After absolutely loving Dervla’s Cormac Riley series this novel was one of my anticipated reads for 2022 and I certainly didn’t let me down.

As a stand-alone novel, Dervla has created a gripping mystery with a wonderful cast of characters. The main character Hannah Rokeby is a law student who has taken an interest in a case at the University of Virginia’s Innocent Project.

She’ll stop at nothing to get involved, but her agenda was a little different to those already on the case.

An absolute page turner, with twists you won’t see coming, you will be glued to your seat especially as it all comes to its unexpected conclusion.

Twisty, compelling and suspenseful to the last page, The Murder Rule is a gripping read that kept me guessing. The characters are beautifully developed and while I knew there was a fair bit of manipulation and misdirection, I couldn’t help but like heroine Hannah Rokeby. While the characters are fabulous, it is the plot that really makes this a stand-out novel. I never saw the ending coming until it hit me in the face. This story is just fantastic. Thank you @HarlequinAus.

EXCERPT: He knelt beside me, quite casually, and then he reached out his hands, put them around my neck, and started to choke me. I lashed out, tried to scratch him, gouge his eyes. He let go of my neck and I gasped for breath, but then he pulled me down until I was lying flat, straddled my body and knelt on my arms so I couldn't move them, couldn't fight him. He started to strangle me again. He was so much stronger than me. There was absolutely nothing I could do to stop him.

He strangled me until I lost consciousness. When I woke up he was sitting beside me, looking down at me. 'I could kill you,' he said. 'Quite easily. I could take your body out to sea and dump you and no one would ever find you. But then, there might be questions, I suppose. Two deaths in such a short period of time, even if one of them is just little old you, might be problematic, even for the cops. So maybe I won't. I haven't decided.'

ABOUT 'THE MURDER RULE': First Rule: Make them like you.

Second Rule: Make them need you.

Third Rule: Make them pay.

They think I’m a young, idealistic law student, that I’m passionate about reforming a corrupt and brutal system.

They think I’m working hard to impress them.

They think I’m here to save an innocent man on death row.

They're wrong. I’m going to bury him.

MY THOUGHTS: Although this is totally different from McTiernan's previous work, it's no less gripping, no less enthralling.

The story alternates between Hannah in the present (2019), and her mother Laura's diary entries from 1994, Laura's perfect summer. The year she fell in love. The year she found she was pregnant. The perfect summer, until . . .

The build up is slow but intense as Hannah manipulates and inveigles her way into the Innocence Project. And I mean manipulates! She will stop at nothing to get where she wants to be. NOTHING! I was torn over this character. She's a complicated individual. I didn't like what she did, and couldn't condone her actions, but I understood why. Or I thought I did.

Laura is an alcoholic, sly, deceitful and manipulative. You can see where Hannah learned from. Her diaries are very detailed and are a cry out for justice to be done.

But there's something rotten in the state of Denmark, as they say. Lies, secrets, corruption and intimidation, not stopping short of violence, all rear their ugly heads. Hannah may have set out to seek revenge for what was done to her mother, but I bet she never thought she'd be putting her own life on the line in doing so.

The Murder Rule is a book that has everything from psychological manipulation to a thrilling car chase. From its slow start it morphs into a breathtaking tale of danger and action.

Tense, unsettling, clever and compelling.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

#TheMurderRule #NetGalley

I: @dervlamctiernan @harpercollinsaustralia

T: @DervlaMcTiernan @HarperCollinsAU

#contemporaryfiction #crime #legalthriller #murdermystery #mystery #psychologicaldrama #suspense #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Dervla spent twelve years working as a lawyer. Following the global financial crisis, she moved from Ireland to Australia and turned her hand to writing. Dervla is a member of the Sisters in Crime and Crime Writers Association, and lives in Perth, Australia, with her husband and two children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins Australia via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Good but not great. Having read Dervla McTiernan’s previous Cormac Reilly series and loved them, I had high expectations and was looking forward to getting into the Murder Rule. It has McTiernan’s usual cracking pace and it is an engaging, easy read. It felt Grishamesque and I could picture the courtroom drama movie unfold. However, there were a number of big leaps in the plot and it didn’t come together convincingly for me, with a some major aspects left unexplained. The murder rule itself is an interesting legal concept and the premise was promising but it didn’t feel fully developed. Still worth a read for McTiernan’s style and was a good holiday read.
Thanks to Harper Collins and Net Galley for the eARC. #TheMurderRule #NetGalley #HarperCollinsAustralia

