Hank Phillippi Ryan does it again. She is a master at hooking the reader and then making him a part of the mystery because he can't figure out who to trust, who isn't revealing the truth, who is really a villain. None of her characters in The Murder List seem to be wholly likable, so who to believe? And when you think you've figured it out--you haven't. Twists, turns, surprises, intrigue--Ryan takes the reader on an incredible ride.

5 plus stars!! This author is quickly becoming a favorite of mine! She’s got that way of writing that really gets into your mind and messes with, the way good psychological thrillers should! This one was very intense, shocking, twisted, and of course UNPUTDOWNABLE! A must read for Ryan fans, and for those who love a good thriller!
Will be ranting and raving everywhere about this one!

Excellent book! I will keep this on the read again list. I didn't see it coming until very near the end.

Thanks to netgalley for ARC.

This is my favorite of all Hank’s books. I started with her Jane Ryland series and then went back to read the Charlotte McNally series which I liked even more. This book is more than a mystery/thriller. It keeps you guessing and turning the pages because you cannot figure out what is going to happen next.
I happen to love any book about the legal profession and this plot brings in everything from serving on a jury, to how the court assigns pro bono lawyers, to the life of an overly ambitious law student who puts her marriage in jeopardy with a summer internship with her husband’s archrival, a cutthroat prosecutor!

The book heightened my distrust of defense lawyers and prosecutors for their devious and unethical ploys but I loved every minute of this twisty plot with so many suspects. Rachel was complex character who was hard to read. At first, she is a flighty and immature assistant to a powerful senator who had to take time off to be on a jury serving as foreperson, then as the ambitious wife of a highly successful defense attorney, and finally as the older law student who chooses a crazy internship over the objections of her husband.

In her previous books, Hank has her characters carry on long dialogues in their heads and at times, this is tedious. Not so with this cast of characters! Hank limits the inner dialogue mostly to Rachel, which is more effective than having all the characters talk to themselves.

I found it a bit of a stretch that it was legal for her to work on a cold case of which she had personal knowledge but it did add to the unpredictability of this mystery. Legal thrillers are best when one cannot guess what is going to happen next. Hank shows she is a master of this!

***I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my own review, which is as unbiased as I can make it! Many thanks to the publisher and author for this opportunity.

A delightfully twisted and complicated plot with an ending that leaves you speechless.

SUMMARY
Rachel Kirkland is a 36 year old Harvard law student and she will tell you she’s smart, she’s a hard worker and she always does the right thing. She is married to Jack Kirkland, the best defense lawyer in Boston, and when she finishes law school the two of them will practice together handling murder cases. Rachel and Jack met six years ago when Rachel was serving on a jury for one of Jack’s cases. That was back then she was working as the Chief of Staff for a high ranking Massachusetts State Senator. Unfortunately, the senator had to resign his office when his wife was accused of murdering one of the senator’s aides in a fit of jealousy.

Rachel is now interning with the Boston District Attorney’s Office working with Martha Gardiner, Jack’s biggest adversary. Jack doesn’t want her working there, he says Martha is a predator, she maligns, twists and corrupts the law. Rachel naively hopes to find the inside scoop on how Martha procecutes cases. With the DA experience Rachel thinks she and Jack might just be unstoppable. While at the DA’s office, Martha has Rachel helping her to solve a familiar cold case, which turns into a game of cat and mouse with the DA.


REVIEW
THE MURDER LIST has a delightfully complicated plot with tons of characters. Both the story and the characters were a little unsettling. Who can you trust? What can you believe? Martha is like a snake and you never know when she is going to strike. Jack’s also been known to cut a few corners. Jack and Martha are both slinging truckloads of mud at each other and Rachel may just be in caught in the middle. Even she doesn’t know who to trust. I never knew what to think about her. She was strong but capitulates, confident yet insecure, smart but not.

Author Hank Phillippi Ryan has woven a twisted tale of past and present events that will have your head spinning. Her writing is smart. Her characters are intriguing. And the ending will leave you speechless. Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Macmillan
Published August 20, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Clever story, but I just wasn’t vested in any of the characters. Too many Aha details were kept until the very end without and sort of foreshadowing or lead up. Felt like a ploy.

Courtroom drama, murder mystery, and a peek into the lives and relationships of a prosecutor, defense attorney and law student are all part of this riveting suspense novel. This was an intriguing book for so many reasons. I loved the back and forth of the courtroom, and the way both sides of a murder case manipulate the facts, the witnesses, and the jury. The murder mystery had a cat and mouse feel, and I was never sure who was the cat, and who was the mouse! The twists in the story kept me riveted, turning pages until I reached the sinister, surprising end. The relationships between the characters were equally fascinating, as the lives of the characters became entwined in their quest for truth, justice, and victory.

