4 stars

Former attorney Matt Royal is enjoying his “retirement” on Longboat Key when he receives a telephone call from his girlfriend Jennifer Diane “JD” Duncan who is a detective and takes a few weeks off to help Matt resolve Aunt Esther’s situation. Her aunt Esther Higgins has been arrested for the murder of writer Olivia Lathom.

Olivia Lathom was a member of a book/reading club that focused mainly on mysteries. Aunt Esther asked one of the women to review her novel, and the woman said it wasn’t very good. Imagine her surprise when the murdered woman steals the novel and it becomes an immediate bestseller! It seems no one knew the deceased woman very well. Her past is a mystery. She can’t be located on any database and her fingerprints are not in any system. Matt interviews many people and travels all over Florida and Georgia seeking answers to his quest. She claimed to be from a wealthy family from Georgia. When Matt tracks down the surviving family member Charles Lathom, he is surprised to learn that Olivia Lathom was the sister-in-law who was married to a younger brother called Danny. He died just one month after his marriage to Olivia under mysterious circumstances.

The woman who gave Olivia Esther’s novel is Ruth Bergstrom and she is very hostile and defends her deceased friend loudly and often. JD goes “under cover” to interview her in hopes that she’ll let something slip.

The police are being very nice as is the prosecutor. Matt wonders what is up. He is followed and threatened by hostile men.

As the trial date grows closer, JD and Matt continue to interview witnesses and talk to people. Some very interesting facts come out as they speak to scientific specialists and computer people. The trial begins.

The identity of the killer is not so much of a surprise, but Matt reaching that conclusion is a study in patience and determination.

This book is very well written and plotted. It is easy reading and moves along apace. The descriptions of South Florida were wonderful and honest. (The weather is awfully hot in August – yuk…) I like Matt, JD and Aunt Esther. The other characters in the book were – for the most part – likeable. The book was interesting in that it offered little asides in how an attorney prepares for trial and what they can and can’t say or do. It was very well done. I’ve read H. Terrell Griffin’s novels before, but it has been some time. I’d forgotten how much I like him as an author. Well done, Mr. Griffin!

I want to thank NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read and enjoy.

Griffin is an author that leaves bread crumbs along a path for the reader to follow. Excellent crime drama with likable characters that travel through the pages in a smooth and entertaining format. This being the eleventh book in the Matt Royal series it has no problem being a stand alone. Matt is a retired lawyer who has found the spice of life as a beach bum. His girl friend J.D's aunt Esther has been arrested for murder and Matt is putting his shorts away to come to her rescue. Loved the way that Griffin left clues but kept the mystery moving till the very last page. All the evidence was gathered and justice was served in this case. "A copy of the book was provided by Oceanview Publishing via Netgalley with no requirements for a review. All comments here are my honest opinion." Would not hesitate reading any of the others in this series.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Matt, a former lawyer, is persuaded out of retirement to defend his girlfriend's aunt Esther on a murder charge. I gather that this is part of a series where Matt's services are regularly required. In this case Esther is accused of shooting a woman who she claims stole the manuscript of her novel, but whom she also claims never to have even met.

After a rather slow opening few chapters set in the past and focussing on a Miss Georgia pageant, things picked up once the focus switched to Matt and his girlfriend JD. There was a large chunk in the first person in Matt's voice, and then a sudden switch to the third person from JD's perspective, which was jarring. After that the narrative switched regularly between Matt, JD and Josh, with his useful government contacts. I liked Matt and his humorous, easy relationships with his friends. The novel was well-plotted, with the pageant story eventually being drawn into the main narrative, although only eventually - it kept me guessing. The last few chapters described the trial, which I always enjoy reading - these reminded me of a Perry Mason novel, although we did have more of an idea of what was going to happen. There were a few very heartfelt and moving sections about veterans and serving armed forces personnel, which somehow fitted with the otherwise light tone.

My only complaints would be a certain amount of repetition - we heard about the time of the year after the snowbirds had gone home at least three times - and an inability on the part of the editor to distinguish between principal and principle.

Recommended.