The wonderful Dervla McTeirnan is back with her standalone novel The Murder Rule which is set in America, unlike her previous Cormac Reilly series that are all set in Ireland. The gritty tale of Michael Danbridge, a man on death row and the team trying to have his sentence overturned. Enter Hannah who seems to have a vested interest in keeping this man behind bars, which way will this story end, will it be a happy ending for Hannah or for Michael?
I absolutely devoured this book from cover to cover, I enjoyed the clever plotting which kept me constantly guessing and fabulous character development. The dual timelines kept things very interesting and made it extremely hard for me to take a stab at the outcome. A fast-paced roller coaster ride with plenty of twists and turns and a very unexpected outcome. A solid four star read and one any thriller lover will enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Australia for this early reading copy.

While “The Murder Rule” is something of a departure for McTiernan, it continues her tradition of strong crime novels that are hard to put down.

This is distinctively different from her previous novels: it’s set in the USA, rather than Ireland. It features completely new characters (not a continuing cast), none of those characters work for the police, and the primary character is female. The change in setting is significant; an important part of this novel rests on USA law.

However, it retains the best aspects of McTiernan’s work to date. The characters are strong and get you involved in the story. The plot is twisty and a challenge to work out. And it’s highly readable; indeed, I found it very hard to put down as the ending approached.

Hannah Rokeby is a law student seeking to work at the University of Virginia’s innocence project. It’s quickly clear to us that her agenda goes beyond helping innocent people who’ve been wrongly convicted, because Hannah goes to extraordinary lengths first to insert herself into the office, and then to manoeuvre herself onto a particular case.

It’s a case that much of the office is passionate about. Mike Dandridge has been convicted of rape and murder, but there are holes in the case. At the minimum, a guilty man was convicted on shoddy evidence and bad police work. At worst, an innocent man has been railroaded. As the novel progresses, we find things become even murkier. Is Mike innocent of this crime but guilty of another, equally heinous?

The novel alternates between Hannah’s perspective and the diary entries of a woman named Laura. It’s a while before the link between them becomes clear, and when it does, it adds additional layers of meaning to events.
This is a really solid novel which explores right and wrong with a fair degree of complexity. Hannah is a realistic character, complex herself, and capable of thinking in depth about conflicts between justice and the law. There’s a lot of depth to this novel, and it’s wrapped around a strong, delightfully twisty, crime plot.

Crime fans are going to love this, but it should also appeal to readers who want to think about social issues while reading. There’s considerable food for thought here about the failures and weaknesses of the American justice system – failures and weaknesses which are quite probably replicated in other countries.

I’ve enjoyed McTiernan’s three previous novels, and feel this one is a stand out. It’s strongly emotionally involving, the plot is complex, and the deadline of Dandridge’s last appeal adds impetus and force to the narrative.

Basically, this was a bit fabulous and I strongly recommend it.

I was so excited to be able to read Dervla's new book! I had high hopes for this one and was not disappointed. Totally reeled in from the very first page, I found it incredibly hard to put down.

The Murder Rule, told from two different timelines and perspectives, goes along at a really nice and consistent fast pace, and at around the 200 page mark it really ramped up! With new revelations and more intrigue, I needed to know what was going on and I didn't stop until the end!

If you're a Dervla McTiernan fan, or just a thriller lover, this one's for you.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins Publishers, and Dervla McTiernan for this ARC to read and review.

The Murder Rule is out now!

#netgalley # HarperCollins Australia # themurderrule publication date 04 May 2022 I love Dervla Mctierans three other books and this stand alone thriller doesn't disappoint, it is a murder mystery and has you captivated from start to finish. 4/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins Australia for the advanced e copy of this novel- published in Australia today! Hannah Rokeby is a law student who applies for a place on the Innocence Project, to work on the case of Michael Dandridge, who is on trial for murder and claims he is innocent. The story is told in timelines of the present and her mother Laura’s diary entries.
Hannah’s agenda becomes clear as the story weaves through lies, friendship, loyalty and the law. A compelling read!

Dervla McTiernan’s first three award winning novels about Irish police detective DS Cormac Reilly marked her out as a leading writer of international crime fiction who can be relied upon to produce a highly entertaining story.

Now with her fourth novel, The Murder Rule (Harper Collins, 4 May 2022), Dervla takes a break from Ireland and Cormac Reilly, and heads to America with a cleverly plotted, standalone thriller.

