Hear no evil

Review by Booklist Review

The latest Jack Swyteck mystery finds the Miami defense lawyer in unfamiliar territory. When a woman asks him to defend her against the charge of murdering her husband, Jack is initially reluctant: the victim is a U.S. naval officer; the crime took place at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay; and Jack has almost no experience with military courtroom procedures. But the woman has a very persuasive reason for Jack to take the case (all right, it's a little far-fetched, but it works), and soon Jack finds himself fighting for his client's life in an arena that is brand new to him. Grippando, a former Florida trial lawyer, started his writing career with a Swyteck novel ( The Pardon in 1994) and then rested the lawyer hero for eight years while producing a string of stand-alone thrillers. This fourth Swyteck novel is a tight, smartly constructed mystery that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The military overtones should appeal to fans of the television series Navy NCIS and JAG. --David Pitt Copyright 2004 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Miami lawyer Jack Swyteck is in for one hell of a roller coaster ride in this lapel-grabbing thriller, Grippando's ninth (Last to Die; etc.). Lindsey Hart, about to be charged with the murder of her husband, Marine Capt. Oscar Pintado, comes to Jack because she believes he is her last, best chance and also the biological father of her adopted son. Stunned, Jack thinks he recognizes the picture of the 10-year-old she shows him ("he knew those dark eyes, that Roman nose"), but he still isn't sure whether he should take the case. What if he doesn't and she's innocent? She could be convicted. But if she's guilty and he takes the case and wins it he doesn't want to see the child raised by a murderer. Thanks to Grippando's devious mind, that's just the beginning. Plot twists, doled out with perfect timing, include the story of the murder victim, who's the son of a rich and powerful anti-Castro activist; the prosecutor's connection to Swyteck's family; and the testimony of the defense's prime witness, who is a private in Castro's army the murder took place on the U.S. military base at Guant namo Bay, Cuba. It's manipulative Lindsey, however, who proves to be the book's most unpredictable element. This character-driven, intricately plotted thriller will keep readers guessing up to the end. Agent, Richard Pine. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by Library Journal Review

Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck agrees to defend a woman accused of killing her naval officer husband, though he thinks that she is being less than forthcoming. An eight-city author tour. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

