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Death's Witness
Paul Batista, one of the country's foremost defense lawyers, has written the ultimate legal thriller with murder in its heart.
When Tom Perini, a legendary Heisman Trophy winner turned criminal lawyer, is found brutally murdered in Central Park, his widow Julie not only must unravel the mysteries of her husband's secret double life, but survive long enough to discover the truth.
A thriller and courtroom drama of corruption and greed so authentic it leads like tomorrow's headlines.
When Tom Perini, a legendary Heisman Trophy winner turned criminal lawyer, is found brutally murdered in Central Park, his widow Julie not only must unravel the mysteries of her husband's secret double life, but survive long enough to discover the truth.
A thriller and courtroom drama of corruption and greed so authentic it leads like tomorrow's headlines.
- GenresSuspense
Paperback
First published October 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 9, 2013
The set up
Tom Perini is a former Heisman Trophy winner and New York Jets quarterback now working in New York City as a lawyer. Life is great, he's admired by everyone, is happily married to Julie and loving father to 2 1/2 year old Kim. He comes home and goes for a run in Central Park and that's the last time his wife sees him alive.
The issues
Tom was one of several attorneys representing clients, including a U.S. congressman, charged by the U.S. attorney of racketeering, bribery, money laundering and various other related charges. Tom's client is the head of a trucking empire and is suddenly without representation. Things begin to unravel as the investigation into Tom's murder starts to shift from finding his killer to sullying his reputation. Julie begins a one-woman campaign to try to push for justice, especially when others associated with Tom and/or the case get murdered.
What worked
This was a really interesting case with lots of twists and surprises. You gradually learned more about those associated with it and Tom, creating a clearer picture to help make deductions. The path to the clues was intriguing and it was difficult to sometimes tell the good guys from the evil as so many were flawed. Things progressed quickly at a pace that helped move the story along.
What didn't work so well
Julie emerges as a main character early on but I never could connect with her. By the end of the book, I still didn't feel as if I had a complete picture of who she was or what really motivated her, which had her showing up unpredictably. One minute she's a severe introvert and the next she's doing things that totally belie that nature. Her sudden romance was just that, cropping up seemingly from nowhere without any foundation for the pairing. Vincent Sorrentino, the lead attorney for the case, was a central figure but his characterization was also cloudy. Even Tom remained an enigma to the very end. I think the story may have been better served with far less detail about inconsequential things and more time devoted to developing these characters.
One thing that bothered me a lot was the preponderance of racial stereotyping. It often threw me out of the story as, this being a third person narrative, the character observations were not directly attributed to a speaking character or his or her thoughts. It occurred enough that I started tracking them.
The bottom line
This is an interesting story with unusual and intriguing circumstances. I was immediately drawn into the story and was invested in the outcome. In the end, however, I still didn't feel like I understood the main characters or the hapless Tom Perini. That's the biggest mystery of the story and it still remains.
(I received an ARC from the author)
Tom Perini is a former Heisman Trophy winner and New York Jets quarterback now working in New York City as a lawyer. Life is great, he's admired by everyone, is happily married to Julie and loving father to 2 1/2 year old Kim. He comes home and goes for a run in Central Park and that's the last time his wife sees him alive.
The issues
Tom was one of several attorneys representing clients, including a U.S. congressman, charged by the U.S. attorney of racketeering, bribery, money laundering and various other related charges. Tom's client is the head of a trucking empire and is suddenly without representation. Things begin to unravel as the investigation into Tom's murder starts to shift from finding his killer to sullying his reputation. Julie begins a one-woman campaign to try to push for justice, especially when others associated with Tom and/or the case get murdered.
What worked
This was a really interesting case with lots of twists and surprises. You gradually learned more about those associated with it and Tom, creating a clearer picture to help make deductions. The path to the clues was intriguing and it was difficult to sometimes tell the good guys from the evil as so many were flawed. Things progressed quickly at a pace that helped move the story along.
What didn't work so well
Julie emerges as a main character early on but I never could connect with her. By the end of the book, I still didn't feel as if I had a complete picture of who she was or what really motivated her, which had her showing up unpredictably. One minute she's a severe introvert and the next she's doing things that totally belie that nature. Her sudden romance was just that, cropping up seemingly from nowhere without any foundation for the pairing. Vincent Sorrentino, the lead attorney for the case, was a central figure but his characterization was also cloudy. Even Tom remained an enigma to the very end. I think the story may have been better served with far less detail about inconsequential things and more time devoted to developing these characters.
One thing that bothered me a lot was the preponderance of racial stereotyping. It often threw me out of the story as, this being a third person narrative, the character observations were not directly attributed to a speaking character or his or her thoughts. It occurred enough that I started tracking them.
The bottom line
This is an interesting story with unusual and intriguing circumstances. I was immediately drawn into the story and was invested in the outcome. In the end, however, I still didn't feel like I understood the main characters or the hapless Tom Perini. That's the biggest mystery of the story and it still remains.
(I received an ARC from the author)
March 29, 2019
Well written but not particularly suspenseful
May 8, 2022
Filled with corruption. Struggled with the characters. Overall a decent read.
September 18, 2024
Exciting!
A real page turner. Lots of bad guys with the same motivation ... Money! I plan on reading more from Paul Batista.
A real page turner. Lots of bad guys with the same motivation ... Money! I plan on reading more from Paul Batista.
