The Murder Rule
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- Create Date：2022-01-18 11:21:16
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Dervla McTiernan
- ISBN：B09FCKC2W1
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Megan Alabaugh
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Hannah Rokeby will do whatever it takes to score a spot with the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia。 Anything。 Her efforts are not motivated by a passion for justice。 She was motivated by revenge and she was running out of time to exact it。 Hannah had to make sure one of their clients remained behind bars。 Having secured a position on the team， she beings to plot her revenge against the man who broke her mother back in 1994。 Thanks to a diary kept by the then 19-year-old Laura， Hann Hannah Rokeby will do whatever it takes to score a spot with the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia。 Anything。 Her efforts are not motivated by a passion for justice。 She was motivated by revenge and she was running out of time to exact it。 Hannah had to make sure one of their clients remained behind bars。 Having secured a position on the team， she beings to plot her revenge against the man who broke her mother back in 1994。 Thanks to a diary kept by the then 19-year-old Laura， Hannah knows all about Michael Dandridge and the death of his friend and Laura's new boyfriend， Tom Spencer。 The Innocence Project is working to prove Michael didn't rape and murder a local woman， but Hannah is there to ensure he pays for his earlier crimes。 Told in dual timelines-Laura in 1994 and Hannah in 2019， the stories slowing unfold。 Despite the slow reveal of information， this is a quick， engaging read。 Despite， or perhaps because of their extremely dysfunctional relationship， Hannah is fiercely loyal。 Until she learns something that shakes her to her core and makes her question everything she thinks she knows。 It's unfortunate that the author chose a rich white man to be the recipient of the Innocence Project's services， but it only bothered me after finishing the book-in the moment I was caught up in the story。 Suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride。 。。。more
Anjali （bookstersisters）
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I have been a huge fan of Dervla Mctiernan since I read the Cormac Reilly series。 Ao I as really excited for this one。 But unlike the other series this one is a legal thriller。 Our main character Hannah joins the Innocence Project which aims at giving justice to falsely accused death row prisoners。 But she has ulterior motives for joining the project。 I enjoyed this fast paced legal thriller。 I wanted to keep turning the pages and finish it in one sitting。 My only problem was with the ending whi I have been a huge fan of Dervla Mctiernan since I read the Cormac Reilly series。 Ao I as really excited for this one。 But unlike the other series this one is a legal thriller。 Our main character Hannah joins the Innocence Project which aims at giving justice to falsely accused death row prisoners。 But she has ulterior motives for joining the project。 I enjoyed this fast paced legal thriller。 I wanted to keep turning the pages and finish it in one sitting。 My only problem was with the ending which was not 100% convincing。 It seemed more fantastical than realistic and bar that this book was a solid thriller。 Would definitely recommend for fans of Dervla Mctiernan 。。。more
Stephanie
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Thanks to NetGalley & Blackstone for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review。This was my first Dervla McTiernan book， although I've seen her name here and there。 I was surprised that the story was set in the US and the narrators had American accents！ The premise was promising: a young woman， Hannah， blags her way into the Innocence Project， not because she believes in the innocence of a particular incarcerated person， but the total opposite: she thinks he should stay in jail， due Thanks to NetGalley & Blackstone for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review。This was my first Dervla McTiernan book， although I've seen her name here and there。 I was surprised that the story was set in the US and the narrators had American accents！ The premise was promising: a young woman， Hannah， blags her way into the Innocence Project， not because she believes in the innocence of a particular incarcerated person， but the total opposite: she thinks he should stay in jail， due to her mother's story of having been assaulted by him and her boyfriend murdered by him 25 years prior （a crime that was written off as an accident）。I gather that this story is a bit of a departure for McTiernan - it looks like her other books are police procedurals - and maybe that's why there's a hefty suspension of disbelief necessary to take on this book。 