Hannah is a law student, raised by single mom Laura. Laura has led a hard life of off and on alcohol binges. Hannah finds Laura's old diary from just before she became pregnant with Hannah.
The story is told in the then and now format. Then is in the form of Laura's diary and now is told from Hannah's viewpoint. Hannah has managed to transfer schools with the purpose of joining the Innocence Project. Her reasoning is not like all the other volunteers, however. The others want to free Michael, as they believe in his innocence. Hannah wants to keep him in prison.

I liked the format and the characters. Maybe a little dramatic at times but all in all a good book.

This is my first book by Dervla McTiernan. I would absolutely read more books by this author.

Thanks to Scene of the Crime, William Morrow for the arc via netgalley.

**This stand-alone is not your typical McTiernan!

Having spent her life taking care of her alcoholic mother, Hannah Rokeby, discovers her mother's old diary and finds out that a man named Michael Dandridge is the source of her mother's issues. Hannah decides to take matters into her own hands when she discovers that Dandridge, a convicted felon, is being represented by the Innocence Project and might end up a free man. As a law student, Hannah transfers colleges for the sole purpose of joining the Innocence Project, but what the team doesn't know is that Hannah is only there to sabotage them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Willliam Morrow & Co and the author for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of this book. The book will publish May 10, 2022.
Hannah leaves Maine and her mom, Laura, behind to join the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia Law School for very personal reasons. A group of lawyers are working to set Michael Dandridge free after he was convicted of the brutal rape and murder of a young mother.
Hannah first read about Michael’s case in Vanity Fair and then she stumbled across her mom’s diary in which Laura details meeting Mike and his ultra-wealthy friend, Tom. In Laura’s diary, she details why she’s been running from Mike since that summer they met.
Starting off in alternating timelines with Laura’s diary entries (from 1994) interspersed with Hannah joining the Innocence Project and getting assigned to this particular case. As she maneuvers through the investigation, Hannah finds it increasingly more difficult to keep her story straight. I doubt she would be assigned to a high-profile case like that within mere days of joining the team but it makes for a good storyline.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it’s her first stand-alone thriller (she is the author of the Cormac Reilly Series). This book is based on the true story of a young law student who uncovered evidence at the Innocence Project exonerating a man who had been in prison for 26 years.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. A mother hoped to keep her secret from her daughter for as long as she can. Her daughter has other ideas. This book captured my attention from the start.

I really enjoyed this engaging thriller. The psychological element was the most interesting part, especially the narrator/main character who is very sympathetic but her outlook/POV is unreliable. I particularly enjoyed seeing The Innocent Project (which I admire very much) seen through her eyes as a bunch of misguided, gullible do-gooders... but events begin to change her mind. I love stories where relatable characters act as imposters or ruthlessly manipúlate others to gain their own ends. In this story, the MC is out to avenge her mom, who was driven to alcoholism by the abuse of a man long ago. I saw “the twist” coming, but I still loved it. The final courtroom part is pure My Cousin Vinny, and that is a compliment!

My only criticism: it’s hard to put my finger on why, but the USA portrayed in this novel did not seem real to me. It was like the Hollywood version. It felt like: okay, in the South they drink sweet tea, and that was the end of the worldbuilding. Part of it was the portrayal of the Innocent Project. They are getting the convictions of innocent people reversed and no one ever talks about racism? All the characters appear to be white except for one Latina law student. That seemed so unrealistic to me. I saw that the Irish author lives in Australia, so maybe that’s the reason. Anyway this book was great so this is a pretty minor quibble.

I gratefully received an advance readers copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a book I couldn't put down! Hannah's diary of the past events and Hannah's mother's record of the past events were both used to tell the story. Laura's anguish was palpable, as was Hannah's desire to see her get justice. I like Hannah's determination and how she formed unexpected friendships along the road. This was a one-of-a-kind thriller with a surprising conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley for a free review copy!

It all started with a diary which led to Hannah studying law. Hannah transferred from Maine to Charlottesville after reading about the Innocence Project in the Vanity Fair magazine. The Project is run by Professor Rob Parekh. His team of law students at the University of Virginia volunteer to free convicted prisoners whom they believe are innocent. Michael Dandridge is in prison and believes he has been wrongly accused of a murder he didn’t commit. For the last eleven years Michael has been in prison for the murder of Sarah Fitzhugh. His conviction has been vacated by the federal courts. The state prosecutor is planning on trying the case again. Robert Parekh wants to save the wrongly convicted prisoner.

I found this investigative tactic quite intriguing. It was a unique approach. An approach that has not been written about before.

The Murder Rule explored Laura’s journal entries. Hannah used these journal entries as a tool to begin as investigation about Michael Dandridge.
This is a character driven story. There are many players to consider.

This is my first read by Dervla McTiernan. This is her first standalone thriller. I liked the concept. However, the execution got bogged down with busy activity. Hannah was focused on proving Michaels guilt while the rest of the team was working to prove his innocence. The Project was a brilliant format to help Hannah begin her investigation. I enjoyed this investigative approach. This unique and original idea was what drew me to the story. The writing was simple and easy to read. Although, I wasn’t hooked in all areas of the process.

Wow!!! Loved, loved, loved this book. Hannah, a third year law student is joining the innocence project yet for very personal reasons. This story had me guessing from the beginning to the end. I really thought I had it figured out and then a huge twist at the end. Read this! You won’t regret it.

