Cover Image: The Murder Rule

The Murder Rule

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Member Reviews

Courtroom thrillers can be hit or miss for me, this one was definitely a hit! From the start, it engaged me. I read this one as an eARC, but I heard the audio is amazing also!

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I'm between a 3 and 3.5 for this. It was an interesting concept and gave me Legally Blonde vibes (but not in an Elle Wood manor). Just in the sense that you have a girl on a mission to prove something, who becomes a lawyer and sands infront of a courthouse full of people and shocks everyone. The narration was really good, but I did find the story overall predictable.

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An interesting, twisty read that I was completely engrossed in. I couldn't put it down and just wanted to keep reading. Highly recommend!!

*Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the copy in exchange for an honest review."

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I’m thankful that the publishers allowed me to read and review a copy of this book. The following is my review, as posted on Goodreads:
I was really intrigued at the beginning of this book. It drew me in and hooked me pretty quickly. I thought I had figured out the mystery and was liking where I thought the book was going. *Spoiler alert 🚨- I thought this was going to be about the mom being fooled by the identity of the father and going through so many years not knowing it and I was really into that. However, when it became about trying to get money and tricking the daughter, the story line fell flat and I was disappointed. Overall it was an interesting read, but I was hoping for a little more at the end.

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Hannah Rokeby is looking for a way to help her mother. She stumbles upon a Vanity Fair article about the innocence project at UVA.

She poses as a UVA law student to get an interview working as part of the project and dives in. She is trying to get Michael Dandridge to stay in jail which is not the goal of The Innocence Project. This is a dual plot book that has one plot line of the present with Hannah and her mission for her mother. The other plot line is her mother's diary.

This is a fast paced read that was well done. Some parts may have been a little too perfect and unbelievable. If you don't care about fiction being exactly realistic, it is a great read.

I look forward to future books from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC

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Wow, this one gave me chills. The Murder Rule is an emotional, twisty tale that I could not wait to talk about with my friends. Just when you think you have something figured out, you get surprised in this wholly original book.

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This was twisty and fun to read. A quick one which I truly could not put down, needing to know how it ended. I really enjoyed this author and look forward to more from her.

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University of Maine law student Hannah Rokeby unrealistically lies her way into serving on the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia. The Innocence Project is trying to free Michael Dandridge from prison for wrongful conviction in a rape and murder case. Hannah embeds herself in the project to try to do the opposite to avenge harm done to her mother Laura, who has descended into alcoholism. The novel alternates between the present day and Laura’s diary from 1994. There are twists and incidents of intimidation and violence. Hannah is an unlikeable, manipulative character who cheats and lies to get what she wants. There is some suspense, but most of the action is not believable.

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What a great book! I love everything by this author and this book was no different! I couldn't put this down and was up all night waiting to see how it ended!

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This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

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In <i>The Murder Rule</i> Hannah, our main protagonist, cons her way into The University of Virginia’s law school AND onto The Innocence Project’s clinic team. The team is working on the death row case of Michael Dantridge, who was accused of raping and murdering a woman in the late 1990’s.

This novel is told in dual timelines, from Hannah’s perspective while working on the appeal, and from her mother, Laura’s diaries from the 1990’s.

I found this story to be interesting and there are a few plot twists that I definitely didn’t see coming. Quite a gripping novel.

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This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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The Murder Rule is an addictive, twisty thriller sure to hook readers from start to finish. The characters are well-developed. The tension was taut throughout. The story is unpredictable and filled with twists. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys fast-paced legal thrillers. Be sure to check out The Murder Rule today. Highly recommended!

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I wanted more from this book. The plot didn’t hit with me. It hurt me to give 2 stars. I expected more with a cover and synopsis that wowed me.

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The Murder Rule by Dervla McTieirnan has an interesting premise, but the author failed to deliver. There's a great idea in there somewhere, but the book lacked something to keep me reading and to keep me interested. Not what I expected from this at all.

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This was an overall enjoyable read. It had a little bit of suspense but it was nice following the behind-the-scenes of a group working to free someone wrongfully (or is he) imprisoned, which is something that happens a lot in America. The characters were interesting and I liked the dual timeline. I think that added to the story and made you try to figure out what happened. A nice little twist here and there to make things really interesting too. I'll definitely be looking into future books by this author.

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Hannah lives with her mother and attends college. Hannah comes across an article about a lawyer heading the Innocent Project in Virginia, who is trying to get Michael Dandridge out of prison. Hannah knows she has to get on this case no matter what it takes. Hannah reaches out to the professor Rob and works her way onto the team in Virginia. Once in Virginia all Hannah has to do is convince the team that she is a transfer student from Maine who wants to help, so she can get on Michael’s case. What everyone doesn’t know is that Hannah has her own agenda and her connection to Michael goes far beyond this case, and she has to do all she can to keep him from being freed.
This book was ok, trying to figure out Hannahs connection to Michael was interesting, but there were many parts that were just unrealistic.. Hannah was given a lot of leeway in court that would never happen with a college student in a real trial. I love a good suspenseful read, but not doing research on how the court system works, is a bit irritating. I really wish authors would do their research when writing on topic. Otherwise it was a pretty good read.
Thank you Scene of the Crime and William Morrow Books for this ARC

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The Murder Rule is the story of a young woman looking for justice. Some of her methods are unorthodox. I enjoy legal thrillers and while this had a lot of legal aspects, it was not the focus of the book. I enjoyed the mix of legal thriller and thriller.

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Normally, I don’t tend to go for legal thrillers. The whole courtroom scenes and gathering evidence is not my thing, but I could not put this one down. I finished it in a day and have already told multiple people that they need to pick it up.

I did see some of the twists and turns coming, but overall, it kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the multiple POVs as well as the diary entries from Hannah’s mother. I will definitely be picking up more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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I don't know what happened and why I didn't write a review for this one sooner, because I know I loved it! I read it all the way back in April and just completely spaced on posting a review. In my defense, I was packing to move at the time, and I think it just got lost in the shuffle.

This was such a well-written legal thriller, with enough psychological aspects to really hold my interest. The pacing was spot-on, and I loved uncovering the truth with Hannah.

The whole Innocence Project case was so interesting to me. While it was a little far-fetched that a team newbie would be given so much responsibility so early on, the story was a fun ride with such a satisfying ending! I will certainly be watching out for more from Dervla McTiernan in the future.

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