Last to Die (Jack Swyteck Novel)

In James Grippando's Last To Die, Miami defense attorney Jack Swyteck is an ethical, competent, and good-looking lawyer who finds himself smack dab in the middle of one of the best murder-mystery plots to come along in years.Sally Fenning, a twice-married ex-Hooters waitress, has been murdered. Her rich second husband forked up an eighteen million dollar divorce settlement beforehand, which has grown to a nifty forty-six million at the time of her death. And she has left an interesting will. There are six beneficiaries, all presumably her enemies, but they don't split the money. Only the last surviving beneficiary collects the full amount. Thus ensues a fast and furry contest between those vying for the big prize, including Sally's first husband and his lawyer, a prosecutor, a reporter, a small-time thug, and a shadowy figure known only as Alan Sirap.Strangely, Jack Swyteck is retained for probate and other legal advice by the thug, Tatum Knight. Tatum is the brother of Theo, a wrongly accused black man Jack had rescued from death row years earlier. Seems that Tatum, an ex-hitman who now only beats up people for money, was hired by Sally to kill ... Sally. She turns up dead. He's named in the will. He proclaims innocence--but needs Jack's help to prove it.A few more plot twists spice things up even more. Sally had narrowly survived a knife attack years earlier. Her five-year-old daughter was not so lucky. A mysterious stalker is the prime suspect, but he's never caught or identified. Sally's second husband dies of AIDS. Oddly, Sally has a beautiful sister living in Africa to whom she fails to leave a penny. Did Sally know her stalker? Why on earth would she set up her own death? Why are the beneficiaries her enemies? Is Tatum good at heart like his brother Theo? For Theo, is blood thicker than water? Which of the two babes in the story will Jack end up with? And who the heck is Alan Sirap?Last To Die has one of the best story setups I've ever read. The Grisham-like writing--with a bit more wit--immediately draws you in and flows right along. It has no fluff or boring, weak spots. The 384 pages zip by like a 200-page thriller. I don't know that the payoff in the end is as strong as the build-up promises, but it's still an excellent and well-written story. Highly recommended. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of BIG ICE

I found the book worth reading and will now read more from this author and publisher who showed the good judgment in publishing James Grippando. The book starts slow out of the necessity to setup the many twists and turns needed for an exciting and thrilling ending. I really enjoyed the easy way he writes about legal complexities, world geopolitical influences, and inner personal relationships that provides an outstanding premise to plot to climax into a very satisfying ending.The book has an eerie reversal grand premise, why not leave $46 million to one of six people who have hurt you deeply in your life. And tell them the last one standing gets it all? This makes them plot, scheme and create sinister dealings that pass suspicion on anyone with the compulsive obsession to plot against everyone to boot for the booty.After understanding the various characters and players in this book, it is worth your time to finish it. You then move on in trying to figure out the motives and actions of each one as you read towards a very unexpected and volatile ending. I disagree with the professional reviewers about the African Coast details too. I believe they added to the book substance and content in another way often misunderstood by reviewers. The African Coast is the source of the wealth, but you must learn how that wealth was acquired. I found that such details did provide a parallel example of what the exploitation of wealth can do to anyone and anything in life. It is not the solutions we pretend them to be!I recommend this book become a movie and could be made into a Mini-TV series since it is based on the same premise as many Reality TV Shows. But at much higher stakes and with more legal intricacy combined with a legacy of colonialism rotten residue in Africa, if you are familiar with its history too.I thank this author and publishers for giving me a great joy as I traveled to my nephews' wedding on the Navy Pier in Chicago. It is an outstanding way to pass the time as you travel and want to read something of substance and intrigue at the same time. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the authors' next book too!

Miami defense lawyer Jack Swyteck has faced challenging clients before, but none like former contract killer Tatum Knight.Tatum seems to be in a real situation, he was approached by millionaire Sally Fenning with a job proposition...kill her for a very high price. Tatum refused, but Sally ended up dead anyway, and to make matters worse Sally left all her money to six of her enemies, Tatum being one of the beneficiaries, with one condition...the money is to go to the last person alive. The lawyers gear up for a tough legal battle, but before you know it the beneficiaries start dropping like flies, and all fingers point to Tatum. Jack teams up with his buddy Theo, who also happens to be Tatum's brother, to track down Tatum to see if he's behind all the killing.`Last To Die' is another winner from best-selling author John Grippando. From the first page we are drawn into the plot with a murder, and for 350 more pages we are kept on the edge of our seat with plot twists, non-stop action, and shocking surprises all leading to a great climax. James Grippando delivers the goods with this thriller; his smooth writing style, and original storylines, once again, have combined to make an extremely entertaining read. Don't miss this!Nick Gonnella

This is the second book by Grippando I've read. Wasn't too sure I liked the ending with "Beyond Suspicion," but I have nothing but positive comments to make about "Last to Die".Sally Fenning, young, beautiful and very rich, does not want to live. She tries to hire former contract killer Tatum Knight, brother of Jack Swyteck's best friend, Theo, to murder her. Although Tatum claims he turned her down, Sally is murdered two weeks later. Tatum hires Jack to represent him since Sally had named him as one of the six beneficiaries to her estate. Here's the catch: the 46 million dollars will not be disbursed until all of the heirs but one are deceased. That's where the fun starts.Grippando touches upon a very real, very tragic world situation in this book: child slavery in Africa, where thousands of children are forced to labor in cocoa fields. Believe me, I look at chocolate in a different way now. However, he balances this dark subject with the lighter, comedic relationship between Jack and his somewhat unsavory but lovable friend, Theo. I think Grippando is proving himself to be a mainstay in the legal thriller arena and each book in the Swyteck series seems to entrench him further in a genre that had become tired until he put Swyteck to paper. I'm a fan!

Money could not buy happiness while for Sally Fenning while she lived, so she dangles $46 million in front of six people and promises them the last one standing inherits it all. The common thread is each of the six is connected to the death of her daughter five years earlier. Her death is suspicious; each heir she despised. There is Fenning's ex-husband, his divorce attorney, the prosecutor who failed to bring charges against any suspect, the newspaper reporter who wrote about the case and a mystery man who can't be immediately located. Tatum Knight is the only one not connected to the little girl's murder. His connection to the deceased is unusual -- Fenning tried to hire him to kill her, but he denies taking the job.You will only regret the sleep you lose while reading this legal thriller. Once you start, you won't be able to put it down until you reach the surprising climax.