Last Rights / A Novel

Robert Ludlum's mantel has rightfully fallen to Philip Shelby, but unlike Ludlum his protagonist, Rachel, is a credible physically-fit smart woman--not larger than life as Ludlum was prone to make his heroic characters, who could be half dead but they could still run across roof tops for five pages afterwards without a murmur of pain. He keeps a taut pace, and the story races forward without the constant circling back to redundant information that plagues many authors' works. An explosive page turner with a fascinating psychopathic villian, the Engineer. A must read worth five-stars.

This is the first book I have read of Philip Shelby. I usually read Sci-Fi books, but I was glad that I picked this book up. The mystery that surrounds every character keeps you wanting to know what was going to happen next. There were good twists in the book aswell which added intrigue to the plot. If anyone has read 'The Firm' by John Grishman, they will like this book. As I found it better than 'The Firm'. Cannot wait to read another book by Shelby

Philip Shelby has once again delivered a blockbuster! Once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. At first, the threads of the story are delivered very quickly - the "accidental" death of a prominent Afro-American general with political potential, the female Army officer who suspects murder, the tip to the Baltimore police about an Army sergeant suspected of illegal arms dealing- these & more threads seem to be disjointed. But Shelby brings them all together in a series of events that seem plausible & very natural. Even with the White House involvement, the book never, in my opinion, borders on fantasy. You find yourself in the middle of the book "cheering" for the good gal & guys. Shelby's main character, Rachel Collins, comes across as being a "normal" person. The author even leaves room for the possibility that Rachel will be around for another novel. Perhaps with a love interest?!!!? GREAT BOOK

Writers of conspiracy-type thrillers are a dime a dozen these days. The field is ripe for a realistic portrayal of this genre due to the political movements in this and other countries within the last decade. With all of the pages being printed, how does one distinguish him or herself above the rest of the crowd? Ultimately, this comes down a believable plot, an interesting protagonist, and good supporting characters. It is in all of these three areas that Philip Shelby1s new novel, Last Rights, shines brightly. Like its predecessor Days of Drums, the setting of this novel is Washington, DC Two events in different parts of the DC area -- the killing of a suspect who is stealing arms from an Army depot and the declaration from a committee that General North, an African-American who is probably going to become the next vice-president of the United states, was killed in a tragic accident due to pilot error -- provide the catalyst for Warrant Officer Rachel Collins to investigate further. When her mentor is killed while working on the case, Rachel realize that the killer is one step ahead of her and she must act quickly and decisively to discover his or her identity. While the plot of this novel, like many others, is fast-paced and riveting, the true strength of this book is the well-drawn protagonist Rachel Collins as well as a wealth of supporting characters who come vividly to life on the page. If one is interested in getting an introduction to this genre of fiction, Last Rights has staked a strong claim to being placed at the head of the class.

Retired General Griffin North is considered a strong possibility of being the first African-American President. However, all that changes when the General dies in a plane crash that transportation crash investigators believe is an accident. Major Mollie Smith of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division has doubts about the finding. She believes that the General was the victim of an assassination to insure that the White House remains white. As Mollie investigates the case, she becomes the next victim. ....... Her protege Warrant Officer Rachel Collins starts to look into the two deaths, especially that of her best friend. However, as she weeds through a series of red herrings and gets closer to solving the case, she finds herself as the next target of the killers, who do not care who they murder in order to insure their secrets stay hidden. ....... LAST RIGHTS is an appealing book to fans of conspiracy tales. Rachel is an interesting character whose activities as a CID agent comes across most believable. However, Philip Shelby has to many spices blended into his stew, thereby leaving most readers struggling with to many sub-plots to adequately appreciate the fast-paced, colorful story line.. .......Harriet Klausner