The Murder Rule
- Downloads：8655
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-12 21:21:40
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Dervla McTiernan
- ISBN：B09B2V9VBS
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Tim Arundell
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Dervla McTiernan maintained my attention right through this novel through the main character Hannah Rokeby aiming to find the truth as a volunteer working in the Innocence Project aiming to free up Michael Dandridge who had been imprisoned for a crime they believed he hadn’t committed。 Hannah’s bravery in searching for key witnesses and asking them important questions made her rise above the other volunteers。 The other special element about the novel was Hannah discovering the truth about her ow Dervla McTiernan maintained my attention right through this novel through the main character Hannah Rokeby aiming to find the truth as a volunteer working in the Innocence Project aiming to free up Michael Dandridge who had been imprisoned for a crime they believed he hadn’t committed。 Hannah’s bravery in searching for key witnesses and asking them important questions made her rise above the other volunteers。 The other special element about the novel was Hannah discovering the truth about her own birth and who her father was and that her mother had lied to her all her life。 。。。more
Jacob Riordan
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Couldn't put it down ！ Couldn't put it down ！ 。。。more
Renee
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Most people volunteer for places like the Innocence Project because they believe incarcerated people have been wrongly convicted。 This is not Hannah’s reason， however， as her POV along with her mother Laura's in the past will tell a different tale。 Hannah's objective is simply to make sure that the ‘innocent’ man that the team is defending stays right where he has spent the last 11 years， in jail。How Hannah a recent transfer student to the UVA manages to get on the team overseeing this man's def Most people volunteer for places like the Innocence Project because they believe incarcerated people have been wrongly convicted。 This is not Hannah’s reason， however， as her POV along with her mother Laura's in the past will tell a different tale。 Hannah's objective is simply to make sure that the ‘innocent’ man that the team is defending stays right where he has spent the last 11 years， in jail。How Hannah a recent transfer student to the UVA manages to get on the team overseeing this man's defense is quite a story （she is very sharp and honestly， pretty conniving）。 Alternate chapters from Laura's diary give us background information on why Hannah will go so far to undermine this team。 Plenty of twists and turns had me believing one thing before the author exposed the truth（and it turned everything upside down）。The beginning and the end had me furiously flipping pages and even though I thought the middle dragged a bit， overall， it was an interesting look at justice， corruption， and the selfish motives that can consume anyone。 I was not expecting how it ended and wow， did one of these characters do a number on another one （maybe even more than one）。 No spoilers but there was more than one tragedy here。 My first read by this author and I would read more of her work。 。。。more
Emma
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I enjoyed this mystery。
Jean
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A decent read but not to the standard of her previous books。 It was engaging and very easy to read but the legal aspects did not seem realistic， the murder rule was not relevant to the story and the story seemed stiff at times。 I love books that make me think after I have finished them or that I have lost a good friend but sadly I did not get either with this book。 I enjoyed it and it was a good rainy afternoon read -a solid 3 stars
Phil Oakley
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Brilliant！ And just when you think you’ve got her figured out？ You don’t。 Dervla McTiernan starts ahead and stays ahead， no matter how clever you think you are。 It’s a serious novel about serious issues without a dull second。 The characters are fascinating and seem simple and straight forward， but they never are。 They all believe they are the smartest person in the room， but who really is？ In “The Murder Rule，” what seems obvious， never is。
Dulce Phelps
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Definitely enjoyed this book however it is not nearly as good as her Cormac O’Reilly series。
Lynne Benton
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3。5/4 。。 interesting legal context and up to half way a definite 4， but then some characters’ behaviours/responses were a bit of a stretch … difficult to specify without spoilers 。。 overall I enjoyed the read but a bit disappointed with this one。 Agree with some others’ reviews
Tim
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Captivating。 Dervla is a master at mystery。 Lots of twists and turns。 Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。
Rebecca
