Excellent legal thriller. Plot covers racism. I need more like this. ( )

4.5 stars.

The fourteenth installment in the Jack Swyteck series, A Death in Live Oak by James Grippando is a timely mystery about the apparent lynching of an African American student at a Gainesville University.

The shocking discovery of Jamal Cousin's corpse is eerily reminiscent of the rumored lynching of young teenager Willie James Howard 74 years earlier. One week prior to his death, Jamal, the president of the revered Alpha Fraternity, received racially charged, threatening texts from three members of the Theta Fraternity. Since Jamal only saved the text from Theta president Mark Towson, State Attorney Oliver Boalt and lead detective Josh Proctor quickly zero in on him as their main suspect. Fearing his son will be charged, Mark's father requests a favor from his old boss, former FL Governor Harry Swyteck to ask his son, Jack, to consider representing Mark.

Tensions run high and the university is forced to quickly act. Mark is expelled from college and the future of the Theta fraternity is uncertain. Mark's efforts to overturn his expulsion backfire when Jamal's friend Brandon Wall gives damning testimony that point to racism within the fraternity. Racial tensions on campus turn violent when white supremacists begin attacking African American protesters at demonstrations.

With Boalt under extreme pressure to ensure Jamal receives swift justice, he relies on sworn statements from Mark's frat brother and friend Baine Robinson to bolster his somewhat thin case. Jack is quite skeptical of Baine's efforts to cast suspicion on his friend, but Boalt quickly convenes a grand jury and Mark is summarily indicted then arrested for Jamal's murder. Jack is extremely worried about his client's safety after he is incarcerated pending trial. Forced into a hearing to procure bail for Mark, will Jack uncover the truth about who murdered Jamal?

At the same time Jack is immersed in the volatile case, his wife, FBI agent Andie Henning's current assignment rapidly progresses. Working undercover, she is a very capable agent but the people she is investigating are extremely dangerous. Despite her best efforts to remain out of harm's way, when her path crosses with someone connected to Jamal's murder investigation, things quickly take a perilous turn.

A brilliant addition to the Jack Swyteck series, A Death in Live Oak is a riveting mystery that is socially relevant. The storyline moves at a brisk pace and readers will have a difficult time figuring out who killed Jamal and why. Loosely based on the real life lynching of Willie James Howard, James Grippando shines a much needed light on the racial injustices of the past and the racism that continues to plague our society today. ( )

James Grippando is one of my favourite go to authors. I have read all his books and enjoyed them all and this one was no exception. Even though this is the 14th book in the Jack Swyteck series, you do not have to have read the previous books to read, follow and enjoy this story. The topic is not an enjoyable one. It deals with racial tensions, issues of race on college campuses as well as historical lynching. This was a good story. It deals with the suspected lynching of Jamal Cousin, the president of a black fraternity at UF by Mark Towson, the president of a white fraternity. Mark claims that he did not send the incriminating text message and that he only knew Jamal by sight and from the few meetings of all the fraternity presidents. Unfortunately, Mark is being charged and two other fraternity brothers are being investigated by an ambitious district attorney and a high profile lawyer representing the victim's family. I do not want to say much more about the plot, but suffice it to say that the reaction at the University and in the town is not quiet. Jack Swyteck is hired by Mark's family as his father is a good friend of Jack's dad.

I like the characters of Jack and Theo. Theo is not in this book as much as he is in others, but when he appears, it is important to the theme of this story. There are actually two storylines, one involving Jack and one Andy, but they do tie together, especially in the end. I was sure I knew who had actually killed Jamal, then changed my mind over and over. I had at least four different suspects. The book kept me riveted and I had to finish. The plot moved quickly and even though there are over 80 chapters, they are relatively short, so the "just one more before I go to bed" went on and on until late into the night. There is no gratuitous violence described, but when the body of Jamal is found and during the court sessions it is described, you get the idea of the horror of finding a lynched body. The ending came as a surprise, but it was well done and very believable. You may wonder how the prologue ties in to this story, but it all comes together at the end.

The author's note shares that the case from the past is true. I know about lynchings but I was not familiar with the term "strange fruit". This is a book that I dreamt about after finishing and woke up feeling a bit uncomfortable. You might not want to read it just before going to bed. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes Legal thrillers, Mysteries and to read about racial tension in the US. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Edelweiss.
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It has been a while since I have read a legal thriller, so was excited to see a new book featuring attorney Jack Swytek. Have read and enjoyed reading this series in the past, following Jack in his professional and personal life. When I left him before, he had decided not to continue with the Innocence project, once again branching out on his own. Now married to an FBI agent, and they are parents to a three year old daughter. He is hired in this one to defend the President of a white fraternity, accused of the lynching death of the President of a black fraternity. The University of Florida is the backdrop, and this case will bring out the white supremacists in force.

As I was reading this, another about current happenings in the US, I thought about the rich pickings author have now, so much is currently in our news. Race relations, gay rights, politic, guns, shooting, black lives matter, sexual harassment, one doesn't need to look far to find food for fodder. This is well done, well intentioned, and written with a certain degree of understanding. I did feel that a certain degree of depth was lacking, and the side plot of the white supremacists not fully explored. There was also a question left hanging at the end that was brought up often during the story. So, I liked it but wanted more.

I do applaud the author though for the example he used in the book, one that came to the forefront of the real life lynching of a young black boy that did actually happen. Also, I learned something, did not know there was such a thing as atonement cases and will investigate these further.

ARC from Edelweiss. ( )

This really was a fantastic book. I have been a fan of James Grippando for a long time so I was really eager to get my hands on this newest installment in his long running Jack Swyteck series. This is the fourteenth book in the series but each book in the series works well as a stand alone novel. I expect good things from both this author and this series and that is exactly what I got with this book. I really had a great time reading this wonderful story.

This book opens with a bang and I quickly found myself both heartbroken and angry. There are a lot of things in this book that made me angry and broke my heart because the subject matter is just really emotional. The mystery involves the apparent lynching of a young black man at a local university which sparks a lot of racial tension in the community.

Jack becomes the lawyer for the young white man that has been accused of the murder. I thought that this was a really interesting perspective into the crime. There really doesn't appear to be a whole lot to tie the young man to the crime besides a racist text the his client denies sending. The case ends up being a whole lot more complicated than anyone realizes.

I really liked how we get to see each stage of the legal process in this book. Each stage is represented from initial questioning of the suspect, indictment, and bail hearing. We see how difficult it can be for a lawyer to represent a client that doesn't always share what they should or take the advice given. I felt the fear of the his client, Mark, as he goes to prison and fears for his future.

I liked the characters in this book. I think that this series has been focusing less on Jack's personal life in later books. There is still some scenes with Jack and his wife and daughter which I enjoyed. Theo makes an appearance but doesn't play a big role and I have to say that I missed Theo working alongside Jack. Andie, Jack's wife, does get some of her own action in this one to keep things interesting. There were a few characters that were easy to hate such as the prosecutor who is more focused on his re-election than justice.

I do highly recommend this series to others. This was a book that really kept me thinking and glued to the pages. It really was a great story with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. I can't wait to read more from this talented author.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from HarperCollins Publishers - Harper via Edelweiss. ( )