Acts of Malice (Nina Reilly)

No matter how well-written a mystery, and "Acts of Malice" is very well-written, it is not usual to wrench the reader from interest to warmth to fear to sobs--but this book does all that and more. Tahoe lawyer Nina Reilly takes on a case that makes her uneasy from the first, but she doesn't know why. She agrees to defend Jim Strong, a young and handsome champion skier accused of the brutal murder of his equally young and handsome brother, Alex. The brother supposedly died in a skiing accident, but the coroner uncovers what he thinks are signs of horrifically foul play. And the District Attorney's office believes him.Nina is soon pitted against the man she was interested in a while back, but who had left Tahoe to mend from a personal tragedy. Assistant DA Collier Hallowell has returned, healed, happy--and eager to renew his budding interest in Nina. As a beautiful and meaningful romance develops between the two, they must somehow keep their personal lives out of their professional milieu, and it isn't easy. Collier is convinced that Jim Strong is a particularly violent and vicious murderer. Nina is ethically bent on defending Strong--but for the first time in her career, she has nagging, secret doubts about her client. And so does the reader.Did Jim Strong really stomp his injured brother to death? Is he an evil psychopath, as the prosecution, including Nina's own boyfriend, believes? And if he is, is Nina in danger? Can she ethically drop a client, and even if she could, will she do so?As she struggles with these doubts and fears, Nina's feelings for Collier deepen and blossom, so that the reader, like the principals themselves, bounces back and forth between the beauty of human love and the horror of human violence.The last third of the book is almost painful in its suspense, as the mystery of who killed Alex and why begins to include Nina's loved ones in its terrifying grasp. "Acts of Malice" is the best of the three Nina Reilly mysteries I have read so far, and truly one of the best I have read by any other author. It has real depth, as deep as the unflagging snow that grasps Tahoe in its icy unreality all through the story. A good metaphor for what can only be called a chilling plot.Again, I must strongly praise the O'Shaughnessy sisters, Mary and Pamela ("Perri"), who have shown a depth of brilliance and talent not often seen in this or any other genre.

This book is my introduction to "O'Shaugnessy" and it's a winner. I read a lot of mysteries - some of which I never finish - why bother. This one held my attention all the way through. The authors' 'sense of place' is remarkable. The reader 'sees' the Lake Tahoe locale. It's well written and plotted though the reader also sees what's coming. In this sense, it's more a tale of suspense than mystery. Despite this, the finale was particularly gripping.As a fan of Elizabeth George, Ruth Rendell, James Lee Burke on the heavy side and Sue Grafton, Robert Parker, James Crais on the more flip side, I found the romantic involvement of the characters perhaps too prominent but as it turned out - it was quite integral to the plot. (We mystery readers tend to be picky-picky about the genre).I would recommend this book - this 'writer', (two writers, actually - sisters who are probably well attuned to each other) to other mystery fans. I haven't yet read another of this series but I've already picked up a couple. Stay tuned.

These two sisters really know how to captivate a reader. Nina Reilly is a likeable, realistic character one can't help identify with. Acts of Malice is the latest in a fine series of novels about the struggling Lake Tahoe attorney Nina Reilly's quest for justice and meaning in her life. When she thinks she's figured it all out, the rug gets pulled out from under her. We can all identify with that can't we. I highly recommend this and all the books in the series.

I have read all five Nina Reilly books and agree that this is the best so far. The authors very deftly bring Nina's life outside her law practice into the story allowing readers to learn more about her and the people around her without loosing any of the previous books legal edginess. As Nina spends more time with her client and those people who know him best, the situation becomes more than an ethical dilemma - it is a matter of life and death for her and her loved ones.My only complaint is this: I consider myself well read and with a fairly sophisticated vocabulary, however, I found myself looking up at least ten words in my thesaurus. I welcome this kind of challenge when I am reading scholarly books, but find it annoying when I'm just reading for pleasure. Granted, the meaning of all of these words was apparent in the context of the sentence, it just seems to be an unnecessary hindrance that doesn't belong in pop fiction.OK, off my soapbox. I am anxious for some of my reading friends to perhaps help fill in some big blanks in the story for me. I won't mention them here for fear of "spoiling" the read for someone else, but there are some unanswered questions.

Nina Reilly's got her hands full this time with impossibly handsome client, Jim Strong, an expert skier accused of stomping his brother to death. Vacillating between relief when the facts seem to exonerate Jim and terror when the evidence seems to call into question his version of the events, Nina faces her toughest challenge yet - defending a man she's not sure is innocent. To complicate matters, Nina falls in love with Collier Hallowell, a man whose professional survival may well depend upon his winning the very case Nina can't emotionally afford to lose. A page-turner from start to finish, ACTS OF MALICE proves Perri O'Shaughnessy to be a master of intrigue and suspense and one of the best of America's contemporary mystery writers. This fifth book in the Nina Reilly series gives the readers what they've come to expect from its talented writer: a rip-roaring good read.