Guest Review: Most Dangerous Place

Summary: Defending a woman accused of murdering the man who sexually assaulted her, Miami lawyer Jack Swyteck must uncover where the truth lies between innocence, vengeance, and justice in this spellbinding tale of suspense—based on shocking true-life events—from the New York Times bestselling author of Gone Again. According to the FBI, the most dangerous place for a woman between the ages of twenty and thirty is in a relationship with a man. Those statistics become all too personal when Jack Swyteck takes on a new client tied to his past.

It begins at the airport, where Jack is waiting to meet his old high school buddy, Keith Ingraham, a high-powered banker based in Hong Kong, coming to Miami for his young daughter’s surgery. But their long-awaited reunion is abruptly derailed when the police arrest Keith’s wife, Isabelle, in the terminal, accusing her of conspiring to kill the man who raped her in college. Jack quickly agrees to represent Isa, but soon discovers that to see justice done, he must separate truth from lies—an undertaking that proves more complicated than the seasoned attorney expects.

Inspired by an actual case involving a victim of sexual assault sent to prison for the death of her attacker, James Grippando’s twisty thriller brilliantly explores the fine line between victim and perpetrator, innocence and guilt, and cold-blooded revenge and rightful retribution. -- Harper

Booking Dad is getting his groove back. He's home from his various vacations, so he's finally catching up on some reviews. The latest book he's read and enjoyed is MOST DANGEROUS PLACE by James Grippando. Here are his thoughts:

Attorney Jack Swyteck is waiting at the airport to meet an old friend, Keith Ingraham and his wife Isabelle Bornelli who arrive in Miami from Hong Kong for their daughter’s hearing surgery. Instead Jack finds himself defending Isabelle who is arrested at the airport for the murder of the man, Gabriel Sosa, who allegedly raped her 12 years ago.

From that moment on, author James Grippando’s MOST DANGEROUS PLACE, A Jack Swyteck Novel, moves at a rapid pace in sorting out the truth in this legal thriller based on a true story. The story becomes more complicated as Grippando adds more characters and more mystery to the case.

For example, Isabelle’s father Filipe interjects himself into the case for personal reasons and tries to direct the case to benefit him. Isabelle’s ex-boyfriend, David Kaval, who was involved in the murder of Sosa and is serving prison time for another crime, cuts a deal with the DA and agrees to testify against Isabella. Manual Espinosa, a slick attorney, manages to get bail for Isabelle when Jack failed to do so, and works his way onto the defense team. To complicate things further, Isabelle’s husband Keith is charged with accessory to the murder. Additionally, Isabelle seems unwilling or unable to tell the complete story about what happened 12 years ago. Only as Jack discovers new information from his own investigations can he go back to Isabelle and Keith to learn more of the full story.

Although the characters are well developed and add significant depth to the story line, the story is really about sexual assault and the way it impacts the victim, the perpetrator, their families and how the victim handles any recourse.

MOST DANGEROUR PLACE is a fast moving story where the author is continually adding new information and surprises to keep the reader guessing. I recommend MOST DANGEROUS PLACE to anyone who enjoys the legal thriller genre.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.
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