The Murder Rule follows law student Hannah Rokeby who inveigles her way onto the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia, a group dedicated to helping convicted criminals overturn their sentences. Most of the effort of the Innocence Project is currently directed towards the case of Michael Dandridge, who has been on death row for eleven years for the rape and murder of a young mother in Virginia. The head of the Innocence Project, Professor Robert Parekh, is convinced that Dandridge’s conviction is based on dodgy evidence and an illegally obtained forced confession. Parekh and the other members of the team also believe that Hannah is an idealist like them who wants to see Dandridge freed, but in fact Hannah is not there to save Dandridge, but to make sure that he never gets out.

It is an intriguing premise and Dervla quickly puts the basic strands of her story in place. As Hannah manoeuvres her way onto the Innocence Project, extracts from Laura’s diary (Hannah’s mother) from twenty five years before gradually explain why she is so determined to keep Dandridge in jail. The story quickly unfolds on two fronts, with Hannah helping to chase down leads that may prove Dandridge’s innocence, while simultaneously working to undermine the case. Meanwhile in the background, the diary extracts reveal another sad tale that still resonates twenty five years later.

The plot ticks over with clockwork precision and the story moves along at steady rate, with a quick pick up of pace in the final stanzas following a surprising act of violence. There are plenty of twists and turns and the book builds to a tense and satisfying conclusion.

The characters are nicely constructed, and although none are particularly pleasant, including Hannah, they are interesting and convincing. The background detail on court cases and the mechanics of an appeal, are smoothly woven into the story and help to ground the plot. Some of the final developments strain credibility, but not enough to detract from what is a highly absorbing read.

I miss Cormac and the atmospheric Irish settings, but The Murder Rule is a very enjoyable novel that will keep you happily turning the pages well into the night: A strong four stars out of five!

This was a thrilling read.
There's a great build-up as you learn part of the story through diary flashbacks, others through current time, which leaves you wanting to know more as you pick up pieces of the puzzle.
Dervla's writing style is easy to read. I could visualise so many of the scenes and certainly experienced the rush of suspense as often happens towards the end of a great story.
There were a couple of 'relationship' elements I would have like fleshed out a little more, eg between mother and daughter in the later parts of the book, but this is crime fiction after all, and enough of the story was told to give you the ending you were hoping for.
A satisfying 5 stars.

The Murder Rule is well written and compelling, gripping and brilliant, full of tension, twists and turns. It is definitely worth reading!

The story focuses on Hannah Rokeby, a third-year law student at University of Maine who’s personal circumstances see her transferring to the UVA (University of Virginia) Law program. She’s intent on gaining a volunteer position on The Innocence Project program there, in fact she’ll take whatever action she needs to get on the program and work on a specific appeal. Once on the appeal she attempts to damage the case from within - she doesn’t want to save this persons life, she wants to destroy it. She’s fighting to reveal the “truth” and to expose everything. But what is the truth? And who knows the truth? While she’s fighting to reveal the truth there’s others running away from the truth and some determined to keep the truth hidden...

Although The murder rule does not follow the career of Detective Cormac Reilly from her previous three novels, The ruin, The scholar and The good turn, fans of McTiernan's books will not be disappointed in this psychological thriller. Hannah Rokeby cons her way into the Innocence Project wanting to be on the case of Michael Dandridge, who had been convicted of rape and murder. He has declared that he is innocent, and members of the Innocence Project are trying to help overturn his case. But why is Hannah obsessed with this case and just what is she trying to do to Michael, prove his innocence or his guilt?

Told in alternative chapters, the story is told from Hannah’s point of view with extracts from her mother’s diary written when she was a young woman. Laura’s diary fills in the background to Hannah’s obsession with this case. Her mother is an alcoholic, and it is easy to sympathise with her and Hannah’s actions as more of the diary’s contents are revealed.

Hannah is a fascinating character. Her intelligence and ability to read people shines through, even as the reader is shocked at the way she is prepared to manipulate people to be able to work on Michael Dandridge’s case. When cracks start to appear in the evidence Hannah is left trying to puzzle out what is going on.

This started out slowly as the reader learns about the Innocence Project, the people who work there and the processes that the investigators go through to find the truth. As the story progresses the tension really builds up with unexpected twists and turns, new characters introduced and doubts about what is happening. The last section is thrilling and breath-taking and I could not put it down.

I picked this up because I had really enjoyed McTiernan’s previous books and believe that it would be enjoyed by fans of psychological mysteries like Wych elm by Tana French, Turn of the key by Ruth Ware and The Attack by Catherine Jinks.