The main character gets into the Innocence Project essentially by threatening blackmail to the lawyer who heads up the organization， and quickly assures a spot working directly on the case she's interested in; meanwhile， no one has even bothered to check if she's actually enrolled in the university that houses the project。 Mmmmm， OK。 ;）The story jumps back and forth between present day Hannah and 25 years previous （her mom）; the flashback is told in diary format， and we learn that Hannah found the diary in a box of things of her mother's some years before。 Since then， she has been on a mission to keep Mike Dandridge， the boogeyman of the diary， in prison for a crime he was convicted of 11 years prior to now。McTiernan creates a compelling story overall， even with the massive hoops you have to jump through to find the details credible。 However， it didn't take much to guess the ending （and I'm usually pretty bad at that， plus I take pains not to try to figure it out so I can feel the full force of the denouement）。 The voice actors did a fine job， but the inclusion of a single chapter acted by a man was a curious choice， and a bit jarring。 I'm interested to read McTiernan's previous books， but this one just didn't do it for me。 。。。more
Jessica Woodbury
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2。5 stars。 Legal thrillers are always on a tricky footing with me because I know too much about the legal system。 Usually they make an effort to do their research and while I can tell when they are bending the rules for the sake of the story， I make allowances。 But really， a good legal thriller should try its best to work within the framework， it's like a sonnet， when you play within the rulebook and pull it off， it's quite lovely。 Here， at first it seemed like perhaps McTiernan had done her res 2。5 stars。 Legal thrillers are always on a tricky footing with me because I know too much about the legal system。 Usually they make an effort to do their research and while I can tell when they are bending the rules for the sake of the story， I make allowances。 But really， a good legal thriller should try its best to work within the framework， it's like a sonnet， when you play within the rulebook and pull it off， it's quite lovely。 Here， at first it seemed like perhaps McTiernan had done her research， and every now and then she throws out a term or principle that is in fact real， but otherwise this is absolutely ridiculous and it nearly drove me to distraction。It's unfortunate （for me and this book） that this book also falls into a particular intersection of law that I have experience with so I could see all the things that didn't make sense with an extra level of clarity。 But I don't think you need to be a former criminal lawyer to know that no one would send a couple of law students out by themselves to interview absolutely crucial witnesses。 This is the sin the book commits constantly。 And like the other ridiculous things it pretends are reasonable， it happens because the book is built on a rather teetering foundation。 This is one of those books where it's all the concept and everything else that happens is in service to the concept。 I would be more forgiving if it were a better concept but it's also a rather silly one。 I have been on the fence about a few of McTiernan's previous novels， but I liked THE SCHOLAR so much that I keep coming back。 I was excited to see a standalone from her， but this just did nothing for me。If it had been another author that I didn't have high hopes for， I wouldn't have finished it。 As it was， at a certain point I knew this book was not going to get better so I kept at it partly just to be done and partly to see just how much worse it could get。 Unfortunately it ended with a courtroom scene so preposterous it might as well have been in an old episode of Perry Mason。 I am sure a lot of thriller readers will enjoy this very much。 It has some twists and plays with a double narrative。 But I suspect many of them will be annoyed by the resolutions and see too many of the twists coming to really enjoy it。 Hannah， our primary narrator， starts the book out so high and mighty， so obviously biased in her judgments of everyone around her， that her upcoming character arc is basically laid at our feet。 And finally this commits one of the major sins many thrillers commit these days: being about an actual problem in the criminal justice system but ignoring the realities of that problem entirely。 Which is why this book is about an innocence project case for a white man who was rich for most of his life before prison。 And presents potential law enforcement corruption as an over the top outrageous scandal instead of an actual systemic problem。 （For other thrillers that don't do this I recommend Tiffany D。 Jackson for starters。） Content warnings for multiple sexual assaults and violence。 。。。more
First Clue