This book held my attention right until the end! Hank has it all... love, hate, jealousy, deception and even murder. And a surprise at the end!

I enjoyed the move back and forth between the past and the present in the story. It kept the book interesting and give the reader a change of pace.

Rachel, the wife of a well-known attorney is studying law. She wants to form a partnership with her husband and work together defending those on “the murder list.” She is close to completing her degree and she must do an internship in a lawyer’s office. And of all the law offices she could have been placed in, she ends up in the DA office of Middlesex County. The DA is the main rival of her husband in the courtroom! Her husband is angry about it but Rachel is overjoyed. Now, she can see firsthand how the DA does things and plan their strategy. What a perfect way to begin her new career or is it?

As the DA office begins to work on a murder case Rachel is chosen to work closely on the investigation. She is thrilled to be the personal assistant to the District Attorney. What a perfect way to see how the DA works and gather information for her and her husband ‘s future law practice together.

As the investigation is ongoing new evidence is uncovered. The statements taken from the victim’s coworkers reveal different opinions and it becomes obvious that things are not as they seem.

As The DA gets closer to finding the murderer, Rachel thinks she has found the weak spot of the DA. Or has she?

Omg omg this was beyond exciting with a complicated and a complex plot line making it a fun legal thriller with a theme of a cat and mouse game.

The story went this. Rachel was married to lawyer Jack Kirkland where in the past she had been a juror in one of his cases. She was now interning at her husband's arch rival Martha Gardner's office. Martha and Jack hate each other and Rachel was caught right in the middle. There was a reason behind the way their lives intersected.

My first book by Hank Phillippi Ryan, it saw me grappling and trying to outrun the story. Story was told in different POV with different timelines, it showed me how far the characters would go to achieve their goals on their career and how they manipulated ye system

I loved the way the author showed the various by-plays and manipulations. The title was eye-catching where I realized later that it was a list if lawyers willing to defend people accused of murder. That made my intrigue rise higher.

The author's writing had me involved in the story line with the layered characters in a structured setting where the ways were manipulated completely to achieve a win. You've got to read to understand the thrill. A fantastic read, made my evening all the more thrilling.

In this intriguing psychological thriller, law student Rachel North interns with Boston's ADA. This involves her in a cold case of the murder of an ex-colleague when she was a Senator's aide.

I love Hank Phillippi Ryan's books and was excited to get this ARC of her latest novel. This book is told by weaving the past and the present throughout. In this way the characters are developed and you learn about who they are and how they all intertwine. The book keeps you on your feet as more details are revealed through past and present murder cases. As with all of Hank Phillippe Ryan's books, the twists and turns keep coming. Everyone has a motive, everyone appears to be hiding things. So you think you have it figured out? Guess again!! The ending was the biggest twist and I never saw it coming. WOW!!! Kudos to Ms. Ryan for another outstanding, captivating book that had your mind reeling until the last page.

The Murder List written by Hank Phillippi Ryan is my first book that I have read by this author and it definitely will not be the last. This book was a fast paced keep you on the edge of your seat page turner. This book pulled me right in and did not let go until the last page was turned. The Murder List is one of those book that keep you engaged the whole time. There is danger, betrayal and there are many twists and turns that kept me turning the pages well into the night. The ending was a total surprise but I guess if I had paid more attention I would have seen it coming. I highly recommend this very well written suspenseful mystery.

3.5*
Lately, legal thrillers and courtroom dramas are becoming a new favorite (sub) genre for me.
After a very slow start, I naturally assumed this would be a struggle to finish. But to my delighted surprise it took a complete 180 degree turn about midway. I could almost hear the “click” as everything fell in place...and I was all in!

Rachel is thankfully nearing the end of law school. A summer internship with the dreaded Martha Gardiner of the DA’s office. And once she passes the bar, it’s straight into a partnership with her husband Jack at his criminal defense law firm. Now…If she can just get through this summer and manage to keep her marriage intact. It’s common knowledge throughout the office that her husband and new boss have a deep seeded hatred for each other.

Told in two timelines.

Who can you trust to see that justice gets served? The prosecutor? The defense attorney? Maybe the jury? What if each has their own secrets and quite possibly their own personal agendas?

Hank Phillippi Ryan writes a gripping and suspenseful legal thriller that, while I enjoyed it, took a bit too long to get off the ground. Though she did manage to surprise me with some unpredictable, clever twists!

Thank you to NetGalley Macmillan Tor/Forge Publishing and Hank Phillippi Ryan for an ARC to read and review.