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Thanks to William Morrow for an advance copy of this book for honest review。4。5 stars， rounded up。 I absolutely love Dervla McTiernan's Cormac Reilly series， so I was so excited to see what she would do with a new setting （Virginia） and characters in The Murder Rule。 This was such an intensely interesting story about innocence， crime， corruption， and the legal system， while having a hefty dose of nuanced family drama。 The front cover states "No one is innocent in this story"， and what that means Thanks to William Morrow for an advance copy of this book for honest review。4。5 stars， rounded up。 I absolutely love Dervla McTiernan's Cormac Reilly series， so I was so excited to see what she would do with a new setting （Virginia） and characters in The Murder Rule。 This was such an intensely interesting story about innocence， crime， corruption， and the legal system， while having a hefty dose of nuanced family drama。 The front cover states "No one is innocent in this story"， and what that means gets more and more complicated as the plot goes on。 This is one where you'll want to set aside a chunk of time to read it all at once- it's not easy to put down。 。。。more
Chelsea | thrillerbookbabe
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Thank you so much to Dervla McTiernan and William Morrow for my copy of The Murder Rule。 Both the cover and the title grabbed my interest immediately。 The book is about law student who has found her mother's diary and read it to learn about her history。 She learns a man that abused her and is in prison is at risk of being let out by the Innocence Project soon。 Hannah decides to infiltrate the group and make sure that her mother's abuser is not allowed to go free。 Thoughts: I guess you could call Thank you so much to Dervla McTiernan and William Morrow for my copy of The Murder Rule。 Both the cover and the title grabbed my interest immediately。 The book is about law student who has found her mother's diary and read it to learn about her history。 She learns a man that abused her and is in prison is at risk of being let out by the Innocence Project soon。 Hannah decides to infiltrate the group and make sure that her mother's abuser is not allowed to go free。 Thoughts: I guess you could call this a legal thriller， but it's much more legal than thriller。 I really enjoyed the way the story was told in both the present and through diary entries。 It is not always easy to weave past and present together， and I think the author did a good job with this。 I liked Hannah as a main character and related to her strong bond with her family。 The writing in this book was not my style and didn't leave much to the imagination。 It seemed that the author really just wanted to tell us everything to think， instead of letting us fill in the gaps with imagination。 There was a bit too much irrelevant information and too many tangents for my taste。 The ending was too far fetched and left me feeling frustrated。 3-stars。 。。。more
Paula
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I don´t understand why she felt the need to venture into what´s clearly US crime writers' territory re plot，setting and characters;she can´t pull it off。Where to start？ Nothing， absolutely nothing， works here。 Not the characters （cardboard）， not the plot （absolutelly silly），not the writing （clunky），not even the title （which has abosolutely nothing to do with the plot）I loved The Ruin， didn´t care much for The Scholar， loved The Good Turn， so maybe I should just read the odd books by this author I don´t understand why she felt the need to venture into what´s clearly US crime writers' territory re plot，setting and characters;she can´t pull it off。Where to start？ Nothing， absolutely nothing， works here。 Not the characters （cardboard）， not the plot （absolutelly silly），not the writing （clunky），not even the title （which has abosolutely nothing to do with the plot）I loved The Ruin， didn´t care much for The Scholar， loved The Good Turn， so maybe I should just read the odd books by this author ;） 。。。more
Booksandcoffeepleasemx
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𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺， 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤！This book had everything I love in a good thriller， it was twisty， gripping， clever， compelling and fast-paced， it had great characters， and kept me turning pages。 I loved everything about it。Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for this gifted copy。𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 by Dervla McTiernan released yesterday May 10， 2022。𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺， 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴， 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦， 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦， 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴， 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴。https://www。instagram。com/booksandcof。。。 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺， 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤！This book had everything I love in a good thriller， it was twisty， gripping， clever， compelling and fast-paced， it had great characters， and kept me turning pages。 I loved everything about it。Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for this gifted copy。𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 by Dervla McTiernan released yesterday May 10， 2022。𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺， 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴， 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦， 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦， 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴， 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴。https://www。instagram。com/booksandcof。。。 。。。more