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This standalone novel， a break from McTiernan’s Cormac Reilly series， is proof of the extraordinary depth and breadth she possesses as a writer。 Hannah， a third year law student at the University of Maine， manages to bulldoze her way into spending a semester at the University of Virginia School of Law’s Innocence Project， a true-to-life initiative that seeks exoneration for wrongfully convicted people in Virginia。 She leaves behind her mother—a fragile alcoholic—as she attempts to thwart one of This standalone novel， a break from McTiernan’s Cormac Reilly series， is proof of the extraordinary depth and breadth she possesses as a writer。 Hannah， a third year law student at the University of Maine， manages to bulldoze her way into spending a semester at the University of Virginia School of Law’s Innocence Project， a true-to-life initiative that seeks exoneration for wrongfully convicted people in Virginia。 She leaves behind her mother—a fragile alcoholic—as she attempts to thwart one of the Project’s high profile cases: the release of Michael Dandridge， who’s serving life imprisonment for rape and murder。 Why does Hannah care？ The secret lies in her mother’s 1994 diary， passages of which are interspersed throughout the present-day narrative。 Hannah’s efforts to sabotage the case—and the shocking facts she unearths in the process—are the stuff of a classic thriller。 But the emotional connections forged throughout the book give it added meaning。 For a writer who has seemingly never lived in the United States， the locations， diction， and class signifiers are flawless。 This novel can appeal to a wide range of readers， from suspense seekers to fans of legal thrillers to those who just want， as the British say， a cracking great read。—Brian Kenney， First ClueFor more reviews of forthcoming Crime Fiction， subscribe to our weekly newsletter， First Clue: https://www。getrevue。co/profile/First。。。 。。。more
D。L。 Beddoe
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Always love McTiernan。 However， this novel is set in the U。S。 and reads way too much like standard Grisham。 I missed the Irish crime。
Steven Netter
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READ MY FULL REVIEW AT Best Thriller BooksA fast-paced novel filled with righteousness， duplicity and seismic twists， The Murder Rule is a killer thriller that begs to be consumed in one sitting。 Make sure to check out the full review READ MY FULL REVIEW AT Best Thriller BooksA fast-paced novel filled with righteousness， duplicity and seismic twists， The Murder Rule is a killer thriller that begs to be consumed in one sitting。 Make sure to check out the full review 。。。more
Sharon L
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Part legal thriller， part family drama， and a splash of courtroom drama at the end that hearkens to early John Grisham。 This one does ask the reader to not question major points of plot （legal aid group not doing a background check？） and to roll with the fast-paced drama。 The story is told from two points of view- present day Hannah who is avenging her mother， and Laura， Hannah's mother， as read through her dairy。 Its this mother/daughter relationship that the whole plot hinges on， and I never g Part legal thriller， part family drama， and a splash of courtroom drama at the end that hearkens to early John Grisham。 This one does ask the reader to not question major points of plot （legal aid group not doing a background check？） and to roll with the fast-paced drama。 The story is told from two points of view- present day Hannah who is avenging her mother， and Laura， Hannah's mother， as read through her dairy。 Its this mother/daughter relationship that the whole plot hinges on， and I never got the feeling that they were in a healthy， close relationship that would initiate this level of illegal actions。All in all a fun， two timeline drama for fans of early John Grisham， Ruth Ware， and readers looking for an unreliable narrator/thriller。Audiobook was well narrated with three narrators， but the inclusion of a male voice for one chapter （？） was jarring。Thanks to NetGalley for an ALC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Susan
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I enjoy McTiernan's crime fiction set in Ireland， so I was a little disappointed to learn that her newest features an American setting and American characters。 I prefer an Irish set-up because it's different than the norm。 That being said， THE MURDER RULE has a somewhat unique premise that I found intriguing。 While Hannah's ability to just waltz in and get exactly what she wants from the Project， staffed as it is with all those savvy lawyers， seemed a little far-fetched， I was willing to suspend I enjoy McTiernan's crime fiction set in Ireland， so I was a little disappointed to learn that her newest features an American setting and American characters。 I prefer an Irish set-up because it's different than the norm。 That being said， THE MURDER RULE has a somewhat unique premise that I found intriguing。 