September 3, 2017
One thing I will say about this book is it's very well written. Not just in terms of prose, but in the way the story is crafted. It's a solid plot with a slew of interesting characters and you can tell the author is very knowledge about the legal aspects of a crime novel. It was easy to read and I had no qualms about the quality of the writing here.
But now I must get to the negatives because the great writing is all I can really praise in this book. This was supposed to be a legal thriller, and while I'm a major fan of the thriller genre, I guess I just discovered I'm not a fan of the subgenre: legal thrillers. To me there was nothing that even remotely got my blood racing, making me want to flip through pages at a harried pace trying to find out what happens to the characters. It plods along through courtroom scenes and conferences between lawyers about this and that. There is some violence and romance, but not enough to save the story. The legal aspects bored me and the conclusion was way too simple. Julie Perini really gets to go live her happily ever after that easily after being chased by such a notoriously evil crime lord? If the bad guy is really that frightening, then my brief foray with movies like The Godfather or Scarface tell me that this villain would have the resources to find her.
I wanted to make it clear in the beginning of my review that this is a well written, quality book. I'm sure there are people who would really enjoy this kind of story but it was just not for me. My issue with this book is related to my taste in literature, which means that someone else might totally disagree with my view that it wasn't thrilling and that the courtroom scenes were boring. If you like legal thrillers and courtroom drama, then I suggest you check out this book because it's very well written. Otherwise, I'd say skip it.
*I received a free copy of this book for this review from the author.
But now I must get to the negatives because the great writing is all I can really praise in this book. This was supposed to be a legal thriller, and while I'm a major fan of the thriller genre, I guess I just discovered I'm not a fan of the subgenre: legal thrillers. To me there was nothing that even remotely got my blood racing, making me want to flip through pages at a harried pace trying to find out what happens to the characters. It plods along through courtroom scenes and conferences between lawyers about this and that. There is some violence and romance, but not enough to save the story. The legal aspects bored me and the conclusion was way too simple. Julie Perini really gets to go live her happily ever after that easily after being chased by such a notoriously evil crime lord? If the bad guy is really that frightening, then my brief foray with movies like The Godfather or Scarface tell me that this villain would have the resources to find her.
I wanted to make it clear in the beginning of my review that this is a well written, quality book. I'm sure there are people who would really enjoy this kind of story but it was just not for me. My issue with this book is related to my taste in literature, which means that someone else might totally disagree with my view that it wasn't thrilling and that the courtroom scenes were boring. If you like legal thrillers and courtroom drama, then I suggest you check out this book because it's very well written. Otherwise, I'd say skip it.
*I received a free copy of this book for this review from the author.
April 5, 2009
Former Heisman winner turned lawyer Tom Perini is shot at close range while jogging in Central Park. Perini had been part of the defense team for Congressman Danny Fonseca, who is being tried on charges of bribery. Perini’s wife Julie is questioned by FBI agent John McGlynn, who leaves Julie with the impression that he is not willing to put much effort into finding her husband’s killer. Julie decides to use her skills as a journalist to begin her own investigation into her husband’s death and starts with his case files. Subsequently, Perini’s client Selig Klein, an alleged mobster, is gunned down, and Julie is sure the two murders are connected and that somehow McGlynn is involved. When the FBI subpoenas her husband’s files, hinting they believe he was involved with money laundering, Julie implores Tom’s defense partner Vincent Sorrentino to help her stop McGlynn from ruining her husband’s reputation. What the two discover is not only shocking but may be the only way to save the lives of Julie and her daughter.
Death’s Witness is the debut novel for Paul Batista, criminal defense attorney and media pundit. The mystery, although easily solved, is filled with twist and turns, and Batista entertains the reader with an onslaught of red herrings to consider. Although the ending is somewhat predictable, this is overall a good read.
May 16, 2014
Story grasping you at once in chapter 1 developing quickly towards the murder and keeping your attention towards the wrapping up of the story towards the end, as a listener balancing between fear and hope how the story will end. This book has kept me from having a good sleep for a few nights. Well done Mr Batista, hope to read more. Also the narrator Erin Bennet did a very good job with a fine feel for the characters.
June 14, 2016
Using New York City as a setting, writer Paul Batista tells the story of a famous pro football star turned Manhattan attorney who is brutally murdered in Central Park for no apparent reason. What at first appears to be a random killing turns into a much more complicated series of events that lead to big time politics, million dollar drug cartels and law enforcement turned law breakers. The book has a few rough patches but is otherwise a pretty good read.
November 15, 2014
wow, it took a lot of time for me to finish this book...this is my first time to read legal thriller novel besides John Grisham's piece....there r mixture of feeling I felt during this journey n I still couldn't grasp the emotion if I like or don't....anyway, I think I will stick to John Grisham for a while before I start reading this genre from another author...
May 28, 2016
Very intriguing book
Book keeps my interest and I enjoyed it from cover to cover. I would recommend it highly. I t is definitely worthy
Book keeps my interest and I enjoyed it from cover to cover. I would recommend it highly. I t is definitely worthy
June 4, 2016
Death's Witness review
Death's Witness is an exciting legal mystery written by author Paul Batista. It's a great story with many characters and sub-plots.
Death's Witness is an exciting legal mystery written by author Paul Batista. It's a great story with many characters and sub-plots.
July 2, 2016
I liked the book
I will look for other books to read by Paul Batista.
Good twists and unexpected turns.
I had a hard time putting this book down.
I will look for other books to read by Paul Batista.
Good twists and unexpected turns.
I had a hard time putting this book down.
July 6, 2016
I couldn't get into this book. Very wordy.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews