Blood Money

By: James Grippando

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

New York Times bestselling author James Grippando delivers a powerful, nonstop thrill ride ripped from the headlines. Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck is back in his most frightening case yet, and this time the price of victory is measured in blood.

It is the most sensational murder trial since O. J. Simpson's. The nation is obsessed with Sydney Bennett, a sexy nightclub waitress and good-time girl accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter for cramping her party life. When he had agreed to defend Sydney, Jack Swyteck knew he'd be taking on the toughest and most controversial case of his career.

Millions of ""TV jurors"" have convicted Sydney in the court of public opinion.

When the shocking verdict of not guilty is announced, citizens across the country are outraged, and Jack is bombarded by the fallout: angry, profanity-laced phone calls and even outright threats. Media-fed rumors of ""blood money""—purported seven-figure book and movie deals—ratchet up the hysteria, putting Jack's client and everyone around her at risk.

On the night of Sydney's release, an angry mob outside the jail has gathered to serve its own justice. In the frenzy, an innocent young woman bearing a striking resemblance to the reviled Sydney Bennett ends up in a coma. While the media blame Jack and his defense team, the victim's parents reach out to him, requesting his help. They don't believe the attack was the tragic result of random mob violence.

Searching for the truth about what happened that night, Jack makes a frightening discovery. Larger and much more powerful forces are working in the shadows, and what happened outside the jail is a symptom of an evil that infected the show-stopping trial and media-spun phenomenon of Sydney Bennett.

I don't know....

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes because I love James Grippando & the Swytech series...

What was most disappointing about James Grippando’s story?

the story was a little over the top...at some points it felt left a bad soap opera.
It started out really well but then it took a weird turn: I did a lot of eye-rolling

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I love Jonathan Davis as a narrator; he did a great job on this one as he does on everything else I've heard him read

Any additional comments?

James Grippando is my favourite author; I look forward to every book he writes (the way between books is just too long) but this is not his best. But still I'm looking forward to the next installment of the Swytech series

Starts a little slowly...

...but gets interesting quickly. Jack Zwytek can find more trouble than most other characters combined, and has enough foibles to make him interesting and human. I'll be looking for the next book to come along to see what else can happen. Worth the credit.

Disappointing

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No. Did not hold my attention.

What was most disappointing about James Grippando’s story?

I bought this recording without knowing any details about story. That is because I have read all of the other Swyteck books & they are great! I was initially disappointed when I realized this was going to be a rehash of the Casey Anthony case but I put that aside, confident that Grippando would add a twist that would make it worth it. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Frankly, I was bored. The story moved excruciatingly slowly, was slightly illogical and I found that at certain points in the story I forgot who the different players were - this is VERY unusual for a Grippando book.

Any additional comments?

I am still a huge Swyteck fan but I can not recommend this one.

Not quite Casey Anthony...

This book begins paralleling the Casey Anthony travesty. There are minimal differences in the beginning, like the attorney for the defendant is Jack Swyteck instead of José Baez & the judge's first name is Belvin but does not share the same last name with the Orlando judge. The woman acquitted of killing her child wants to make a lot of money selling her story with book and movie rights. Hence the title of the book.
Meanwhile another young woman is in a coma. She's a look a like to the acquitted mother. Someone paid her to go to the jail to be a distraction. When she's seen by the waiting crowd she's beaten.
After that, the book diverges from the Anthony story. Just as wacky but with screwy(er) parents and a serial killer stalking Jack, his closest friends and the mom who may actually be innocent. The ending is actually quite surprising and not at all what I expected.
Once again Jonathan Davis does an outstanding job narrating.
As another Audible reviewer (Wayne) said in his review of another Swyteck book, Grippando's writing has remained consistent right from book one. You can count on his books to be written with the same skillful level with each new and he doesn't fly on his laurels to write high priced yet inferior novels.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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Thank You.

Good book

I like the authors approach to his stories
It’s both a Lawyer story and a mystery with the touch of thriller.

Like his other stories, it is a page Turner.