While Hannah's ability to just waltz in and get exactly what she wants from the Project， staffed as it is with all those savvy lawyers， seemed a little far-fetched， I was willing to suspend my disbelief for a good story。 And THE MURDER RULE is engrossing。 It isn't as twisty as I wanted it to be， but it still kept me turning pages。 Hannah isn't the most likable of characters—she's sympathetic， yes， but she's also willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants even if it means hurting others （metaphorically speaking）， which loses her likability points。 I did care about what happened to her， though。 The ending of the book feels a little rushed and implausible， but it still made for an exciting finale。 While I didn't end up loving this book， I liked it well enough。 If I could， I would give it 3 1/2 stars; since I can't， I'm rounding up。 。。。more
Danelle The Librarian
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I was able to read this book as an ARC from Netgalley。 This legal thriller has a really interesting premise- what if a lawyer was trying to sink her own client？ Hannah Rokeby sets out to join the Innocence Project at UVA under the guise of another optimistic legal student working to free someone from prison。 She is motivated by a terrible secret from her mother’s past that she discovered in her mother’s diary。 The book goes back and forth between the 1990’s and 2019。 I also liked reading about w I was able to read this book as an ARC from Netgalley。 This legal thriller has a really interesting premise- what if a lawyer was trying to sink her own client？ Hannah Rokeby sets out to join the Innocence Project at UVA under the guise of another optimistic legal student working to free someone from prison。 She is motivated by a terrible secret from her mother’s past that she discovered in her mother’s diary。 The book goes back and forth between the 1990’s and 2019。 I also liked reading about what the secrets were from the past as Hannah must’ve when she found the diary。 The end got a little rushed， with lots of key details coming quickly。 But it was an interesting plot， and I would read another book about Hannah and what she is up to now。 。。。more
K
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"Hannah could smell her mother's perfume - jasmine and cedar。 She tried not to flinch as Laura stroked her forehead， once， twice， three times。"Having read two of McTiernan's Cormac Reilly-centered books， The Murder Rule was not what I expected。 And having it set in central Virginia - Yorktown， Charlottesville - was a nice surprise， too。 I enjoyed it immensely。 It was good to watch/read Hannah's transformation over the course of the novel， and there are some good twists throughout。 My only quibbl "Hannah could smell her mother's perfume - jasmine and cedar。 She tried not to flinch as Laura stroked her forehead， once， twice， three times。"Having read two of McTiernan's Cormac Reilly-centered books， The Murder Rule was not what I expected。 And having it set in central Virginia - Yorktown， Charlottesville - was a nice surprise， too。 I enjoyed it immensely。 It was good to watch/read Hannah's transformation over the course of the novel， and there are some good twists throughout。 My only quibble might be the ending court scene， but I am guessing McTiernan knows whereof she speaks， having been in a lawyer in a past life。 I also enjoyed the alternating chapters， from Hannah to her mother's diary to Sean。 Camila is a great character， too。 P。 S。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 。。。more
Sara
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A suspenseful legal thriller， filled with twists and turns。 I liked the way the author gave the reader glimpses into the past using Laura's diary。 However， I felt the character development was a little off。 I found myself repeatedly asking why Hannah was going to so much trouble to get vengeance for her mother， because I didn't see how they could have a close relationship after the way her mother behaved。 I guess that's codependency showing it's ugly head， but I didn't buy it。 The narrator of th A suspenseful legal thriller， filled with twists and turns。 I liked the way the author gave the reader glimpses into the past using Laura's diary。 However， I felt the character development was a little off。 I found myself repeatedly asking why Hannah was going to so much trouble to get vengeance for her mother， because I didn't see how they could have a close relationship after the way her mother behaved。 I guess that's codependency showing it's ugly head， but I didn't buy it。 The narrator of the audio version was excellent。 。。。more
Coley
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Review TK
Natalie Cavernelis
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Hannah is studying law at the University of Maine but has transferred to the University of Virginia to volunteer on the Innocence Project。 The Project takes on the cases of wrongfully convicted death-row prisoners。 But she’s not there to help， she’s there to make sure one prisoner in particular stays in prison and plans to undermine any work to free him。 It's a very intriguing idea and I wanted to love this book but too much hinged on people just believing and trusting Hannah。 In the end it was Hannah is studying law at the University of Maine but has transferred to the University of Virginia to volunteer on the Innocence Project。 The Project takes on the cases of wrongfully convicted death-row prisoners。 But she’s not there to help， she’s there to make sure one prisoner in particular stays in prison and plans to undermine any work to free him。 It's a very intriguing idea and I wanted to love this book but too much hinged on people just believing and trusting Hannah。 In the end it was a readable but not memorable book。Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Kate
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*I listened to the audio eArc from Netgalley*Hannah is determined to join the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia， a group dedicated to helping convicted criminals overturn their sentences。 Their biggest case right now is that of Michael Dandridge， the case Hannah arranges （through some sneaky tricks） to be assigned to。 But unlike her colleagues， she wants to make sure Dandridge never gets out。 Her mother's diary， interspersed through the narrative， fuels Hannah's actions。 But the tr *I listened to the audio eArc from Netgalley*Hannah is determined to join the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia， a group dedicated to helping convicted criminals overturn their sentences。 Their biggest case right now is that of Michael Dandridge， the case Hannah arranges （through some sneaky tricks） to be assigned to。 But unlike her colleagues， she wants to make sure Dandridge never gets out。 Her mother's diary， interspersed through the narrative， fuels Hannah's actions。 But the truth Hannah always believed isn't quite what it seems， and soon she and the reader are left reeling from the twists。 。。。more
MrsD271015 D
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Gripping， fast paced， twisting - The Murder Rule has it all。 I couldn’t help but get pulled in to the story of Hannah and her mum Laura。 Including diary entries from Laura’s younger days the plot is set up through a series of past and present tense extracts that interweave - drip feeding us details and ultimately revealing plot twists that shocked me。 I couldn’t go to sleep until I had finished this book。 The final chapters pulled me in so deeply that I just had to know what happened - it was wo Gripping， fast paced， twisting - The Murder Rule has it all。 I couldn’t help but get pulled in to the story of Hannah and her mum Laura。 Including diary entries from Laura’s younger days the plot is set up through a series of past and present tense extracts that interweave - drip feeding us details and ultimately revealing plot twists that shocked me。 I couldn’t go to sleep until I had finished this book。 The final chapters pulled me in so deeply that I just had to know what happened - it was worth every minute！ 。。。more
Karen Barber
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The Murder Rule is due out in May 2022 and I’d like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance of publication。The story focuses on Hannah and her involvement - for reasons that eventually become clear - with The Innocence Project。 We learn fairly early on that Hannah has her own reasons for wanting to be part of the Project， and as we follow her attempts to ingratiate herself into their work and a fairly high-profile case it’s hard to not get sucked in。Interspersed with Hannah’s The Murder Rule is due out in May 2022 and I’d like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance of publication。The story focuses on Hannah and her involvement - for reasons that eventually become clear - with The Innocence Project。 We learn fairly early on that Hannah has her own reasons for wanting to be part of the Project， and as we follow her attempts to ingratiate herself into their work and a fairly high-profile case it’s hard to not get sucked in。Interspersed with Hannah’s story are extracts from the diary written by Hannah’s mother。 These offer little snippets of information to help us start piecing together what is motivating Hannah， and to ensure that we are wholly invested in the group’s work with Michael， convicted of raping and killing a young mother and who swears his innocence。The first part of the book really blew me away and had me convinced this would be an easy 5 star read。 As we learn more about Hannah’s past it became a little harder not to feel some scepticism。There’s lot of instances that seem rather improbable， and the revelations uncovered certainly fall into place a lot more easily than I think they would。 The crux of the story hinges on events of the past， and we never get a satisfactory reason for all of these。 While I found myself excited by Hannah’s ‘big moment’， in the cold light of day I find it hard to imagine half of what takes place would actually be probable。 The revelations about Hannah’s reasons for doing what she does certainly make sense， but I found myself incredibly frustrated by the scenario involving her mother。 There were far too many unanswered questions with regard to her motives， and the rather abrupt ending left me feeling like something was missing。 。。。more
Susan
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You need some buy-in because。 How do you pay someone to make you look like a UVA law student？But。 This read like John Grisham when he actually was John Grisham。 Real young idealistic lawyers， suspenseful， loaded secrets。。 leading up to YOU CANT HANDLE THE TRUTH？ And really good。 Thing is？ I thought I had the predictability of the plot bagged from the beginning。 I had it so wrong。 And again。 I completely blame S。J。 Bolton for my reading patterns。 God love that woman。
Gwin Grimes
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Think John Grisham at the height of his abilities， but with more nuanced female characters。 I have loved all of Dervla McTiernan’s books so far， and am looking forward to reading more。
Erin Pinheiro
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Murder！ Lies！ Miscarriage of justice！ Definitely all the makings of a riveting story， so why did it fall so flat for me？ The last quarter of the book felt so far-fetched that it kind of made me forget how much I enjoyed the first three-quarters。 I loved Hannah and her motivation along with the other characters on the Innocence Project。 Certain characters just felt completely unrealistic， which left me more annoyed than anything at the end。 Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced co Murder！ Lies！ Miscarriage of justice！ Definitely all the makings of a riveting story， so why did it fall so flat for me？ The last quarter of the book felt so far-fetched that it kind of made me forget how much I enjoyed the first three-quarters。 I loved Hannah and her motivation along with the other characters on the Innocence Project。 Certain characters just felt completely unrealistic， which left me more annoyed than anything at the end。 Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Nancy McFarlane
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Hannah is a 3rd year law student in Maine。 She is on a mission to seek revenge on the man who she believes killed her father。 She wants him to stay in prison for life for a murder he swears he didn’t commit。 To do this she must transfer to UVA law school and talk her way on to the Innocence project – specifically on to the case of Michael Dandridge whose original conviction was overturned but who is on the verge of being tried again， unless the innocence project can convince the judge the origin Hannah is a 3rd year law student in Maine。 She is on a mission to seek revenge on the man who she believes killed her father。 She wants him to stay in prison for life for a murder he swears he didn’t commit。 To do this she must transfer to UVA law school and talk her way on to the Innocence project – specifically on to the case of Michael Dandridge whose original conviction was overturned but who is on the verge of being tried again， unless the innocence project can convince the judge the original evidence was tainted。 Hannah is sneaky， conniving， and bright – very bright – and she manages to to talk her way on to his case。 Luckily， she also genuinely believes in justice。 The Murder Rule was a riveting story told from two points of view – the 1994 diary of Laura who is Hannah’s mother and Hannah’s as she works to sabotage the project。 The work of the law students to help prove people innocent was intriguing and very well explained （McTiernan is herself a lawyer）。 The ending was totally unexpected following some real heart stopping action。 。。。more
Alisa
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3。5 stars。 I'm a big fan of Dervla McTiernan's gritty first novel， The Ruin， which is set in Ireland。 Had I not seen her name on the cover of this audiobook， I would have never guessed that she penned this legal suspense tale set primarily at the University of Virginia。Hannah is a law student in Maine when she cons her way onto an Innocence Project Team at UVA run by a charismatic Brit。 We soon discover that she is there not to "fight the good fight" of freeing the wrongly convicted， but for a m 3。5 stars。 I'm a big fan of Dervla McTiernan's gritty first novel， The Ruin， which is set in Ireland。 Had I not seen her name on the cover of this audiobook， I would have never guessed that she penned this legal suspense tale set primarily at the University of Virginia。Hannah is a law student in Maine when she cons her way onto an Innocence Project Team at UVA run by a charismatic Brit。 We soon discover that she is there not to "fight the good fight" of freeing the wrongly convicted， but for a much more personal reason。 The story is told in the dual voices of Hannah in present day， and through the old journal entries of her mother Laura， who is now a fragile alcoholic。The twists in this story make up for some of the plot holes， and overall it was an entertaining enough read。 I still hope that McTiernan will return to gloomy Galway in her future books。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my opinion。 。。。more
Gulnaz
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Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc。 I was absolutely hooked by the premise expecting an anti-heroine。 For the most part she is clever and sneaky， driven by her internal clock of rightful justice。 Vengeance for her mother。 She transfers university。 She’s a third year law student。 She blackmails her way into The Innocence Project， a charity that helps those in jails who might be innocent and have been convicted on technicalities。 She learns about a case where the team is help Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc。 I was absolutely hooked by the premise expecting an anti-heroine。 For the most part she is clever and sneaky， driven by her internal clock of rightful justice。 Vengeance for her mother。 She transfers university。 She’s a third year law student。 She blackmails her way into The Innocence Project， a charity that helps those in jails who might be innocent and have been convicted on technicalities。 She learns about a case where the team is helping someone named Michael。 However， Hannah isn’t here to helpful。 She’s here to ensure that Michael never gets released。 The reason for this is revealed in Laura’s （Hannah’s mum） diary which reveals tragic events that occurred two decades ago。。。I wanted to like this more than I did。 I loved the first two thirds， but was let down by the final act。 Some of the reveals were preposterous especially the ones with Hannah and her mum’s。 I never got the sense Laura was a good mother so for Hannah to be so driven for revenge just wasn’t consistent with her character considering how irritated she was with her mother。However I liked the law students setup， and having lawyers doing investigative work。 It was refreshing to read about and I found the law conversations and the nitty gritty aspects of proving certain truths in court fascinating， and wanted more of that。 On the whole the story does come together but I did find the last act abrupt and the actual antagonist a bit cardboard cutout。 Nonetheless an intriguing courtroom suspense read， for readers looking for something different。 。。。more
Louise
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This has a little bit of everything。Murder，mystery，family drama，courtroom drama，death row。Entertaining read，that I was always keen to get back to。Plenty of twists along the way，that made me constantly rethink where the book was going。I feel/hope the Innocence project could show up again in future books。
UKDana
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Hannah Rokeby is a third year law student， living at home with her mother。 When Hannah discovers that The Innocence Project is taking on the case of rapist and murderer Michael Dandridge she decides that she has to be involved。 The reason that Hannah is determined to be involved is that Dandridge murdered her father and escaped justice， she's resolved to ensure he isn't released from prison。 By becoming part of the defense team Hannah hopes to steer the evidence away from exonerating Dandridge。T Hannah Rokeby is a third year law student， living at home with her mother。 When Hannah discovers that The Innocence Project is taking on the case of rapist and murderer Michael Dandridge she decides that she has to be involved。 The reason that Hannah is determined to be involved is that Dandridge murdered her father and escaped justice， she's resolved to ensure he isn't released from prison。 By becoming part of the defense team Hannah hopes to steer the evidence away from exonerating Dandridge。This is a fantastic story and I was gripped from the first page。 Hannah isn't a particularly likeable character from the outset， she's premeditated， manipulative and determined。 She's even willing to resort to blackmail to get what she wants。 The intriguing story slowly unfolds as we follow Hannah's efforts to get on the team involved with the Dandridge case， interwoven with her mother's diary entries from twenty-seven years ago。 Those diary entries explain what is driving Hannah and you do begin to have a greater understanding of why she's behaving as she is。 Hannah soon discovers that not everything is as she believed and has to resolve some moral issues。 。。。more
Tee
