Ties That Bind

By: Phillip Margolin

Narrated by: Margaret Whitton

On the outside, Amanda Jaffe has healed from the traumatic events that concluded the sensational New York Times bestseller Wild Justice—but inside, she's struggling to regain her self-assurance. When she is forced to represent a pimp accused of murder (a case no other lawyer will touch), her client threatens her, strirring up the trauma to such an extent that she must finally seek the help of a psychiatrist. Her opponent on the murder case, ADA Tom McCorkle, is a local hero—he won the Heisman Trophy and secured for University Oregon its only victory in the Rose Bowl 15 years earlier—who is embroiled in his own crisis of confidence, because his popularity is based on a lie. When two people involved in Amanda's case also wind up murdered, Amanda's investigation reveals strange links between a powerful group of men and a drug-related bloodbath many years before. They're called "The Courthouse Athletic Club"—but who are they?—why are they interested in a small-time pimp?—and is it possible that their power and influence reaches all the way to the Presidency?

Enjoyable book. Description Oddities.

Enjoyed the book, as I have most of Margolin's offerings. Having grown up in Oregon, it is fun to feel connected to the locale. I'm always surprised, though, that authors who utilize hometown locations don't insist on the narrator correctly pronouncing them! "Willamette" is always a problem in the Margolin books.

I also found it a bit baffling that the description from the publisher names one of the main characters as Tom McCorkle. In the book, his name is Tim Kerrigan. Also described is "The Courthouse Athletic Club," which becomes "The Vaughn Street Glee Club" in the story. I guess the descriptive copy was written and submitted before the final edited manuscript. And the intriguing final tease . . . "And is it possible that their power and influence reaches all the way to the presidency?" is enticing copy, but (not wanting to give anything away) seems also to have been writen before final manuscript.

Still, I like the Jaffe Father-daughter characters. Hope to see them again.