Carly Rushforth
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Thanks once again to Netgalley， the author and the publisher for this ARC。I didn’t know what to expect from this book as the synopsis doesn’t give you much to go on ， so I was going in without much of an idea what the book was about which I loved if I’m being honest。If you enjoy the tv show How To Get Away with Murder this book has that kind of vibe going but with an innocence project and students doing the leg work and research， I really enjoyed that element。Hannah is such a compelling characte Thanks once again to Netgalley， the author and the publisher for this ARC。I didn’t know what to expect from this book as the synopsis doesn’t give you much to go on ， so I was going in without much of an idea what the book was about which I loved if I’m being honest。If you enjoy the tv show How To Get Away with Murder this book has that kind of vibe going but with an innocence project and students doing the leg work and research， I really enjoyed that element。Hannah is such a compelling character， I felt sorry for her so much having to live and be brought up by a mother like Laura。 I really can’t give too much away or it’ll spoil the whole book， I want readers to go into this book kind of blind like I did and enjoy the thrill of finding out what happened/ happens and how things get exposed。 。。。more
Mairead Hearne （swirlandthread。com）
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The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan publishes May 12th with Harper Collins and is described as ‘the gripping new crime thriller’ from this No。1 bestselling author。 The Murder Rule was inspired by a story that Dervla McTiernan read about a young Irish law student who had spent her summer volunteering in the US working for the Innocence Project。 Her fascination with this story developed into a seed of an idea and， combined with her own experiences from being a lawyer， The Murder Rule was born。The The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan publishes May 12th with Harper Collins and is described as ‘the gripping new crime thriller’ from this No。1 bestselling author。 The Murder Rule was inspired by a story that Dervla McTiernan read about a young Irish law student who had spent her summer volunteering in the US working for the Innocence Project。 Her fascination with this story developed into a seed of an idea and， combined with her own experiences from being a lawyer， The Murder Rule was born。The Innocence Project was originally founded in 1992 by Barry C。 Scheck and Peter J。 Neufeld and its aim is to work ‘to free the innocent， prevent wrongful convictions， and create fair， compassionate， and equitable systems of justice for everyone。’ In The Murder Rule young Maine law student Hannah Rokeby has her mind set on volunteering for a semester with the Innocence Project at The University of Virginia School of Law Charlottesville， Virginia。 With a determination and a rather untoward approach， Hannah achieves her objective。 Leaving her mother behind， she leaves home and makes the trip to Virginia。 After settling in to her new accommodation， she arrives at the offices of the Innocence Project with a plan。Michael Dandridge is facing a possible death sentence for a murder he has always denied。 Already after spending eleven years in prison， he claimed that he was set up via an anonymous tip off， an extracted confession and planted evidence。 His case is due to be heard again and this time the Innocence Project， under the steerage of Robert Parekh， Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Innocence Project， is involved。 Parekh and his team， a mix of students and staff members， are gathering the facts， leaving no stone unturned， in an attempt to decipher the truth。 Hannah is determined to be part of Dandridge’s team but Hannah has her own agenda。 By duplicitous means Hannah soon finds herself right where she wants to be but as their investigation makes some shocking reveals， Hannah is left confused。An asset to any team， Hannah works outside the box。 She sees the world a little differently from her fellow students and has unorthodox means of separating the truth from the lies。 But Hannah’s judgement is clouded due to her own backstory which is why she is there in the first place。 Interspersed through the novel are pages of a diary written by a young woman which provide an insight into Hannah’s motivation。 Hannah is quite Machiavellian in her approach， manipulative and unscrupulous in many of her actions but she has always believed a truth and now is her chance to finally achieve the justice she believes in。The Murder Rule is a book that came up a little short for me in places。 Hannah Rokeby， and many of her colleagues on the Innocence Project， are students of law and yet， as volunteering students， they are involved in a death row case at a very high investigative level。 I did feel that they were allowed a little more authority and influence than was realistic and， at times， The Murder Rule felt more like a YA （young adult） novel to me。 I flew through it， eager to see what Hannah was up to and the final pages were quite unexpected。 Hannah isn’t a particularly appealing protagonist。 Her behaviour is very questionable yet her heart is in the right place。 She believes in a cause and is prepared to put everything on the line， no matter the cost。The Murder Rule is a standalone book， a step away for Dervla McTiernan from her Irish crime fiction series， featuring Detective Cormac Reilly， one that has garnered great praise internationally。 Dervla McTiernan writes complex characters and Hannah Rokeby is definitely one such individual。 Hannah’s backstory was quite interesting and I would have liked to read a little more about the relationship between mother and daughter， as it did seem to wrap up rather swiftly。Overall， a lively read with an interesting plot， The Murder Rule is an entertaining novel with sufficient moments to keep the pages turning。 。。。more
Michele （michelethebookdragon）
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Well Dervla McTiernan certainly knows how to write a great book！The Murder Rule is a gripping legal drama with a twist。Hannah Rokeby bluffs her way into The Innocence Project， not to help an innocent man gain his freedom， but to ensure he stays behind bars。 She must be careful and appear to be helping gather evidence to help free Michael Dandridge， rather than finding evidence that will seal his guilt。 Will what Hannah discovers change everything？ Fast paced and intriguing， this is a different s Well Dervla McTiernan certainly knows how to write a great book！The Murder Rule is a gripping legal drama with a twist。Hannah Rokeby bluffs her way into The Innocence Project， not to help an innocent man gain his freedom， but to ensure he stays behind bars。 She must be careful and appear to be helping gather evidence to help free Michael Dandridge， rather than finding evidence that will seal his guilt。 Will what Hannah discovers change everything？ Fast paced and intriguing， this is a different style of writing to the authors previous books。 As much as I love the Cormac Reilly books， this is sharper and pacier。 It was easy to read and I enjoyed this book immensely。This book will appeal to those that like a good legal drama， with strong characters and a taut storyline。 。。。more
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice*
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EXCERPT: He knelt beside me， quite casually， and then he reached out his hands， put them around my neck， and started to choke me。 I lashed out， tried to scratch him， gouge his eyes。 He let go of my neck and I gasped for breath， but then he pulled me down until I was lying flat， straddled my body and knelt on my arms so I couldn't move them， couldn't fight him。 He started to strangle me again。 He was so much stronger than me。 There was absolutely nothing I could do to stop him。 He strangled me un EXCERPT: He knelt beside me， quite casually， and then he reached out his hands， put them around my neck， and started to choke me。 I lashed out， tried to scratch him， gouge his eyes。 He let go of my neck and I gasped for breath， but then he pulled me down until I was lying flat， straddled my body and knelt on my arms so I couldn't move them， couldn't fight him。 He started to strangle me again。 He was so much stronger than me。 There was absolutely nothing I could do to stop him。 He strangled me until I lost consciousness。 When I woke up he was sitting beside me， looking down at me。 'I could kill you，' he said。 'Quite easily。 I could take your body out to sea and dump you and no one would ever find you。 But then， there might be questions， I suppose。 Two deaths in such a short period of time， even if one of them is just little old you， might be problematic， even for the cops。 So maybe I won't。 I haven't decided。'ABOUT 'THE MURDER RULE': 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。MY THOUGHTS: Although this is totally different from McTiernan's previous work， it's no less gripping， no less enthralling。 The story alternates between Hannah in the present （2019）， and her mother Laura's diary entries from 1994， Laura's perfect summer。 The year she fell in love。 The year she found she was pregnant。 The perfect summer， until 。 。 。The build up is slow but intense as Hannah manipulates and inveigles her way into the Innocence Project。 And I mean manipulates！ She will stop at nothing to get where she wants to be。 NOTHING！ I was torn over this character。 She's a complicated individual。 I didn't like what she did， and couldn't condone her actions， but I understood why。 Or I thought I did。 Laura is an alcoholic， sly， deceitful and manipulative。 You can see where Hannah learned from。 Her diaries are very detailed and are a cry out for justice to be done。 But there's something rotten in the state of Denmark， as they say。 Lies， secrets， corruption and intimidation， not stopping short of violence， all rear their ugly heads。 Hannah may have set out to seek revenge for what was done to her mother， but I bet she never thought she'd be putting her own life on the line in doing so。 The Murder Rule is a book that has everything from psychological manipulation to a thrilling car chase。 From its slow start it morphs into a breathtaking tale of danger and action。 Tense， unsettling， clever and compelling。 ⭐⭐⭐⭐。2#TheMurderRule #NetGalley I: @dervlamctiernan @harpercollinsaustralia T: @DervlaMcTiernan @HarperCollinsAU#contemporaryfiction #crime #legalthriller #murdermystery #mystery #psychologicaldrama #suspense #thriller THE AUTHOR: Dervla spent twelve years working as a lawyer。 Following the global financial crisis， she moved from Ireland to Australia and turned her hand to writing。 Dervla is a member of the Sisters in Crime and Crime Writers Association， and lives in Perth， Australia， with her husband and two children。DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins Australia via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan for review。 All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions。 For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads。com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday。wordpress。com This review is also published on Twitter， Amazon， Instagram and my webpage 。。。more
Julie
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I’m torn a bit on the rating。 I couldn’t put down the book but also there’s so many plot holes。 I’m feeling generous because I like a thrilling read and it’s late…But this is just not how the legal system works。 And yet I also watched a ridiculous number of Law & Order episodes and spin-offs so clearly I need to live in a fantasy world where the justice system involves a little justice。
Dylanne Petros
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Ok。 Uh。 This book。I was teetering between 2 and 3 so I decided to be kind and give it 3 stars because it DID hold my interest。 Girl with the Pink Ski Mask will definitely disagree with me and honestly， go read her review too before picking this book。The TLDR plot: Hannah， a law student， leaves her mom in Maine and goes down to Virginia to transfer for a year and work with The Innocence Project。The writing was。。。not great。 Lots of unnecessary details。 Lots of changes between past and present tens Ok。 Uh。 This book。I was teetering between 2 and 3 so I decided to be kind and give it 3 stars because it DID hold my interest。 Girl with the Pink Ski Mask will definitely disagree with me and honestly， go read her review too before picking this book。The TLDR plot: Hannah， a law student， leaves her mom in Maine and goes down to Virginia to transfer for a year and work with The Innocence Project。The writing was。。。not great。 Lots of unnecessary details。 Lots of changes between past and present tense。 There was one discrepancy regarding a street address that I saw （Alexander Road vs Washington Street）。 This book was kinda sorta dual POV but the one POV was in diary format and it was just。。。unrealistic？ Poorly written？ I can't put my finger on it。 Oh and not to mention besides the diary & Hannah's POV there was ONE chapter from another character's POV that was just slapped in there。 I understand why， but because of that， it led to questions later about what Hannah was doing。 And honestly？ Hannah was unlikable to me。 Her mom was unlivable And not in the way where you think， "Omg I hate this person but I need to know more about them！" （kinda like Verity， imo）。 Hannah was just。。。a sociopath。 Her mom was diabolical。 You wouldn't go near either of them with a 20 foot pole IRL。 The mystery kept me going though。 A guy who claims he's innocent and the group of law students unbury a whole bunch of corruption？ Hell yeah， sign me up。 One scene in particular reminded me of LEGALLY BLONDE and that made me smile just because I love that movie so much。 So that was kinda fun。If you want a quick book with mediocre writing where you can suspend disbelief for a bit， this one's for you。 Thank you to William Morrow for my free e-copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Vicki
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So， I enjoy a good slow burn and this has a slower build up but it started getting intense towards the last 1/3rd of the book。 But I felt the end was really rushed。 With thrillers， I like everything to mostly get figured out in the end and this was just super rushed。 It was a good read but I just feel like more details could have been included。 I loved the idea of Hannah infiltrating the Innocence Project to try and keep Michael Dandridge in prison， which is why I wanted to read it。 It's a diffe So， I enjoy a good slow burn and this has a slower build up but it started getting intense towards the last 1/3rd of the book。 But I felt the end was really rushed。 With thrillers， I like everything to mostly get figured out in the end and this was just super rushed。 It was a good read but I just feel like more details could have been included。 I loved the idea of Hannah infiltrating the Innocence Project to try and keep Michael Dandridge in prison， which is why I wanted to read it。 It's a different storyline than I've read before。 My other complaint is that there seemed to be too many people with similar names。 I had to keep trying to remember who was who and I never have a problem doing that。 。。。more
Deena B
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Delightfully original！！A good， solid mystery and very entertaining！ The pacing was perfect。
Taylor
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Hannah is a law student at the University of Maine。 She sees an article in Vanity Fair that prompts her to pack up， leave her alcohol dependent mother behind， and transfer to the University of Virginia law school basically overnight。 Her personal mission is to infiltrate the UVA Innocence Project and work on their current case representing convicted murderer Michael Dandridge， who the Project strongly believes is actually innocent。 But Hannah has ulterior motives for wanting on the accused murde Hannah is a law student at the University of Maine。 She sees an article in Vanity Fair that prompts her to pack up， leave her alcohol dependent mother behind， and transfer to the University of Virginia law school basically overnight。 Her personal mission is to infiltrate the UVA Innocence Project and work on their current case representing convicted murderer Michael Dandridge， who the Project strongly believes is actually innocent。 But Hannah has ulterior motives for wanting on the accused murderer’s legal team。 Who really is Michael Dandridge？ Who is he to Hannah？ What is she hiding？ Is he actually innocent？After being denied for this title on audio （on my birthday no less！） and being quite upset over it since I was so excited to read， I was thrilled to be accepted for an e-arc。The description， title， and cover caught my attention on NetGalley immediately。 It’s a really fascinating plot。 As a criminal lawyer， I could relate to the content really well - law school， the Innocence Project， the felony murder rule and legal terminology。 In fact， I am current prosecuting a questionable felony murder case at my day job。 I really like the title for this。 Not far into the book， readers come to understand what it means， which I love about novels but not all authors always do this in a clear way。 Most of the novels that the genpop consumes is adult police procedurals or courtroom dramas - I wish more authors wrote novels with plots about law school and students。I breezed through this one in about three days and really enjoyed it overall， although there were some things that still didn’t quite make sense to me at the end or I would have changed up a little bit。 The “twist” was very foreseeable and didn’t pack as much of a punch as it could have。 I still enjoyed it though， which is why I rate 4/5 stars。There were some typos， mistakes， grammatical errors I caught but it was a e-proof and I am sure these were fixed prior to final publication yesterday， 5/10。Thank you to NetGalley， William Morrow， and the author for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review！-@tirwinreads 。。。more
Kelly Prior
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Good but not great。 Having read Dervla McTiernan’s previous Cormac Reilly series and loved them， I had high expectations and was looking forward to getting into the Murder Rule。 It has McTiernan’s usual cracking pace and it is an engaging， easy read。 It felt Grishamesque and I could picture the courtroom drama movie unfold。 However， there were a number of big leaps in the plot and it didn’t come together convincingly for me， with a some major aspects left unexplained。 The murder rule itself is a Good but not great。 Having read Dervla McTiernan’s previous Cormac Reilly series and loved them， I had high expectations and was looking forward to getting into the Murder Rule。 It has McTiernan’s usual cracking pace and it is an engaging， easy read。 It felt Grishamesque and I could picture the courtroom drama movie unfold。 However， there were a number of big leaps in the plot and it didn’t come together convincingly for me， with a some major aspects left unexplained。 The murder rule itself is an interesting legal concept and the premise was promising but it didn’t feel fully developed。 Still worth a read for McTiernan’s style and was a good holiday read。 Thanks to Harper Collins and Net Galley for the eARC。 #TheMurderRule #NetGalley #HarperCollinsAustralia 。。。more
LeeAnn
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The perfect kind of thriller！Go read this book！
Luanne Ollivier
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I love a good legal suspense tale。 There's been lots of buzz around Dervla McTiernan's newest book， The Murder Rule - and it's well deserved。 I thought The Murder Rule was an absolutely fantastic listen。"First Rule: Make them like you。 Second Rule: Make them need you。 Third Rule: Make them pay。"Hannah is a law student who leaves Maine to volunteer at The Innocence Project in Virginia。 The impetus for the move is what she discovered in the pages of her mother's old diaries - and the story they te I love a good legal suspense tale。 There's been lots of buzz around Dervla McTiernan's newest book， The Murder Rule - and it's well deserved。 I thought The Murder Rule was an absolutely fantastic listen。"First Rule: Make them like you。 Second Rule: Make them need you。 Third Rule: Make them pay。"Hannah is a law student who leaves Maine to volunteer at The Innocence Project in Virginia。 The impetus for the move is what she discovered in the pages of her mother's old diaries - and the story they tell。 And the man at the center of the latest case of the wrongly convicted justice group。Oh， Hannah is a complicated lead character。 She presents one persona to the group， hiding her real motives and self from the group and the public。 But - she would do anything for her mother。 She sacrifices much to keep her healthy and happy。 I was so curious about the why and what of her plan。Now here's the neat bit - McTiernan's inspiration for the Murder Rule was an actual case of The Innocence Project。 It is indeed a real organization。 