Most people volunteer for places like the Innocence Project because they believe incarcerated people have been wrongly convicted. This is not Hannah’s reason, however, as her POV along with her mother Laura's in the past will tell a different tale. Hannah's objective is simply to make sure that the ‘innocent’ man that the team is defending stays right where he has spent the last 11 years, in jail.

How Hannah a recent transfer student to the UVA manages to get on the team overseeing this man's defense is quite a story (she is very sharp and honestly, pretty conniving). Alternate chapters from Laura's diary give us background information on why Hannah will go so far to undermine this team. Plenty of twists and turns had me believing one thing before the author exposed the truth(and it turned everything upside down).

The beginning and the end had me furiously flipping pages and even though I thought the middle dragged a bit, overall, it was an interesting look at justice, corruption, and the selfish motives that can consume anyone. I was not expecting how it ended and wow, did one of these characters do a number on another one (maybe even more than one). No spoilers but there was more than one tragedy here. My first read by this author and I would read more of her work.

This book had all the elements I love: corruption, scandal, legal thriller and an old (not so mysterious) diary. I flew through it trying to understand how the old diary fit into the current day storyline of Hannah working on the Innocence Project and was not disappointed. The twist was unexpected so that was fun plus the characters were developed really well, to the point that I was rooting for Hannah to do her thing and finish what she started. This was my first book by McTiernan but I will definitely be checking out her backlist! Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this one!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review!

I recently came across Dervla McTeirnan’s Cormac Reilly series and loved all those books. I was thrilled to get my hands on an ARC of her latest book.

Like McTiernan’s earlier books, “The Murder Rule” is a tense finely paced crime procedural. The story follows Hannah Rokeby as she joins the Innocence Project to help exonerate wrongly convicted prisoners. But Hannah has secrets and ulterior motives that’s she’s trying to hide from her idealistic colleagues.

As she gets deeper into an investigation for a case. she encounters entrenched corruption that may have sent an innocent man to prison. But the source of the lies and corruption is not what Hannah expects to find.

This is a page-turner that examines the reasons people make choices, for good or bad. And when other people’s choices come back to haunt Hannah, she has to decide who she can forgive and who she can save.

Thank you William Morris and NetGalley for this advanced reader e-book. Hannah is a law student whose mother tells her she was abused and rapes by a man who is in prison for another crime. When they learn that he may be released based on his innocence of that crime, Hannah finds a way to get involved with the Innocence Project. Her plan is to sabotage their case showing he is innocent where she discovers some revelations about her mother’s past. The character development is very good but the book is predictable. It took me some time to get into it but once I did, it was a fast, easy, good read.

The plot was gripping and it has such an easy flow. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who would like to have an easy read.

Will review in the future, was offered as a free book with no review needed. However, as soon as I read this I will review. Thanks for offering free reads for Scene of the Crime.

You had me at “elaborate revenge plot”. THE MURDER RULE follows Hannah Rokeby and her attempt to keep Michael Dandridge on death row for his murder conviction. As an ambitious law student Hannah connives her way into the The Innocence Project at The University of Virginia to ensure Michael is never released.

I’m fascinated by the criminal legal system so I found the angle of The Innocence Project really engaging. I also enjoyed the revenge plot in the campus setting and the family dynamics that unfold as the story progresses. I would consider this story to be a slow burn suspense with the action really picking up in the last 15% of the story.

I flew through this book with a combination of print and audio. The audiobook was narrated by three separate people which truly brought the story to life and differentiated the characters well.

Dervla McTiernan is a best-selling Australian author for her Cormac Reilly crime series. The Murder Rule is her first standalone novel and I’m excited to be introduced to an author with an extensive backlist.

RATING: 4/5
PUBLICATION DATE: May 10, 2022

Many thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review. Review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook/readsbooks in advance of pub date

Hannah is a law student who will do anything to succeed. She has been raised by a single mother, Laura, who is extremely volatile alcoholic. When she finds that the man who she believes hurt her mother may go free, she can’t let that happen.

I couldn’t put this book down! It was told in dual viewpoints by both Hannah and her mother’s diary of the past events. The reader could really feel Laura’s pain and Hannah’s desire to seek justice for her. I loved how driven Hannah was and how she made unexpected friendships along the way. This was truly a unique thriller with a shocking ending.

Thank you to Netgalley, William Morrow books and Dervla McTiernan for the ARC.

“The Murder Rule” is out May 10th! This review will be shared to my Instagram blog books_by_the_bottle shortly ☺️

The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan is a twisty legal tale. Centered at the Innocence Project, a new student joins the group as an appeal for a convicted murderer comes to a head. Is she there to save him or is there another plan?

What a ride! While there were moments where I felt the story dragged a bit, I did not see the twist coming. Once I got to the end, I understood the necessity of the earlier over-details.

This book was engaging right from the start. I loved the dual timelines and enjoyed the journal entries that were used to accomplish this. I also loved the inside look into the legal system - a completely new word for me. I loved reading this book and will definitely recommend it to others!

This book gripped me from the beginning. I loved the dual timelines and thought that journal entries were a great way to accomplish this. The book was engaging and suspenseful from beginning to end. I also loved the look into the legal process - a completely new world to me. I will definitely recommend this book!