Gone Again audiobook

I didn't really expect much from this because usually when I read mystery or thriller books they tend to be of average quality but this one was actually pretty good. It's about a lawyer who goes back to work at the Freedom Institute for a while to help them out financially and gets involved in a case where the inmate is on death row for raping and killing a girl yet the girl's mother thinks that the inmate is actually interesting. The writing was pretty good, above average, and the plot was engaging enough that it didn't feel like I had to force myself to finish the book, I genuinely wanted to know what would happen.

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.I absolutely loved this book! I first stumbled upon this author about 10 years ago and have yet to be let down by one of his books. I am pretty sure that there may be a book or two of his that I have missed along the way but I have read the bulk of his work. The Jack Swyteck series is smartly written. I love how much this character has developed over the course of the series. I really like that each new book in the series can still be easily read as a stand alone so new readers can feel comfortable jumping in at any point. Jack Swyteck is back at the Freedom Institute and working on a death row case. He doesn't really plan to get involved in the cases there but he doesn't need a lot of convincing to jump into this particular case after a visit from the victim's mother. Dylan Reeves is due to face execution very soon for the rape and murder of Sashi Burgette. Sashi's body was never recovered and her mother is convinced that she is still alive. Jack is soon leading the fight to win Dylan a little bit of time so that they can figure out what really happened. The quest to find out what actually happened to Sashi takes more than a few twists and turns as the story moves forward. I was never quite sure who was being honest and who should be trusted. I liked all of the courtroom scenes and the legal maneuvering that was part of the story. Jack and the rest of the crew spend more than a few late nights trying to get everything done in time. I enjoyed the writing style immensely. The legal process was nicely balanced with the fact-finding detective work. The inclusion of some less than trust worthy characters really kept me wondering what was going on. I really had no idea where the book would end up or how it would get there. I simply couldn't not put this one down and read the book from cover to cover in less than 24 hours. The story really does pull you in right away and doesn't let go until the very end. I would highly recommend this book to fans of mystery thrillers. James Grippando is an author that never disappoints and has created an incredibly intelligent and smart character in Jack Swyteck. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book by this very talented author.I received an advance reader edition of this book from HarperCollins Publishers - Harper via Edelweiss for the purpose of providing an honest review.Initial ThoughtsI loved this book! I honestly don't think that I have ever been disappointed by anything written by James Grippando. Jack Swyteck is an awesome character and the case that he was working on in this novel kept me guessing until the end.

Simply Superb James Grippando is a master when it comes to writing thrillers. I've read and enjoyed every book he's written. This story has plenty of twists and turns, and certainly kept me guessing right to the very end. It's definitely one of those books where you find yourself reading faster and faster to find out what happens. Hands down a very worthwhile book to read.

James Grippando has done it again, knocking it out of the ballpark with the 12th Jack Swyteck legal novel. I love this series! The author is a masterful storyteller, and his well developed and dynamic Swyteck character is one sharp and smart lawyer! Fast paced, tense and taut, this thriller offers a thrilling, complex ride with many twists...and keeps you guessing until the very end! Although this could be a stand alone novel, do yourself a favor and start at the beginning with THE PARDON, published over 20 years ago!

Browsing in "Books and Books" in Coral Gables, near the setting of this story when I came across an autographed copy of his book "A Death in Live Oak". Author is a South Florida attorney and instructor at U of Miami so I grabbed a copy for me and one for the friend I was joining for dinner who is also a South Florida attorney. Now Live Oak is a long way from Miami so I also grabbed this book in trade paperback so I could get a sense of how he handles South Florida and to become acquainted with his writing. (Always a sucker for local writers!) At any rate, crisply written, interesting story and characters and solid linear flow of trying to save a murderer on death row whose date is rapidly approaching but the lawyer in this series decides to take up the cause when the victim's mother proclaims the man could not have done because she is getting calls from her daughter on her daughter's birthday each year! Naturally, the ex-husband who bailed when his wife became unhinged with grief thinks she is off her nut again and doesn't buy it.Interesting tale as the facts unwind. Great lunchtime book!

Swyteck, on the verge of becoming a father as his FBI wife's troubled pregnancy becomes embroiled in another "death row" case...in this one the mother of the victim convinces him that the convicted murderer is innocent & Jack, Theo & his cadre from the Freedom Institute rise to the occasion

A Beautiful 17yr Old Adopted Girl disappears on her way to school. No surprise as to who did it but not for the reasons you think.The more i read the less sympathy i had for Sashi. I understand Sashi had a difficult childhood but so did the children of war torn Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.As for the parents, Debra was in a very difficult position, loved her 3 children very much and wanted nothing but the best for them and Gavin well buddy life isn't all raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.A good read my second Grippando novel but my one complaint, just like the first book, is that the chapters are too short. The dialogue gets into a nice rhythm then it ends and jumps to the next scene,"Do you have any idea what's it like to have a kid like Sashi? A daughter who destroys your wife, your marriage, your other children?" -Gavin Burgette

GONE AGAINJames GrippandoMr. Grippando has a talent for legal and personal fiction that is quite impressive. I can’t call it a thriller as it’s be touted as it is more a human story of compassion, justice, love of the law and one man’s inability to turn away.Jack Swyteck is a man of principle and a firm believer in justice and so when Dylan Reeves is on death row for the murder of a young girl, and the girl’s mother astonishes everyone when she says her daughter called her it turns the case upside down.Jack thinks they may have the wrong man and he takes on a new investigation even though nothing is as it appears to be.The conflicting versions of the testimony in the Miami court prove that the events are even more difficult than a missing girl.A good read.

