Special Circumstances (Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez Legal Thriller) Paperback – September 1, 2000

Was looking for a new author in the genre I love - saw this on Kindle Unlimited and downloaded. Now I’m looking forward to reading the whole series. The format with outer dialogue interspersed with inner dialogue is so entertaining - many times I laughed out loud. The story was so compelling at times I was ready to skip to the end to see who done it, but I had to stay with the story because I didn’t want to miss a moment of the journey. It’s so exciting when you find a new author that hits everything on your list - great main characters, compelling, page-turning story, and fast-paced, enjoyable dialogue and narrative. This writer hits all those marks and then some. Highly recommend.

Enjoyed the pace of this story as it unfolded. Surprising plot twist at the end. Question to the author: Why is it necessary to identify characters as non-white?

The dialog is very realistic, and the novel is well-written. I found very few editing errors. The pace is relatively fast. I had difficulty putting it down after I had started reading.Michael Daly was a partner in the very large, and very prestigious, law firm of Simpson and Gates. It is the largest law firm on the West Coast and is headquartered at the top of the 48-story Bank of America building in San Francisco. This firm is all about money. And, as a criminal defense lawyer, Mike wasn’t bringing in enough of it, so the Executive Committee (X-Com) has decided to fire him. Coincidently, the son of one of the firm’s founders, Prentiss Marshall Gates III, is also leaving, but for a different reason. He has just been elected District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco. A going away party is being held at the firm in his honor.It is December thirtieth, and negotiations are under way for a very large merger/acquisition that is being handled by the firm. Continental Capital Corporation (CCC), the fourth-largest public company in the world, is negotiating the purchase of Russo International, owned by Vince Russo, son of the company’s founder. The negotiations are taking place at the offices of S&G. Mike is not a part of the negotiations, but he is aware of them, and his best friend, Joel Friedman, who is also an attorney, is one of the firm’s negotiators. Vince Russo is not happy with the terms of the deal and storms out of the room “screaming.” One of the associate attorneys is called back to work by the chief negotiator for the firm, Bob Holmes, who is a member of X-Com. Eventually, everybody goes home and waits for Russo to return so that the contracts can be signed.The next morning, neither Bob nor Vince can be found, and the door top Bob’s office is locked. Taking the key from the desk of Bob’s secretary, Doris, she and Joel enter it to find Bob and his associate and sometime lover, Diane Kennedy, dead from gunshot wounds. It appears to be a murder-suicide, but is it? It doesn’t take long for the police to arrest Joel and charge him with murder. Of course, his ex-associate at S&G and now District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco insists on prosecuting the case himself. Michael becomes Joel’s defense attorney, and it is time for the two former partners in a very large, very prestigious law firm to face each other in a courtroom.The evidence is damning. Joel’s fingerprints are on the gun used to kill the two victims. They are also on the keyboard to Bob’s computer, which was used to send a suicide note via e-mail to his wife and others. Joel was seen arguing with Diane in a local bar and was heard by a janitor arguing with Bob shortly before he was last seen. Joel was seen and filmed kissing Diane at an October company outing in a hot tub. Diane was pregnant. Was Joel the father? The tests are not back, yet, but Mike must prepare a defense on short notice because Joel refuses to waive his right to a speedy trial within the sixty days specified by California law. Vince Russo, in the meantime, has disappeared. His car has been found on the Golden Gate Bridge, but he is nowhere to be found.The author does a great job of building and maintaining suspense. The writing style appealed to me. the dialog is very realistic, and the pace is sufficiently fast to hold the reader's attention. There is an unexpected twist at the end of the story. If you like legal drama, then this is the book for you. I enjoyed it and do not hesitate to recommend it.

new author for me but I will find other books by him was pleasantly surprised

The book is well written with intense courtroom dramatics captured in immense detail! I love the character development and feel I understand Mike pretty well. Love the relationship he has with Rosie. Would have love to see her more in involved in the courtroom. Seems like this could have wrapped up about 100 pages before it ended. Enjoy!

I really enjoyed the author’s use of humor throughout the book. The storyline was exciting and even unsettling, but laughing through the grimmer meets really made me happy.

It’s a great story but it is very long. The author isn’t writing a textbook on how criminal defense attorneys should win. Anyway, the end is stunning, although I suspected something like that would happen. I also predicted some other key points as well.

I like the character Michael Daley. He’s a great human being. He seems genuinely and compassionate. He’s a hard working lawyer who will go all out for his clients. I love his mind humor to himself. He has a great sense of humor. I really think I’m going to enjoy this series but I’m not sure about the romance with the ex-wife. I admire their friendship after marriage but the undercover romance is kind of boring to me. It does nothing for the story. The storyline was quite interesting but I don’t know why I guess the perp from the beginning of the story. And I kind of guess the plot but I still think author penmanship was incredible.

This is my first ever legal thriller series and sure I picked a good series to start with. Eventhough this was my first legal series I have watched the good wife, the Lincoln law to know the proceedings of the American court. I have enjoyed this book to the max and definitely recommended to avid readers.

The book was off to a strong start, with quite intriguing behind-the-scenes corporate plots in a big law firm in San Francisco. This set up gave the story a pretty original context over and above the usual legal thriller stuff; plus, the character development was very good since the beginning.Then, the story loses a bit of its momentum as it slips into a more conventional courtroom drama in its middle part; the trial section, with its detailed examinations and cross, is very long.The end presents the expected turns and twists and makes a good close.All in all, a good read, though I thought the book had a bigger potential than what it actually delivered.

Good courtroom drama, the characters are well-drawn. And despite not having a lot of action, the pace keeps the reader guessing who did it until the very end.

This exciting courtroom drama was unputdownable! I really liked the plot and its main characters. Mike Daley is a funny, brilliant, down-to-earth lawyer, the dialogues in and outside of the courtroom are just brilliant. I liked this book so much, I already ordered the 2nd book.

This is what a lawyer/courtroom thriller should be - smart, fast-moving action and a surprise ending. I like an author who knows what a complete sentence and this one surely does. His characterizations are dripping with reality. I discovered him at a relative's and was overjoyed when I could load up my Kindle with five of his earliest tales and will do so as more are readied for Kindle. His lawyer is a forties something whose previous careers include that of a Catholic priest (!) and a corporate lawyer who never makes partner. His bosses at the huge S&G firm dump him for low billings; he and his wife Rosie, another lawyer work well together as legal beagles but not well in married harness. Keep 'em comin' Sheldo. These are one night jobs I dare anyone to put one down once you have started, other than being interrupted by another San Francisco earthquake !.