Olivia Lathom's body is dumped in Paddock Square in the middle of the night. Paddock Square is in the center of Brownwood, one of three town squares in The Villages, Florida, an expansive retirement community in north central Florida. Olivia is in The Villages for a book signing of her New York Times best-seller.

Esther Higgins is accused of killing Olivia. Esther is the aunt and only living relative of J. D. Duncan, Matt Royal's girlfriend. Matt is called into action once again ... called to leave his beach bum life on Longboat Key and head to The Villages to defend Aunt Esther. Esther's arrest is based on the say-so of a neighbor who heard Esther say she would kill Olivia for stealing the manuscript she wrote. That manuscript put Olivia on the best seller list. However, after Esther is arrested, more evidence begins to mount against her.

Matt's investigation takes him on a journey through Sumter County and The Villages, to several small towns in southern Georgia, on to Buckhead in Atlanta and even into South Carolina. As one small clue leads to another, he wonders how they all fit together. J. D. even goes undercover in The Villages to ferret out as much information as she can to get her aunt out of jail. With the trial moved up, can Matt and J. D. put the pieces of this puzzle together and keep Aunt Esther from going to prison?

I was so excited when I opened VINDICATION and discovered it was set in The Villages, FL. It's right in my backyard! H. Terrell Griffin certainly did his homework on this place. His descriptions of the people in general and the places in this 115,000 resident retirement community are extremely accurate. Mr. Griffins' characters are always a mixed bag, funky and a lot fun. We learn a lot more background about both Matt and J. D. in this eleventh book of his Matt Royal Series. The plot takes numerous twists and turns, as more evidence is collected about the real nature of this killing. And Mr. Griffin has a treat in store for his readers of this series at the end. Do not miss it!

Matt Royal... Lawyer turned beach bum turns back to lawyer when his girlfriends aunt is accused of murder. A legal thriller that twists and turns and makes for a great read. This book is the latest in a series that I have not previously read but will be looking out for more. It reads well as a stand alone boik.

Thanks to Oceanview Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to read via Netgalley in return for an honest review

This mystery is set in The Villages in Florida. I really enjoyed the main character Matt Royal, he is a retired lawyer living in Florida. His girlfriend's aunt is accused of murder and he takes the case.
The mystery was fast paced and kept you trying to figure who the murderer was and why.

Watch out of retirement communities! This cozy read turns into a mystery really quick! Matt Royal, retired lawyer living in paradise on Longboat Key, FL, returns to the courtroom to defend his girlfriend's aunt who has bee accused of murder. Matt enlists his girlfriend, J.D., to go undercover to help our his client. This is a good courtroom drama read with many investigative twists. I really enjoyed it. The characters are well developed and likeable, even the not so savory characters are relatable. Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read in return for an honest review. 4.5/5 stars!

Matt Royal is a retired lawyer-turned-beach-bum is called back to the courtroom to defend his girlfriend, J. D. Duncan's aunt Ester, who lives in the retirement community of The Village, in North Central Florida. A best selling author has been murdered after a book signing and Ester has been arrested. Matt reluctantly suits up for the case while J. D. takes leave from the police department to go undercover.

I really liked the characters of Matt Royal and his law enforcement girlfriend J. D.. I liked that there was also some humor included in the story. There are a lot of red herrings and secrets from the past are unearthed. The author has a great style of writing. This is book eleven in this series but it can be read as a standalone. I will be looking for more books from this author . A great courtroom drama.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Oceanview Publishing and the author H. Terrell Griffin for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well-respected attorney Matt Royal is drawn out of his retirement in paradise (AKA Longboat Key, Fla.) to defend his girlfriend's aunt Emily against a murder charge. The victim is a best-selling author whom Aunt Emily claims stole her book, and had threatened to kill. The murder (and action) takes place in The Villages, central Florida's mega-retirement community, where there is no shortage of interesting characters and potential suspects in this classic who-done-it.

The problem is that the police seem satisfied that Aunt Emily committed the murder, and are disinclined to investigate further. J.D. Duncan (Royal's girlfriend) takes a leave of absence from the police department to help Matt discover the truth. Matt's friends also step forward to help (not always in legal ways).

The eleventh in a series, this book stands well on its own. I had not read any other book in the series, yet felt completely at home with the main characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the rapport between Matt, his girlfriend J.D., and his friends. I also loved the authors fluid writing style and the uncovering of more leads, questions, and suspects bit by bit. It was very satisfying to watch the puzzle pieces fall into place! The trial section was so realistic and descriptive, I felt I was in the courtroom.

This is a great read! I definitely want to read more by this author. Vindication rates 4 stars from me only because I reserve 5 stars for books which I feel could become classics.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishers for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. The review reflects my honest, unbiased opinion.

Good characters, interesting plot! 2 time periods, and I didn’t see ahead of time how they would interact!

First off this book in no way compares with John Grisham (see the book blurb) except in the sense that it involves a lawyer and some courtroom action. I don't mean that statement to be derogatory or unkind, I'm simply stating if you come in with that expectation you will be greatly disappointed.

Vindication is a slow building mystery. It reminded me alot of old courtroom style TV shows like Matlock, and Perry Mason (the TV show not the books) where most of the big stuff happens in the courtroom when the defense team does a kind of razzle-dazzle by revealing things they have kept secret from the authorities up to that point and turning the whole story on its head.

Vindication, while not as saccharine sweet as some cozy mysteries, is basically a cozy at heart. I would recommend it to someone who might be looking for something that is slightly harder than a cozy but not too awfully hard-edged. It's not a bad book, it just doesn't fit my personal tastes.

***Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author H. Terrell Griffin for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title.

“Vindication” is book eleven in H. Terrell Griffin’s Matt Royal Mystery series. It is not necessary to have read any of the previous books to enjoy this one. This is the first book I have read in the series, and I did not realize there was a series until I finished the book and wanted to read more.

A woman’s body is face down on the concrete dance floor of Paddock Square. So it begins, and it does not end without many questions but few answers.

Curiously, the first two chapters seem to be almost accidently slipped in from another book, but do not skip them. Chapter three opens with “retired” lawyer Matt Royal’s first person narrative as he relaxes in Longboat Key, Florida.

In a story so relatable, that Griffin must have been spying on people I know, a member of a mystery book club has been arrested for murder. The club meets in a local bookstore, and the victim is an author visiting for a book signing. The accused suspect happens to be the aunt of Matt Royal’s long-time girlfriend and local police detective J.D. Duncan, so Royal is asked to “come out of retirement” and take the case. Along the way, Jock Algren, Matt’s friend and one of the best agents in America’s Intelligence community, who is visiting, unwinding, and relaxing in Longboat Key is asked to help out.

The story unfolds with Matt’s narrative alternating with the third person story line. Matt’s first person sections are filled with musing about the progress of the case and compelling insight into legal procedure and why he is doing what he is doing. The third person sections provide needed background and views of events from other perspectives. The pace is steady, and the alternating points of view give depth and add interest.

The characters drive this story, and these characters are intense, realistic, and hilarious. When Aunt Esther Higgins, retired schoolteacher, faces taking a guilty plea bargain or spending months in jail awaiting trial, she reassures Matt that she will be fine because:

“Years ago the school system that I worked for got in a jam and had to assign me to an all-boys junior high school to teach English …..You tell that prosecutor that if I could handle that for nine months, I can damn sure handle a jail cell for six months. No deals.”

Matt laments that the legal “process is mentally exhausting and not nearly as much fun as fishing.” He does relish the Florida weather, especially on “one of those days when everybody calls their relatives in the still chilly north to rag them a little about the gorgeous days that a Florida spring produces.” Moreover, where else would a suspect be called “a pusillanimous puissant” or a traffic-congested road labeled “Malfunction Junction”?

Despite the hilarity, a lot of investigation goes on, and dead-ends and false leads abound. Many secrets from the past rear their ugly heads but do not seem to lead anywhere. In true Perry Mason style, everything finally falls into place during the trial in unexpected ways and a peculiar justice finally prevails

I received a copy of “Vindication” from Oceanview Publishing, H. Terrell Griffin and NetGalley. This is an entertaining book to read, but be careful; you might just laugh right out loud as you read.

I loved this legal mystery. The characters are well written and seem to come alive- they remind me of people i know!! There are a lot of twists and suspects. The court seems real and the lawyer's stratergy is very interesting.