Now I have to start by saying I really enjoy Dervla's Cormac Reilly series. I was expecting The Murder Rule to be along the same lines in terms of reader engagement. Unfortunately, I didn't find The Murder Rule as exciting as her other novels. Nonetheless, I enjoyed her ability to tie in mystery with the legal system. She is very good at adding twists and turns and drawing you into her characters' lives. I will stay tuned for her next book.

This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

I discovered Dervla McTiernan’s Cormac Reilly series last year and devoured them quickly. I jumped at the chance to read this stand alone book. It didn’t disappoint. A taut,legal thriller that alternates between the present and the past. I liked the use of the emails and diary entries to tell parts of the story. I loved getting to know Hannah and her mother and what secrets they both had and how they came it be. It was fun to try and figure out out what Hannah’s motives were and what she was trying to achieve. A compelling, fast paced read with a number of big twists I never saw coming.

After a bit of a slow start (admittedly, there’s blackmail), this quickly became a book that I didn’t want to put down. Right from the start we know Hannah is lying so that she can work at the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia. Her manipulations immediately cause trouble for the team & the case they are working on. I found Hannah to be an unlikeable character through the story, and this had me hooked - I had to know if she was going to win! Was she going to succeed in sinking this case so that the man she hates pays for what he did? This had me gripped right to the end - you do have to suspend belief in some places, but otherwise, this is a very bingeable read.

Irish crime writer Dervla McTiernan burst onto the scene with 2018's claustrophobic, clever The Ruin, and she has kept to an annual release schedule since. "The Murder Rule" is a diabolically clever combination of courtroom drama, procedural mystery, and revenge thriller, and it hangs on a humdinger of a hook: what if someone joins the Innocence Project, dedicated to freeing longstanding wrongly convicted murderers, with the aim of vengeance not freedom (I'm not offering a spoiler here, the novel's blurb says just that). Law student Hannah blackmails herself onto the University of Virginia's classic team of crusaders and the author gradually reveals the hidden story of her motives. McTiernan is superb at unraveling the plot, which explores two old crimes in forensic detail, and the evidence-gathering plotlines are plotted well. Hannah is an engaging protagonist and all the other characters mesh in well. Toward the end, courtroom scenes introduce an almost Perry-Mason-ish atmosphere, I suspect most readers will not be able to put the book down. My only final quibble was a denouement, after clever twists, that felt emotionally untrue, but I do very much recommend The Murder Rule.

The Murder Rule draws you in immediately. You know who will be doing it but you don’t know how or why – it’s an excellent start. Hannah, a law student is the main character and I’m not sure whether I like her or not at the start but by the end I was 100% on her team.

The story is told from Hannah’s perspective interspersed with diary excerpts from her mother which form the reason for Hannah being involved in trying to sabotage an effort to free an innocent man.

The characters are engaging and the story rattles along at good pace, twisting and turning everything on its head. It’s Hannah’s journey, finding out she has been manipulated and lied to while doing the same to everyone else.

Law students researching miscarriages of justice make a good vehicle for explaining the law without it turning into a lecture. It’s not all law, there are some amazing action scenes to keep you on the edge of your seat and Ms McTiernan keeps on upping the stakes at every opportunity.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it.

With thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsAustralia for the eARC of #TheMurderRule.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for an eARC for an honest review.

Law student Hannah Rokeby travels to Virginia to study for a semester at UVA where she gets a position with the Innocence Project. The team are working to retry the case of a convicted murderer (Michael Dandridge), whom we learn has a connection to Hannah's mother.

The story jumps between Hannah and her mother's (Laura's) journals from 1994, during the time she was working as a maid in a Seal Harbor Hotel, describing her summer love with a rich young man, which ends in tragedy.

Like with all mystery books, not everything is as it seems.

This mystery was full of twists and the ending was not what I expected. I really enjoyed reading this, and I highly recommend it.

For me this was an okay book but definitely not up to this author's previously proven standard. I wondered why she had decided to set a legal thriller in America and whether she had researched their legal system fully because some of the events in the book seemed rather unlikely.

Nevertheless there is a good story in there as long as you suspend belief and do not analyse what is happening too closely. Events unfold through a series of old diaries which tell Hannah how her mother, Laura, suffered at the hands of Michael Dantridge. He is currently in prison but there appears to be a chance that the Innocence Project may be about to get his release. Hannah lies her way into a job on the Project in order to undermine this possibility and keep him locked up.

There follows lots of lying and deceitfulness, a major twist which turns everything you have believed so far upside down and a reasonably satisfying ending. I was left with a feeling of not being quite sure about a number of points but I do not want to go into spoiler land, so I will accept that I liked the book but did not love it.