seems set on kidnapping Lucy and attacking the Pope or Russian President Putin.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author was trying to cram too much evil in to one character. Therefore, I found it awkward when he connected every evil event to the diabolical planning of that character and when he had to tie up all the loose ends. It created disbelief that the "good" characters had the ability to counteract that much evil. They almost seemed caricatures of "super powers." Now, having said that, I still enjoyed the book as it was a page-turner and the end provided some unexpected surprises.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

While he is being transport for a defense requested sanity hearing, Andrew Kane escapes police custody as terrorist murder a busload of children. He then kills a federal agent who aided his escape. As Kane pursues his revenge and a secret plan of terror, District Attorney Karp and his family becomes the target of revenge. Karp reopens a cold case disappearance of the wife of a rich Kane supporter. All of this occurs while he runs for re-election. A nice thriller.

[Vanessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

My pet hate in books is when they refer to previous novels in such an obvious way. Not only did this book constantly do that, but it repeated its self again and again. How many times do you need to tell me the main character saved the White House from being blown up by a terrorist group!
Frustrating

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very exciting. I love the depth of his characters, and he somehow makes the 'esp' believable. A great escape that hooks you in. I feel like I konw these people and through his novels have watched the Karp-Ciampi kids grow up!

[Raina (Tea'N'Crackers) Kolstrup · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand that this is a work of fiction, but as the Karp novels progress, they are getting more and more over the top. I'll keep reading, though.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A political murder mystery that includes the fall of communism, the war in Chechnya and Afghanistan, and terrorism. A book full conspiracies that are built on actual historical events.

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

No focus - too many characters with back stories, all quirky but heroic. Completely unrealistic.