McTiernan is a lawyer herself and that insider knowledge adds so much to the book。 The courtroom pieces， the behind the scenes machinations and more have that ring of authenticity。 But， that's not to say that McTiernan doesn't put her own spin on things， adding levels and more levels to her plotting。 The answer to that burning question - is he innocent - is up in the air until the last chapters。 Danger， suspense， action， corruption， betrayal and duplicity abound in The Murder Rule。 And my favorite - twists and turns。 I honestly couldn't stop listening。 An easy five stars for me。 The readers were Kate Orsini， Sophie Amoss and Michael Crouch。 I really like having multiple narrators， as it makes each character easily identifiable。 And it feels more 'real'。 The voices used matched the mental images I created for the characters and suited the characters McTiernan created。 The energy of the plotting， the emotions of the characters and more are all easily portrayed and performed， bring the book to life。 Each narrator spoke clearly and was easy to understand。 The speed of speaking was just right。 A great performance by all。 。。。more
Chelsea Hudson
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A well-thought out mystery！ Check out my full review on Instagram。com/chelseahudsonreads A well-thought out mystery！ Check out my full review on Instagram。com/chelseahudsonreads 。。。more
Ann
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Set in the United States。 I think I prefer her Galway series and hope she adds to it。
joyce w。 laudon
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I very much enjoyed this author’s Ireland set mysteries of which there were three， The Ruin， The Scholar， and The Good Turn。 In The Murder Rule， the author changes everything up。 This new book is not set in Ireland， but rather in the U。S。， around the UVA Law School。 The book is meant to be a thriller with an unreliable narrator who is single minded but not straightforward among most things。Laura and her daughter， Hannah， share a very close relationship， albeit one with role reversals。 Hannah wor I very much enjoyed this author’s Ireland set mysteries of which there were three， The Ruin， The Scholar， and The Good Turn。 In The Murder Rule， the author changes everything up。 This new book is not set in Ireland， but rather in the U。S。， around the UVA Law School。 The book is meant to be a thriller with an unreliable narrator who is single minded but not straightforward among most things。Laura and her daughter， Hannah， share a very close relationship， albeit one with role reversals。 Hannah worries about and cares for her mother who suffered enormous trauma in the past。 The story behind her mother’s circumstances is what motivates Hannah throughout these pages。Hannah is a third year law student at the University of Maine as the novel opens。 She manipulates her way into a semester at UVA （the University of Virginia） Law School and to a spot on their Innocence Project。 Hannah is there for her own purposes but her desire to see justice done does not mesh with the goals of the others with whom she works on Michael Dandridge’s wrongful （is it？） murder conviction。Readers get to know Hannah， Laura and their situation well。 They also spend time with the other law students， the head of the program and those involved in， and impacted by， the actions of Michael Dandridge。I wanted to like this book as much as the others that I have read by this author， but， sadly for me， I didn’t。 I found that there was a lack of warmth in these pages。 I know that Laura was wronged and traumatized but somehow I didn’t care quite enough for her。 The plot of this story also depended on actions that did not always feel realistic to me。Those who like thrillers， law and courtroom stories and idealistic young lawyers to be may well enjoy this book。 I just wished for more even as I respect that the author was trying to write something completely different from her earlier novels。Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this title。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Dee
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My first read with this author and a fantastic read it was！ I was immediately pulled into this book and my interest stayed throughout。 The characters were very well developed。 A psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout！ I read this book in a few days because I could not put it down！ A mother daughter story with twist and turns you never see coming！ I strongly recommend to anyone who loves getting into the mind of a psycho and seeing how it can take over your My first read with this author and a fantastic read it was！ I was immediately pulled into this book and my interest stayed throughout。 The characters were very well developed。 A psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout！ I read this book in a few days because I could not put it down！ A mother daughter story with twist and turns you never see coming！ I strongly recommend to anyone who loves getting into the mind of a psycho and seeing how it can take over your life！ Hannah is determined to get the man who ruined her mother’s life and make him pay！ The way she does this is absolutely fabulous！ Thanks go to Net Galley， Scene of the Crime， and Harper Collins for this exciting journey！ 。。。more
Alex Gray （gray__pages）
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