First Offense

Ms. Rosenberg does a fantastic job of keeping the reader interested from beginning to end. This book is truly a page turner, a must read. In fact, after reading Mitigating Circumstances I decided to read California Angel, Interest of Justice and Abuse of Power. All of these were excellent books. Once you begin to turn the pages of one of Rosenberg's books, you won't be disappointed. She's a superb author!

I love legal thrillers and this one is definitely a winner. This was the first book I've read by this author in a while but I will be back for more. The characters are believable, the plot was well developed and the ending wrapped up all the loose ends very nicely.

A former California investigating Probation Officer in Court Services, Nancy Taylor Rosenberg knows of what she writes and she pens it better than most. With the criminal justice system as a backdrop, Rosenberg weaves her third suspenseful page-turner around a strong, brainy, beautiful female protagonist. Ann Carlisle, an investigative probation officer, is striving to raise her son alone following the unexplained disappearance of her police officer husband. Just as she seems to be getting her life and career back on track, she becomes involved in a narcotics trial that almost permanently derails her. She is shot, her house is burglarized, her 12-year-old son is threatened, and the voice on the mysterious phone calls she receives sounds very much like her husband. Seemingly grounded in reality and told with a relentless authenticity, this story is fast-paced, surprising, and totally engrossing. Rosenberg proved herself to be a major plot weaver with "Mitigating Circumstances" and "Interest of Justice." She more than lives up to that reputation this time around.

I was surprised by the other reviews for this book. This was one of the first suspense novels I've read in a while that I had a tough time putting down. It's a very fast read, perfect for a couple of late night reading sessions or for a vacation to the beach. It's true that you can pretty much figure out "whodunnit" before the main characters do, and occasionally you'll shake your head and say, "No, you silly, don't do *that*." But hey, that doesn't necessarily take away from the experience (alright, it's a cheap thrill when you figure things out before the main character, but I'll take it). The author does, however, seem to have a thing for characters soiling themselves in one way or another when they get scared (do we really need that?). Overall, though, quite a good read.

I liked this book. The characters were interesting, good plot, not a waste of time. I definitely recommend it!!!