Show No Fear: A Nina Reilly Novel

When a woman's body turns up off a bridge near Big Sur, Nina Reilly sets out to solve her first murder case. In this prequel to Perri O'Shaughnessy's bestselling series, readers learn about the events that lead Nina to pursue her illustrious career as a criminal lawyer and also get a glimpse into her early life. Despite its flaws, the 12th Nina Reilly thriller is an interesting read, primarily because of Nina's appeal as a tough, smart heroine who has a personal interest in discovering the identity of the killer. At the outset of the novel, Nina is a single mother in her late 20s living in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Working as a paralegal by day and attending law school at night, Nina already has her hands full when her ex-lover, Richard Filsen, shows up at her son's preschool and demands a paternity test. As the story progresses, she not only finds herself caught up in a fierce custody battle but also becomes embroiled in her mother's malpractice lawsuit against a corrupt acupuncturist. To her dismay, Nina soon learns that Richard, a well-known attorney who is thoroughly unpleasant, is on the other side of that battle as well. Though she takes comfort in the fact that her firm's high-powered lawyer, Remy Sorensen, has agreed to represent her mother, events soon prove that even Sorensen's legal skills aren't enough to keep her mother safe. To make matters more complicated, Nina can't stop herself from falling for her boss, Jack McIntyre --- who just happens to be in love with the stunning Remy. As a divorced mother, I found myself rooting for Nina as she struggled to balance work, school, motherhood --- and murder. There were, however, several problems with the plot that would lead me to believe that some readers might fare better with another book in the series. After the initial "kicker" scene, SHOW NO FEAR gets off to a slow start, and fans expecting the usual sort of legal thriller may be disappointed. At times it veers so far from its genre that it almost seems like a contemporary romance novel (not necessarily a bad thing, if that's what you're after). To be fair, the pace does pick up quite a bit during the book's second half. From that point on there were enough unexpected plot twists to keep me reading, and the identity of the murderer, though it did not come as a complete surprise, was clever and well concealed. The ending was satisfying, but I must admit its implausibility bothered me at times. SHOW NO FEAR will likely be a welcome addition to the Nina Reilly series for many fans. Besides providing background information about Nina, O'Shaughnessy gives us the history of several characters who appear in later books, including her son Bob, her troubled brother Matt and skirt-chasing homicide detective Paul van Wagoner. For readers who want to learn more about O'Shaughnessy's intriguing protagonist --- or for those who simply like to commence at the beginning of a series --- this might be a good place to start. --- Reviewed b

I am a fan of the Nina Reilly series - authored by sisters Pamela and Mary O'Shaughnessy. This current installment is a prequel to the series, which takes place while Nina is in law school, and her son Bob is 4. The main story line revolves around the fate of her mother, Bob's father, and Nina's "struggles": with each of these characters (and her father, and Paul Van Wagoner...). I found the book to be very compelling: yes I had a good idea of where the plot was heading, but that's okay. I learned a lot about the character, her motivations, beginnings, etc. Very interesting and engaging read. I wonder how people will react the book without having read the prior installments in the Nina Reilly series? Highly recommended.

This is a fast-paced, highly charged and suspense-filled murder mystery which makes me feel like I am visiting Wisteria Lane on "Desperate Housewives" except that most of the action is based on the lives of a group of lawyers, their coworkers, friends and close relationships. There occur two unexpected murders which rock their world and the author does an outstanding job of tying together the details of how each transpired. It is quite a surprise to learn who committed the murders. The personalities of all the characters are very interesting and it is easy to relate to their unique roles which are thoroughly developed in the book. There are several main plots and subplots which are skillfully woven together. The author's writes in a staccato-like rhythm and provides a roller coaster of a ride as she demonstrates her craft in holding the reader's undivided attention with each new development in the story. Nina Reilly is a single mother who works as a paralegal in a law office by day and is also taking college courses with plans to become a lawyer. She made some mistakes along the way in her young life but is on steadfast course to success. Her parents divorced late in life, afterwards her mother developed a devastating slowly progressive autoimmune disease. She also has a brother who is very lovable but a drug addict. Unexpectedly, the man whom Nina believes is the father of her child, re-enters her life after a four year absence. Nina fell head over heels in love with him at the time because he was a flashy lawyer but now fully realizes what a sleaze bag he really is and was all along. Nina's mother suffered a severe injury due to medical negligence by an acupuncturist. Nearly a year after the event, she decides to sue Dr. Wu and try to get monetary damages, wanting to leave the money to her children, knowing her original diagnosis is terminal and will shorten her lifespan. Unfortunately, Nina's former lover Richard Filsen becomes Dr. Wu's lawyer. Remy Sorensen, a highly skilled and accomplished lawyer agrees to represent Nina's mother in this malpractice lawsuit. Nina admires Remy's skills and polished manner as a lawyer and she also knows Remy is quietly having an affair with Jack, another super-achieving lawyer in the firm. Nina secretly has designs on winning Jack for herself but his lusty affair with Remy seems an insurmountable roadblock. The lives of these characters become tied together in unexpected twists and turns leaving two characters named in this review dead. It is a worthwhile reading experience to discover how and why events became so complicated that murder seemed the only option, the only way to cover up mistakes. The goal of becoming a success and rising star caused the individual to committ murder, not just once but twice. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

Perri O Shaughnessy (a pseudonym for two sisters) is one of a few authors I purchase in advance, without reading a review or a summary of the plot. Before this book arrived, I saw an excerpt that the book was all about the time before Nina Reilly became an attorney in Lake Tahoe. I must admit, I was a bit skeptical, as I do not usually like prequels. I usually like a character so much, I want them to go forward, not backward. I was pleasantly surprised after reading this book. I did not remember a lot of the history of Nina Reilly's family in the recent books, nor did I know much about Bob, her son, as a young boy, or about her mother, father and brother, Matt. I also did not know a detailed history of her old flames, and how the relationships evolved or died. I found myself not wanting to put this book down, and all my holiday shopping and shipping got put on hold! This book examined and explained how Nina Reilly became the woman she is, and what motivated her to even choose the branch of law that she specializes in. If you have liked the series featuring Nina Reilly, you will certainly enjoy reading this book, and like me, you won't be able to wait for the next one.

I love reading mystery novels by women authors whose protagonists are female detectives...and I especially enjoy reading these series in the order in which they were written. Thus you can imagine my delight in first discovering this novel by Perri O'Shaughnessy, which is essentially a prequel to her Nina Reilly legal thrillers. Nina Reilly is a sharp and tough single mother; in this book she is attending law school while working at a law firm. The novel opens with the prologue of a kidnap and murder but the reader has no idea of either the murderer's or victim's identities. The story then begins four days earlier and starts to introduce us to each of the main characters and their interactions, which become increasingly complex. There are many chapters during which one suspects many characters of being the victim and even more where multiple characters seem capable of having committed the murder. The action in each chapter becomes increasingly suspenseful, compelling the reader ever forward. I found it hard to put the book down to either eat or sleep. And yet I puzzled constantly over the identity of the murderer. I guessed--and was wrong--several times...all the way to the end of the book. I am enchanted to have been introduced to Nina Reilly, detective/criminal lawyer, and these legal thrillers of Perri O'Shaughnessy. Now I have to order the rest of them!