Oh my goodness. I thought this was a halfway decent book until the ending, and then I was like--what on earth did I read? I can't even begin to say my real feelings without spoilers so, sorry, but [How on earth did she cover this up for SO many years when she was so freaking crazy? I thought she came across as a bit hysterical and obsessive, but I suppose I chalked that up to her immaturity and naivete, not to her being completely nuts. I'm all for an unreliable narrator, but this goes beyond unreliable into the unbelievable category. (hide spoiler)]
Don't get me started on how unlikable all of the characters were. I couldn't find even one of them that I liked, not even Rachel. And how so many characters could be both brilliant and absolutely clueless at the same time--I just couldn't figure it out. Plus, to top it all off, there were way too many story threads that never felt completed even though a ton of time was spent on them.
This was just not a book for me. Not sure I connect with this author's writing style.

5.0 out of 5 stars HOOKED AND CAN'T LET GO!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2019

Hank Philllippi Ryan has done it again with this stand alone book, The Murder List. I had started the book in the middle of the afternoon, as soon as I received, and my poor husband had to throw something together for himself for supper. I was not able to tear myself away from this book until the very last page and I DID NOT see the ending coming. Although after thinking about it the signs were there but blended into the story so well I did not see them until the end. Looking forward to the next Hank Phillippi Ryan book!

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I really love Hank Phillippi Ryan’s books. They are SO good and just keep me entertained.

The Murder List took me a bit of time to get sucked into- I’ll be honest, it took me awhile to warm up to Jack.

What I liked:

The cover!!!! I really liked how it looked!

When things start clicking in place. For a lot of the book- you are dealing with people who will basically stop at nothing to get what they want- a guilty verdict is what Martha wants, an innocent verdict is what Jack wants and Rachel= well…. she wants the system to work, imo. Cat and mouse games are a-foot!

The ending. Yes!!!!!!!



Bottom Line: Just read it and thank me later.

This book centers around Rachel North, a law school student married to Jack, a defense attorney. Rachel takes an "internship" in the District Attorney's office. Rachel had been a juror on a case that both Jack and the DA were involved in. During the time when she was a juror, she was a staffer working for the Senate President. While an intern, the case of a Senate President staffer who was murdered, is reopened by the DA and Rachel has to assist.

The story is told via alternating voices - Jack, Rachel and Martha, the DA. I try not to figure out mysteries and just immerse myself in the story so I did not try to figure out who the culprit is.

I've really enjoyed reading Hank's book - I discovered her recently - and this one did not disappoint.

I love Hank, but the premise and the characters were a bit dramatic for me. I may pick it back up in the future.

The Murder List was a did not finish for me. No connection with the characters. Thank you for the opportunity.

I really had some problems with this one, not least of which is that the reveal of an unreliable narrator is supposed to feel like a good trick, not a dirty one.

I won't say which narrator it is because spoilers but in addition to my dislike of that particular trope, I felt like there were way too many narrators, and the multilevel timeline was so convoluted and unbalanced it was hard to remember what was the present and what was the past.

All in all, it was a solid thriller with a big twist so if you like that genre I recommend you give this book a try, but it definitely didn't work for me.

CW for mental health depiction stuff that I'm kind of iffy on.

A fast paced page turner. The author kept you guessing from beginning to end. A great book that I purchased as a gift after receiving a copy from NetGalley because I wanted to share such a great story!

The cover of this book automatically drew me in. I love a good murder mystery. And this one unexpectedly was overwhelmingly more of a courtroom drama.

I enjoyed the plot of this book. A married couple, one a defense attorney and one a law student working for a prominent district attorney are on opposite ends of the fence during a high stakes murder investigation. It was interesting to see the investigation from both sides of the fence as most books primarily are written from one perspective or another.

I struggled a bit with the format of the book. While I generally enjoy books that alternate between past and present events, I felt like the way this book was written caused the story to be a bit disjointed. Until closer to the end I had a hard time seeing how the past and present timelines related and I felt like it was a bit confusing.

I also felt like the ending was a bit too abrupt. I would have appreciated a bit more closure.

Overall, this one was good but not great.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and Forge Books for the opportunity to review.-

DNF @35%

The premise of THE MURDER LIST was very intriguing - I wanted to know the interaction between Rachel and her husband plus some secrets. The mystery started well but soon somehow I lost interest in the characters as the plot seemed quite disjointed and slow. I understood the author's intention of showing several perspectives, but I thought that the story was all over the place and repetitive. While I enjoy when the story involves the lawyer politics and courtroom drama, in this book these elements weren't compelling for me. Although this title didn't work for me, the writing was easy and fluid.

*Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this title.*
This is a lawyer mystery with a good twist. I can't say much more without worrying I'll spoil things.

The Murder List was a suspenseful and novel! I enjoyed how the story was so twisted, which added to the mystery and suspense. Rachel is currently working on getting her law degree. She is married to Jack who is a defense attorney. Rachel's internship for the summer is to work in the district attorney's office. The characters have ties to a case from yeas ago. And they have ties to something else that happened years ago. Rachel is hoping to learn some valuable information while working in the DA's office that she can use in the future. But she isn't sure if she can trust those she works with or if they are keeping something from her. Who is being honest and who has secrets that they are hiding?

Rachel North worked for Senator Tom Rafferty and she wanted to be his top aide but a scandal and a murder ended their careers. Now, five years later, Rachel has changed her physical appearance, she's married defense attorney, Jack Kirkland, and is interning for prosecutor, Martha Gardiner. This is the summer of change for Rachel and Jack.
Most of the story is told from Rachel's viewpoint and it is easy to get caught up in her view. This mystery kept my interest so well that I could not stop thinking about it once I had finished and I had a tough time going to sleep that night!
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

I am going to start this review with my first thought, I didn't see that coming! This story took me totally by surprise and in a good way. This is a legal thriller/suspense with prosecutors and defense attorneys trying to out-think, out-maneuver and out-lie each other. Rachel North is a law student who is interning to the local prosecutor. She doesn't want work for her as she is her husband's nemesis, but realizes that she will learn secrets that she will be able to use down the road when she and her husband are partners. Her husband doesn't want Rachel working for her as he is sure she is using Rachel to keep him from taking cases she is prosecuting. What happens next seems to be predictable and there were some parts that were a bit slow to me.

The story alternates between past and present. Rachel is smart and driven. Her husband is a successful defense attorney, and they have plans for her to get a law degree so they can work together. Before getting married, Rachel worked for a senator. During her time there, a coworker was killed and the murderer was never found. Her husband defended the only suspect, the senator's wife and got the case thrown out. During her internship with the DA's office, that old murder case is revisited when new leads are found. Then, it picked up and everything I thought I knew was thrown out the window. An totally unexpected and surprising ending that pulls this book up from 3 stars to 4 stars.

This was my second book by author Hank Phillippi Ryan. The Murder List was released by Macmillan/Forge books on August 20th 2019. I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book follows Rachel North-a smart, hard working, beautiful woman married to her dream husband and about to launch her career as a super successful lawyer in Boston. All she has to do is hit it out of the park during her internship with the Boston DA. The only thing is--she's wrong. What happens to Rachel will put her entire future in jeopardy. Will she survive the twists?

Fans of John Grisham-esque legal thrillers will no doubt want to dive in to this book. This book is a little bit thriller, a little bit political, and everything in between. Be prepared for all of the courtoom drama Rachel brings. She can be a little childish and over dramatic, but it's not anything that stopped me from finishing the book. I can however, see where people who aren't 100% sold on these types of books would find it hard to get through.

For me it was a little slow to start. I'm also currently reading Thirteen, so it could have just been a combination of the two books that threw me off my game at times. This is a run of the mill "whodunnit," and I was here for all of it. The ending was my favorite part. I love a good crazy. Hot messes are always fun to watch when they don't involve you, right?

Worth a read if you're into these types of books. Huge thank you to Hank Phillippi Ryan for taking me on another wild ride.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

“The Murder List” by HPR is a new courtroom drama that keeps you on your toes until the very last page.

Law student Rachel North is a smart, hard worker, and always does the right thing. She is married to a successful lawyer devoted husband. And she just received the golden ticket to become an intern at Boston DA’s office. Everything seems perfect until everything goes wrong. The battle for justice soon becomes the battle for survival.

This story had several pieces including various characters POV, past and present timing, and different legal cases. While reading you’re not quite sure how it is going to line up and what the purpose of all the different story arcs until the very end. I found myself completely clueless who the villain is and even if there is one; Maybe every character is jaded and “dirty.” As the past meets the present secrets were revealed and it was shocking!

HPR does a great job interweaving the current timeline to the character’s past. There are times I was completely confused, but it all comes together in the end. I have to admit I was not a fan of any of the characters. I felt they were all sketchy and kind of out for themselves, but I do believe that is what made the read more interesting. I would probably think this book is more of a physiological drama than a thriller. I wanted to figure out the puzzle pieces and how they were all connected and it drove me a little insane until the very end. Also, that epilogue completely changes my thoughts on the main character!!! I would recommend this read to anyone that loves a good drama and “who-done-It” puzzle. 3.5 stars!

I am really impressed with the character profiles Hank Phillippi Ryan created in this novel. It became so much more than a simple legal thriller. The complexity of the main character made her if not likeable, at least fascinating. It's quite a skill to make me care about a character even when I find myself definitely not enamored by them. The story itself in The Murder List moves quickly, there are enough twists and turns to add some interest and as I said, the characters are clear voiced and layered. This is the first I've read from this author, but based on my enjoyment of The Murder List, it will not be the last.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

THE MURDER LIST by Hank Phillippi Ryan is a dark legal suspense centered around the
cut-throat politics in the law firm. Then, things may not be as they seem. There’s plenty of twists until the very end that will flabbergast.

Rachel has a new job as an intern with the DA’s office. This puts a huge strain on her marriage. Rachel is working for her husband’s nemesis. She is determined to make her marriage and her job work out.

As you are reading this story, you think it is about Rachel and her husband. And in a way, it is. But, not to the extent the reader thinks. I have to be careful what I say. I do not want to give anything away. All the way through this book I was giving it four stars. Then the huge twist came…sent it over the top!

Well! This book is not what you expect! You think it is…but then it’s not. I know I have already said it…I am trying to be careful with my words. Just understand this book is COMPLETELY TWISTED!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review

As always and excellent thriller from Hank Ryan. Exhilarating cat and mouse read that will leave you breathless at time and flipping pages throughout. Loved it!