3.5 stars. I read this in the span of 6 hours at work because today was a slow day. A page turner, definitely, with a few twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. I enjoyed the court scenes, the family dynamics, and how the story explored adopting children from less-privileged backgrounds, specifically children that has been through trauma. Would have liked a more in-depth explanation of the murderer's intention and psychological reasoning when they murdered Sashi; I felt like the reveal was a bit rushed, making it feel shallow. This makes a good airplane read, definitely!

It has been a while since I read a Grippando novel. Forgot how much I liked his great characters and plot movement. Have already download another.

James Grippando recently won the 2017 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction for this book. The other two finalists for the award were Graham Moore's The Last Days of Night and Jodi Picoult's Small Great Things, both of which are very fine novels inspired by actual legal cases, so this year's competition for the award was impressive. In my opinion, Grippando's book was indeed the most deserving of the award. Gone Again realistically and sensitively depicts the complicated interactions between an attorney and his client, the witnesses and the opposing counsel and also shows how legal battles can impact family members. The courtroom and deposition dialogues in this book were very believable. But, what truly distinguishes Grippando's book from the other finalists' in the competition, is Grippando's deep understanding of an attorney's professional responsibilities and ethical obligations and restrictions. Grippando's fictional lawyer, Jack Swyteck, is scrupulously ethical while wholeheartedly and zealously representing a client who isn't at all sympathetic (and who isn't telling a straight story). He applies the same scrupulous ethics and self-control while dealing with witnesses who constantly lie to him, manipulate him, threaten him and otherwise wear him out. This attention to the code of ethics is what was missing in the other two finalist's books, albeit both were very well-written and told wonderful stories.Briefly, the novel concerns Swyteck's fight to stay the execution of Reeves, who was convicted of raping and murdering a troubled 17 year-old girl. The girl's body was never found, but Reeves, an ex-con, was picked up for a traffic violation shortly after the girl's disappearance and was found with the girl's underwear in his car. On the same day that the governor signs the death warrant for Reeves, the girl's mother meets with Swyteck to let him know that she knows Reeves is actually innocent. The woman had been receiving untraceable silent telephone calls from a disposable cell phone on the girl's birthday every year since her disappearance and she is convinced that the calls are from her daughter. Swyteck files a habeus corpus action which sets in motion several weeks of hearings which quickly uncover that the prosecutor was aware that the girl had been having online communications with unsavory men, that one of the men was convicted of human trafficking, and that the parents of the girl had had several interactions with the human trafficker. Was the girl a victim of human trafficking and is she still alive? How did Reeves end up with the girl's underwear?Who is making the birthday phone calls? Each time a witness takes the stand, there is a new twist, a new theory and the need to call more witnesses. To make matters worse, the parents' marriage broke down as a direct result of the girl's disappearance, and their marital war plays out in the courtroom and outside the courtroom. I mentioned that the girl was troubled -- that's an understatement -- the girl had reactive attachment disorder. Her behavioral disorder was destroying the family and continues to overshadow the two other children in the family, both of whom are good kids who have silently and not-so-silently suffered while the parents were absorbed in first, their troubled child, then the aftermath of her disappearance, and finally their divorce. This is an emotionally-engaging, in-depth look at what can happen following a murder conviction. It is an excellent portrayal of an attorney's role in society.

The best elements of this novel include its immediacy and relevancy to today's world, placing the story of a teenage girl's disappearance into the world of sex trafficking, world adoption abuses including rehoming of those adoptees later, effects of early childhood trauma, and death penalty cases. If you like a well-developed plot based on legal/law enforcement challenges, you should enjoy this book.

Fast paced mystery. A quick read with an unexpected Endymion.

Audiobook. I gave this book a 5 star rating because I didn't want to quit listening. Very suspenseful.

This is the first time I've read Grippando, but this is excellent, a mix of legal thriller, mystery, and family drama that works throughout.Attorney Jack Swyteck has returned to the building of the group he used to work for, which defends death row inmates. He is not in their employ, but paying rent as a way to try to help them out. He's the only one in the office when Debra Burgette comes in, looking for an attorney to take on the case of Dylan Reeves, the man who supposedly killed her adopted daughter. Debra is convinced that Sashi is still alive. As the story unravels we discover how difficult Sashi was to raise, with a self-destructive streak that put her in the path of many bad people and behavior that leaves the reader wondering if either of her estranged parents could have tried to end the adoption. Swyteck is in all kinds of binds. He's trying to watch out for his very pregnant wife, but he has to be very careful not to expose either of them to conflict of interest accusations because she is an FBI agent working on related cases from the other side. He wants to find out the truth about Sashi, but his first priority has to be defending Reeves, a man who he suspects is guilty of many things, but may not be guilty of the crime for which he is sentenced to be executed. And as he works more with Debra and her ex-husband, he becomes less and less sure of them.Well, enough plot, the twists keep coming and the pacing is steadily interesting throughout. The finish, while not completely surprising for an experienced thriller reader, is still satisfying. I'll have to pay more attention to Grippando from now on.