|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Sometimes you read a novel and just know, without passing go and claiming £200, that it will be a movie. Jilliane Hoffman's RETRIBUTION is one of those books. The book whizzes past in a slick, cinematic landscape. Chloe is training to be a lawyer, but her life falls apart when she is stalked and raped by a maniac wearing a clown's mask. As the brutal attack takes place in her flat, he makes it abundantly clear that he knows everything about her -- even down to her nickname. Chloe's relationship with flashy attorney Michael Decker breaks up, and she drops out of law school. Cut to 12 years on and attorney CJ Townsend is dragged into a case involving a serial killer. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out the links between parts one and two of the book! And the focus of that second section is pretty standard fare as well, as CJ must overcome her demons as well as securing a guilty verdict in court despite the fact that the creepy William Bantling was arrested in decidedly iffy circumstances. Oh yes, and will she also get her man when it comes to love interest, the handsome special agent Dominick Falconetti? The book is a pacy, undemanding read, interspersed with moments of tension and pure terror. It's a first novel for Hoffman, a former attorney herself, and suggests her next book might be worth tracking down. The downside of RETRIBUTION, though, is that it feels unpolished -- a number of the characters are either ciphers or under-drawn, and the plot lacks meat on its skinny bones. And occasionally you feel Hoffman is writing by numbers, with the obligatory romance for CJ. It didn't come as a huge surprise to me to learn that Warner Brothers have bought the film rights. This could just be the sort of book that turns into a compelling movie courtroom drama and gives John Grisham a run for his millions.
Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, January 2004
This book has more than one review. Click here to show all.
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
