Mistress of Justice: A Novel

This was a good fast-paced insight into the politics of a successful legal firm with a good twist at the end. The characters were well drawn and I was fascinated with the legal scenes and the American legal system. A really good read.

Mysterious meeting of eyes brings passion a full circle to death of love. With wisdom we face saddens and futility then life wins out. I missed all the clues, a mystery by a masterful story by Jeffery Desver.

The plot in Mistress of Justice by Jeffery Deaver was excellent; but the book would have been shorter by half if the f.... word were eliminated. I found it difficult to read as I tried unsuccessfully to circumvent the profanity. It is a shame that his author does not have a more extensive use of the English language.

The plot in this book revolves around events occurring in a prestigious law firm, Hubbard, White & Willis. A firm associate, Mitchell Reece, shares a secret with paralegal, Taylor Lockwood. An important promissory note was stolen from his files. This note will determine the outcome of an upcoming multimillion dollar civil law suit. A loss in the court will result in the downfall of the firm. Reece's reputation as a reputable lawyer will be ruined as a result. He cannot let this happen. He asks Taylor to find the note and the thief who stole it.

Taylor Lockwood accepts the challenge to locate this crucial note and bring the thief to justice. She takes the following steps. She breaks into homes and offices and searches desks and other possible hiding places. She illegally searches through other firm partners' private records. After midnight, she follows one of the partners through the alleys of NYC hoping to uncover secrets this lawyer must be hiding from his law firm. She crashes a party, hoping the host will not notice. She then searches the host's home office. Are these not crimes themselves? I would say they are. She shares these actions she took with Reece. He approves of these illicit moves.

Keep in mind, after midnight, a lone young woman would not tromp through dark alleys in NYC.

The conclusion of the book ends with a twist.. Was this twist a surprise for the reader? The action leading up to it was well established in the earlier chapters. I am sure most avid mystery book readers figured out the identity of the thief before he was revealed. The police were never involved in the note theft. It was suggested but Taylor refused to contact them. This made little sense. Why not ask for help. A detective she
is not.

Jeffery Deaver does not paint a favorable picture of this law firm. I am aware this is a book of fiction. It is my hope no true law firm members behave as indiscreetly as in fictitious Hubbard, White & Willis.

The copy editor is comma happy. Commas are used when not necessary. At other times, they are ignored when needed.

these early Deaver re-issues are turning out as real gems among his back-catalogue. I can say with complete confidence that Jeffery Deaver has not once written a bad, unenjoyable book.
Deaver's writing style is concise and addictive. It's clever, quirky and enjoyable. His plots are well devised and well structured. They run smoothly and without a hitch.
This is a very good, very hig-class legal thriller, better than almost anything by John Grisham. the plot is complex and intriguing, and the lead character is very human and very likeable, with some very distinctive quirks which make her a pleasure to read about.
The book moves at great pace, and is a true page-turner. There are a couple of nice twists along the way, and, as is usual with Deaver, one final wallop right at the end.
Another very good book from Deaver...not quite his best, but i still reccomend that you read it. As i do with all his books.

Deaver's best books are page turnovers that leave the reader exhausted when the last page has been turned. "Mistress of Justice" is not one of those books. If you're looking for classic Deaver complexity and plotting, the heroine who frequently sees herself as Alice in Wodnderland is probably better left to enter the rabbit hole on her own.

Enjoyable read that moves quickly with several twists and turns. Intriguing subject matter with interesting characters. Gives troubling insight into world of lawyers and their firms. Leaves you hoping it is not true but worried it could be.

This is the first Deaver suspense novel I've read, and I thought it well crafted. It looks like each of his novels will be stand alone. I prefer series such as those written by J A Nance or Jonathan/Faye Kellerman because I identify with the same characters in each novel in the series..

Deaver's plot in Mistress of Justice is very elaborate and chaotic. The finger is pointed at so many people and there is so much going on that I struggled to keep track. If part of the fun for you is figuring out "whodunit", I suggest taking notes right from the start. Even with notes, I think only the very astute reader will figure out the real culprit.

So glad you didnt let me down. As writers become popular they seem to lose their grip and stay in the middle of the road, You have not "fallen on the sword",. So to say.. Thanks for the tales that grab my imagination time after time. I have to admit your one gruesome manipulator, but that is part of your suspicious charm.

I started out with Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series and have gone back to read his earlier books. Not all of his early books are as enjoyable as his recent offerings. But I was surprised with this one. It sat on my shelf for awhile before I finally got around to reading it. I shouldn't have waited so long. Taylor Lockwood has to find a stolen $25 million promisssary note of Mitchell Reece loses his case and is out of a job. She is a great strong female character, whose amateurish sleuthing is amusing. Finally, just when you think you've figured out who stole the note, you're in for one surprise and then another. This book hints at the great things to come from Jeff Deaver.

Jeffery Deaver has a richly deserve reputation as one of the top authors of his generation. When you read this novel, you will feel that you are inside the story, and interacting with all of the many incredible characters. Wonderful!