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Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for sending me a copy of this book ahead of it's release。 The Murder Rule is one of those intense mysteries that keeps you guessing right up until the end。 Hannah Rokeby plans to infiltrate the Innocence Project and sabotage their high profile case defending the apparent rapist and murdered， Michael Dandridge。 Hannah's motivation for wanting to see him rot in jail is slowly uncovered through her mother's （Laura） diary entries and the summer she experie Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for sending me a copy of this book ahead of it's release。 The Murder Rule is one of those intense mysteries that keeps you guessing right up until the end。 Hannah Rokeby plans to infiltrate the Innocence Project and sabotage their high profile case defending the apparent rapist and murdered， Michael Dandridge。 Hannah's motivation for wanting to see him rot in jail is slowly uncovered through her mother's （Laura） diary entries and the summer she experienced the year before Hannah was born。 Michael and Hannah's stories are closely linked in ways that Hannah isn't even aware of; as the lawyers are running out of time to save Michael， Hannah is running out of time to stop them。The book was tense， suspenseful and fast paced。 Hannah is an intriguing， morally grey protagonist who is unafraid to play dirty to get what she wants。 Just when you think you've figured out the mystery a new piece of evidence comes to light and throws all theories out of the window。 The ending is not outlandish but firmly seated in reality in a way that is still a satisfying conclusion to Hannah and Laura's stories。 This is also a relatively short book which is perfect because once you start， you won't want to put it down。 A five star thriller which carefully picks apart the motivations of those who work to free the criminals。 I strongly， strong recommend this book。 。。。more
Jasmine Toohey
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Wow！ I loved this book。 I definitely didn't see the way this book would go and I'm so pleased。 Hannah enrols in law school and gets her self on Innocence Project Clinic。 She seems very driven in her results but also seems to be hiding something。 I hope there will be another book as looking forward to seeing Hannah again。 Wow！ I loved this book。 I definitely didn't see the way this book would go and I'm so pleased。 Hannah enrols in law school and gets her self on Innocence Project Clinic。 She seems very driven in her results but also seems to be hiding something。 I hope there will be another book as looking forward to seeing Hannah again。 。。。more
Ceecee
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4-5 stars In 2019 Hannah Rokeby blags her way onto the Innocence Project clinic run by Professor Rob Parekh at the University of Virginia。 Why？ The answer lies in her mother’s diary from 1994 when she works as a cleaner in Maine。 There she meets uber-rich Tom Spencer and his friend Michael Dandridge， the latter is the case Hannah is interested in。 Michael is in prison following the rape and murder of Sarah Fitzhugh for which he protests his innocence。 The story is told mostly by Hannah intersper 4-5 stars In 2019 Hannah Rokeby blags her way onto the Innocence Project clinic run by Professor Rob Parekh at the University of Virginia。 Why？ The answer lies in her mother’s diary from 1994 when she works as a cleaner in Maine。 There she meets uber-rich Tom Spencer and his friend Michael Dandridge， the latter is the case Hannah is interested in。 Michael is in prison following the rape and murder of Sarah Fitzhugh for which he protests his innocence。 The story is told mostly by Hannah interspersed with extracts from her mother Laura’s diary。 This is a cracking read with a slow but inexorable build up to where we hurtle to some breathtaking moments of danger， suspense and tension with numerous unexpected twists and turns in the plot road。 Hannah is an intriguing central protagonist， she seems enigmatic， she’s certainly determined and can manipulate and use her creative powers to full effect in order to achieve what she wants。 The diary is illuminating but is it true， that’s the million dollar question。 We get hints of Laura， she’s in the background but she’s absolutely central to what occurs。 The case is fascinating， the aspects of the law are really interesting and you find yourself willing the team in as they’re working against the clock to get Michael’s case heard。 They are pitted against some powerful forces in order to reveal huge contradictions in the case。 What emerges is a dramatic story of corruption， violence and intimidation to the degree that Hannah and the team don’t know which way is up。 The ending is satisfying for all concerned。 My only reservation is how Hannah manages to get onto the Dandridge case with such ease but hey ho， it does lead to a darned good story！ Overall， another gripping read from the talented Dervla McTiernan who has a way of effortlessly pulling you into the storytelling and keeping you there until the very end。 With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins， Harper Fiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review。 。。。more
McBreakneck
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