Vindication was a sneaky read…..it started almost like a cozy then morphed into a perplexing mystery and then a full-on courtroom drama. The cozy part was the laid-back setting – Longboat Key and the retirement community of the Villages in Florida. When an acclaimed author’s body is discovered in a nearby square, Aunt Esther is arrested for murder. Aunt Esther’s niece is JD, the long-time detective girlfriend of Matt Royal, a retired defense lawyer. He takes up the case and with help from friends and his own powers of deduction, he unearths clues that may lead to the real murderer. The last third of the book is the courtroom drama where Matt pieces the clues together in a way that will ferret out motive and means. Although this is a later title in an ongoing series, it was easy to follow and appreciate interactions between the characters. This title should be popular with those who have enjoyed the series and others who want to share in Matt’s ongoing adventures.
Recommended.

Vindication is a well written murder mystery. I enjoyed the plot and the retirement community setting.

Matt Royal is a retired lawyer -turned beach bum. He finds himself called back into the legal system when his girlfriend's aunt is arrested for murder.

Aunt Esther lives in a retirement community in Florida. She is accused of murdering a sort - of friend who lives in the same area. She was shot in the back and dumped in a parking lot. The victim was a best-selling author and had just finished a book signing.

Things don't look good for Aunt Esther. The murder weapon is found in her house with her fingerprints all over the gun and bullets. She was heard saying that she was going to kill the victim the day before she was shot.

Matt has his hands full, as well as trying to find a way to beat these charges. The local sheriff and Matt have a history ... and not a good one. And there are people who aren't who people believe they are.

It is only when Esther goes to trial that the puzzle pieces begin to fall in some kind of order.

I really enjoy a good legal thriller ... especially when it is well-written and not a Perry Mason moment anywhere to be seen. Matt Royal is a great character, as is his girlfriend, J. D. who is also a law enforcement officer. I love how they interact with each other, as well as with their friends. One of them is Jock, who's a sniper for an unnamed company. Murder is serious, but there's always room for a little humor and the author writes it well.

This is book 11 in a series .... and it does well as a stand alone. I have read some of his earlier books and found all of them to be engaging, filled with twists and turns and surprising endings.

Many thanks to the author / Oceanview Publishing / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

By my calculation, this is the 7th Matt Royal murder/mystery but it’s my first and won’t be my last. Let’s get my concerns out of the way first so I can concentrate on the main event. Certainly, during the first third of the story, the dialogue was a little wooden and didn’t flow. Unusual and unfamiliar words were occasionally thrown in as well which were out of place with the style of writing. Additionally, the sentences were often too short which gave a staccato and flat feel to the story. Most annoying though were the spelling mistakes and errors and the proof reader should be reprimanded. “Principal” is the word for a sum of money on which interest is paid Mr Griffin not “principle”. Goodness knows how many times the word was used and I only counted one instance when it was spelt correctly.

Whilst the errors offended my OCD proclivity, they did not detract from the great plot which twisted and turned. Matt Royal and his squeeze J D Duncan, who works uncover in this story, investigate the background to JD’s aunt’s, Esther, arrest for murder in The Villages – a large retirement development in Central Florida. Matt takes little persuasion to come out of retirement to defend Esther. It was good to read a book with the minimum of violence and the maximum of mystery and one which challenged the reader’s investigative powers. I thought I had it all sorted out quite a few times but a spanner was always thrown into the works.

The trial and the subsequent denouement was superbly done. The logical process of development of the facts in the courtroom was first class and captivated me throughout, showing an excellent grasp of trial procedure. Even though the outcome was never seriously in doubt there were a few curve balls thrown into the mix to maintain full interest right up until the real murderer was named.

I am very pleased to have found another writer to add to my list of favourites and I recommend this novel without hesitation,

mr zorg

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This is a really good mystery, Court room drama.
The one problem I had were the number of names in the plot, so I had to keep going back to confirm who was who.

Really good mystery. The reader keeps wondering how the beginning subplot fits into the rest of the book! It really is good with the preparation needed for a trial, and how the lawyers out all of the little pieces together! I really liked the characters and their interactions. Very good book!