The murder list is a list of attorneys who are eligible to defend murder cases.

Rachel North is a law student, married to a defense attorney on the murder list. Rachel has been selected to join a prosecutor's office for 3 months as part of her internship. Unfortunately, the prosecutor is a woman who has had a running grudge against North's husband.

Why would Rachel agree to this internship out of all the choices she could have made? And why would this prosecutor choose Rachel knowing who she's married to?

That is the heart of this very cleverly written crime drama. The book alternates with a telling of how Rachel was involved with a murder case before she married her husband and with her time serving on a jury for a different murder ... one her husband defended unsuccessfully.

Twists and turns, along with masterfully drawn characters, kept me glued to the pages until the final unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / McMillan-Tor-Forge/Netgalley for the digital copy of this excellent crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Awesome! This, as in others I have read from this author, did not disappoint. Hank Philippi Ryan will draw you in and keep you guessing til the end. You might think you have it figured out, then you turn the page! Excellent read. I’m looking forward to the next.

Wow, this book is so intense! Rachel is 36 about to graduate Harvard Law School. She starts an intership at Middlesex District Attorney's office. Is this a dream of a lifetime? NOT! Lots of twists and turns this story is filled with interesting complex characters. This book will keep you turning the pages and keep you guessing until the very end! I recieved this from Hank Phillipi Ryan email through Netgalley. Thank you Hank Phillipi Ryan! Loved loved loved this book!

OMG! What a great suspense\thriller! Ms. Ryan puts a spin on a plot like no other author I've read. She will keep you up all night and on the edge of your seat while you are trying to figure out what is going to happen next. There are areas where the prose becomes a bit confusing but as you continue it becomes more clear. The characters in the book are phenomenal, well developed and interesting. Be prepared to be riveted to your seat!!! Enjoy! 📚

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hank Phillippi Ryan has followed up her Trust Me book with another great stand alone mystery. The Murder List is a complex legal thriller with a protagonist and an antagonist. One is her husband, the other is her boss and Rachel finds herself walking a fine line between them both. Who should she believe? Can she trust either of them? This is an excellent book with a twisted, unexpected ending. I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book and thank Netgalley and the publisher, Forge Books for the opportunity.

This is what I said about the sneak peek of The Murder List: “No surprise, but it looks like author Hank Phillippi Ryan has done it again. If this sneak peek of The Murder List is any indication, you will be flipping pages as fast as you can when the book is released. I thoroughly enjoy Ryan’s Charlotte McNally and Jane Ryland series, but with her standalones Trust Me and now The Murder List she has ramped things up a notch and joined my favorite authors like Lisa Scottoline, Karin Slaughter and Sarah Pinborough for heart-stopping suspense, well developed characters and a strong plot. Even in this sneak peek I have a sense of dread and uncertainty from the very start. What exactly happened in Rachel’s past? She seems smart and capable but there’s something I can’t put my finger on, and she seems to defer to, or sidestep or almost be intimidated by her husband Jack. I don’t really like him and I’m not sure I trust him to have Rachel’s best interests at heart. And her new boss? What a cast of characters. Can’t wait for the release of the full book. I know I’m going to read it in one sitting and love it.”

Well, the full book was just as thrilling as that glimpse promised it would be. I had that feeling of unease throughout. I wasn’t sure who to trust or who to be loyal to. At the beginning I didn’t like Jack at all, and Martha really did seem like the Devil. But turns out there are no real heroes here. Not even Rachel. They all have so much history – with each other, with other cases, with other situations, with other people – that the story keeps magnificently twisting and turning and I was always off balance. My allegiance to, and fear of, these characters kept changing. I didn’t know who I could believe. No one was all bad, but no one was all good either. Did past events justify their present behavior? What was their real motivation for their actions?

The Murder List is one heck of a story. In-depth character studies and detail about events both past and present mixed with courtroom drama and in-the-field excitement. The secondary characters are as baffling as Jack, Rachel and Martha: Tom, Logan, Nina, Dani. So credible and sincere on the one hand, but then . . . something just doesn’t add up. This was a great mystery laced with manipulation, politics, murder, obsession and suspense, one that keep me turning pages as fast as I could, guessing and then guessing again, as layer after layer was uncovered.

Author Hank Phillippi Ryan has done it again – written a thrilling story that weaves around and around, pulling all the threads together to provide a very satisfying conclusion. Thanks to Forge Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy for my honest review. I loved The Murder List as much as I thought I would, and I heartily recommend it.

Wow what a book. This book was an exhilarating ride! It was very good and gave great insight into homicide cases and law cases. Very interesting xx