Title: The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
For fans of the compulsive psychological suspense of Ruth Ware and Tana French, a mother daughter story—one running from a horrible truth, and the other fighting to reveal it—that twists and turns in shocking ways, from the internationally bestselling author of The Scholar and The Ruin.
First Rule: Make them like you.
Second Rule: Make them need you.
Third Rule: Make them pay.
They think I’m a young, idealistic law student, that I’m passionate about reforming a corrupt and brutal system.
They think I’m working hard to impress them.
They think I’m here to save an innocent man on death row.
They’re wrong. I’m going to bury him.
Review:
The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan is a captivating mystery.
Law student Hannah Rokeby is willing to go to great lengths to become part of a Virginia college’s Innocence Project. Once she is accepted, she is willing to take extreme measures to be assigned to work on the death row case of Michael Dandridge. Which leads to an intriguing question: exactly why does Hannah so desperately want to work on this particular case?
Hannah has long taken care of her alcoholic mother Laura who is quite fragile without her daughter by her side. Hannah is smart and offers a bit of a different viewpoint than the other students she is working with on the Dandridge case. She is also willing to take risks that put not only herself, but others, in danger. They uncover shocking information but will they learn enough details in time for an upcoming motion trial?
The Murder Rule is an engrossing mystery that moves at a fast pace. Hannah is an interesting character who believes she is doing the right thing, but can anything justify the actions she is taking? The secondary cast of characters is well-drawn and appealing. Diary entries written in the past alternate with the chapters in the present and prove to be quite fascinating. The storyline is completely enthralling and Dervla McTiernan brings this suspenseful mystery to a twist-filled conclusion.