The defense of a military wife on a murder charge places Jack Swyteck in opposition to both the US Navy and the Cuban government--and disturbs ghosts from his own past. Recent widow Lindsey Hart implores the Miami defense attorney to defend her against charges that she murdered her husband, Oscar Pintado, an officer stationed at the naval base in Guantanamo Bay. With no experience in the military justice system and little knowledge of Cuba (even though he's half-Cuban), Jack (Last to Die, 2003, etc.) is loath to accept the case. Lindsey, however, has an ace up her sleeve: Jack is the biological father of her adopted son Brian, who is deaf. Jack has known nothing of the boy until now. He takes the daunting case, teaming up with Lindsey's civil attorney, Sofia Suarez, with whom he has considerable sexual sparks. Meanwhile, Oscar's wealthy father, Alejandro, an influential stateside figure in the anti-Castro movement, has sworn to secure Lindsey's conviction, both to get custody of Brian and to prevent Lindsey from getting her hands on Oscar's sizable inheritance (also the purported motive for the killing). The circumstantial evidence against her is considerable, and the Navy throws up many roadblocks, like reassigning most potential witnesses so they're out of Jack's reach. Jack stays away from Brian but uses some of his time in Cuba probing his deceased mother's early years, uncovering secrets surprising to him and painful to his grandmother Abuela. The trial dominates the last half of the story, with Jack facing off against flashy media celeb Hector Torres. Pivotal witness Lieutenant Dumont Johnson may or may not have been involved in an affair with Lindsey and/or be an accomplice. Drugs, an exploding car, a secret pregnancy, and a hidden past identity all figure prominently. In his ninth Swyteck thriller, Grippando introduces more plot threads than he can weave or develop smoothly, but he keeps his tale moving. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Hear No Evil Chapter One "My husband was murdered." Lindsey Hart spoke in the detached voice of a young widow still grieving. It was as if she still couldn't believe that the words were coming from her mouth, that something so horrible had actually happened. "Shot once in the head." "I'm very sorry." Jack wished he could say more, but he'd been in this situation before, and he knew there really wasn't anything he could say. It was God's will? Time heals all wounds? None of that would do her any good, certainly not from his lips. People sometimes turned to strangers for that kind of comfort, but rarely when the stranger was a criminal defense lawyer billing by the hour. Jack Swyteck was among the best Miami's criminal trial bar had to offer, having defended death row inmates for four years before switching sides to become a federal prosecutor. He was in his third year of private practice, steadily building a name for himself, despite the fact that he'd yet to land the kind of high-charged, high-profile jury trial that had vaulted plenty of lesser lawyers into stardom. But he was doing just fine for a guy who'd withstood an indictment for murder, a divorce from a fruitcake, and the unexplained appearance of the naked, dead body of his ex-girlfriend in his bathtub. "Do the police know who did it?" asked Jack. "They think they do." "Who?" "Me." The natural follow-up question caught in Jack's throat, and before he could even broach the subject, Lindsey said, "I didn't do it." "Are there any witnesses who say you did?" "Not that I know of. Which is to be expected, since I'm innocent." "Was the murder weapon recovered?" "Yes. It was on the bedroom floor. Oscar was shot with his own sidearm." "Where did it happen?" "In our bedroom. While he was sleeping." "Were you home?" "No." "Then how do you know he was sleeping?" She hesitated, as if the question had caught her off guard. "The investigators told me he was in bed, no sign of any struggle, so it's only logical that he was either taken completely by surprise or was asleep." Jack took a moment, not so much to collect his thoughts as to gather his impression of Lindsey Hart. She was a few years younger than he was, he guessed, articulate and composed. Her business suit was charcoal gray, a conservative step beyond the traditional black of mourning, though she allowed herself a little color in the silk blouse and scarf. She was pretty-probably even more attractive than what presently met the eye, as Jack suspected that in her grief she'd lost a little too much weight and paid not enough attention to her appearance. He said, "I know this is painful for you. But has anyone considered the possibility that your husband's wound was self-inflicted?" "Oscar didn't commit suicide. He had too much to live for." "Most people who take their own life do. They just lose perspective." "His gun was found with the safety on. Not very likely that he shot himself in the head and then put on the safety." "Can't argue with that. Though it also strikes me as curious that someone would shoot your husband and then take the time to put on the safety." "There are many curious things about my husband's death. That's why I need you." "Fair enough. Let's get back to what you were doing the day of his death. What time did you leave the house?" "Five-thirty. Same as every day. I work at the hospital. My shift begins at six." "I assume you're having trouble convincing people that he was alive when you left." "The medical examiner put the time of death sometime before five." "You've seen the autopsy?" asked Jack. "Yes, just recently." "How long ago was your husband killed?" "Ten weeks yesterday." "Have you spoken to the police?" "Of course. I wanted to do everything possible to help catch the killer. Until it started to come clear that I was a suspect. That's when I decided I needed a lawyer." Jack scratched his head and said, "None of this is ringing a bell for me, and I'm usually something of a newshound when it comes to homicides. Was it City of Miami or Miami-Dade homicide you talked to?" "Neither. It was NCIS agents. Naval Criminal Investigative Services. This all happened at the naval base." "Which one?" "Guantánamo." "Guantánamo, Cuba?" "Yes. My husband was career military. We've lived there for almost six years now. Or at least until his death." "I didn't realize that families even lived there. I thought it was just soldiers keeping an eye on Castro." "Oh, no. It's a huge living and working community, thousands of people. We have schools, our own newspaper. We even have a McDonald's." Jack considered it, then said, "I want to be up front about this: I have absolutely no experience in dealing with military matters." "This isn't strictly military. I'm a civilian, so I would have to be charged as a civilian, even though my husband was a military officer." "I understand that. But the crime scene is on a naval base... Hear No Evil . Copyright © by James Grippando. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from Hear No Evil by James Grippando All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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