Thursday, November 20, 2014

Bodily Harm - The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings on Friday

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I don't often read legal thrillers, but after enjoying Bodily Harm by Robert Dugoni, I've become a fan of the genre. This story kept me riveted from start to finish with its superb plot and dramatic action. Seattle attorney David Sloan (the book's hero) is a likable character, and I felt empathy for him from the very beginning. I'll be reading more books by this talented author.

To learn more about the story, read the synopsis below. Although this is the third book featuring Sloan, it stands alone. (Why can I never seem to read the first book first??) 

Book Beginning (Prologue):
     
Guangzhou, China
      It hurt to blink.
     The light stabbed at his eyes, shooting daggers of pain to the back of his skull. When he shut them an aurora of black and white spots lingered.
      Albert Payne had never been one to partake liberally in alcohol; not that he was a complete teetotaler either. He'd been hungover a handful of times during his fifty-six years, but those few occasions had been the result of unintended excess, never a deliberate intent to get drunk. So although he had little experience with which to compare it, his pounding head seemed a clear indicator that he had indeed drunk to excess. He'd have to accept that as so, because he could remember little about the prior evening.

The Friday 56 (from Page 56 of my hardback book):
     Sloane glanced from the road to the manila file on the edge of the passenger seat and wondered if Kyle Horgan had hit upon the next "It" toy. If he had, Horgan's scribbled drawings could be as valuable as a Rembrandt, according to Stroud. And that changed everything.
     Money always did.

Genre: Legal Thriller / Mystery
Length: 369 Pages (Hardback)
Amazon Link: Bodily Harm
More Books by This Author: Robert Dugoni's Website

Synopsis (from Amazon):
     Bodily Harm opens with a big win for David Sloane and his new partner, Tom Pendergrass, in a malpractice case centered on the death of a young child. But on the heels of this seeming victory, an unlikely character—toy designer Kyle Horgan— comes forward to tell Sloane that he’s gotten it all wrong: Horgan’s the one who’s truly responsible for the little boy’s death and possibly others—not the pediatrician Sloane has just proven guilty.
     Ordinarily, Sloane might have dismissed such a person as a crackpot, but something about this case has always troubled him—something that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. When Sloane tries to follow up with Horgan, he finds the man’s apartment a shambles— ransacked by unknown perpetrators. Horgan has vanished without a trace. Together with his longtime investigative partner Charles Jenkins, Sloane reexamines his clients’ son’s death and digs deeper into Horgan’s claims, forcing him to enter the billion-dollar, cutthroat toy industry. As Sloane gets closer to the truth, he trips a wire that leads to a shocking chain of events that nearly destroys him.
     To get to the bottom of it all and find justice for the families harmed, Sloane must keep in check his overwhelming desire for revenge. Full of nail-bitingly tense action scenes as well as edge-of-your-seat courtroom drama, Bodily Harm finds Robert Dugoni at the very top of his game.

                            

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35 comments:

  1. I happen to love legal thrillers and this sounds like a good one!!! There's is something about the pursuit of justice that I find intriguing.

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    1. I'm going to go back and read the earlier books in this series because I like the protagonist. He's a good guy, and I want to learn more about him.

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    2. You will not be disappointed Sandra. I have read all of Robert Dugoni's books, some twice. I feel he is the most "unknown" "underrated" author out there. People need to spread the word. His current novel, My Sister's Grave is only $4.99 on Amazon Kindle and a prequel to it, The Academy is FREE to download.

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    3. Thanks for the heads up on the free book. I'll download it immediately.
      I have been impressed with Robert Dugoni's presentations at Pacific NW Writers Assoc. conferences. He's very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about writing.

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  2. I used to read so many legal thrillers and my bookshelves are full of them. Boy, do I remember those hangovers and I don't miss them. LOL
    That's a powerful 56 I'm wondering what "IT" is? The plot is intriguing.Who would think something as innocent as children's toys would be so cutthroat.
    Here is my 56 - http://fuonlyknew.com/2014/11/21/the-friday-56-45-torn-a-fire-born-novel/

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    1. I think I can say (without giving away too much) that this is more than a regular hangover. I enjoyed learning a little bit about the toy industry. It's bigger than I realized.

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  3. I've never heard of this book or author, but it sounds great! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you for visiting my blog and for taking the time to comment.

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  4. Thanks for sharing this new-to-me book and author. I'm curious about his other works now and will have to find out more.

    My Friday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2014/11/friday-focus-friday-56-book-beginnings_21.html

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    1. Finding new books and authors is what keeps me coming back to Book Beginnings and Friday 56.

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  5. This is one I haven't heard of before. Sounds like an excellent read, even though I generally avoid legal thrillers -- seems like they're always pretty much the same. But this one does sound intriguing. Thanks for the snippets!

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    1. Since I don't read many legal thrillers, I can't say is this one is stereotypical or not! But I definitely enjoyed it.

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  6. I do love legal thrillers, and stories set in Seattle, although this one sounds like it takes the character to lots of places. Thanks for sharing...and I do want to know what happens!

    Thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. I've heard the author (Robert Dugoni) speak at several Pacific Northwest Writers' conferences, but this is the first book of his I've read. He's a dynamic speaker and writer.

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  7. It's been a while since I've left "cozy" land, but this one sounds really good!

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    1. "Cozy" land is a great place to be, but I think you'll enjoy this book too.

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  8. I love legal thrillers, but somehow missed this one. I'll definitely check it out. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Robert Dugoni has written quite a few legal thrillers. (He was an attorney before he became an author.) Check out his author page on Amazon.

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  9. I wasn't a fan of legal thrillers either, until I read The Dead Will Tell by Linda Castillo (SO good!)

    The prose to this one sounds really good! I'm wondering if the "It" toy is referencing Stephen King's It; if so, creepy!

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    1. I'll look for The Dead Will Tell. Thanks for mentioning it.

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  10. I enjoy legal thrillers, but since Im a lawyer myself sometimes I can get out of a story if I theres inaccurate law or practices!! But this does sound intriguing

    Thanks for Visiting My blog

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    1. Since Robert Dugoni was an attorney, I imagine he gets the details right!

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  11. I wonder if this absence of memories will play into the mystery of the novel. Happy reading and have a lovely weekend!

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    1. I don't want to give away anything, but you can check out the "look inside" feature on Amazon to find out more.

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  12. I could imagine it's never good to drink that much, especially if you can't remember anything from the night before! Hope you have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by my blog today! :)

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    1. I'm sure you're right, but there's more than too much booze going on in this instance.

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  13. It sounds intriguing but I don't usually read legal thrillers.
    Happy weekend!

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  15. Hurting to blink doesn't sound good. :)

    ENJOY this read.

    Have a good weekend.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Book Beginnings

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  16. I've found myself interested in thrillers lately and this sounds like a good one! From the sounds of the beginning someone is having a bad day and I'm guessing it's only going to get worse!

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    1. To read more of the opening, check out the "look inside" feature on Amazon.

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  17. Sounds interesting! Historically, I haven't done all that well with thrillers. I have too active of an imagination to stop reading at a cliffhanger. But they also tend to be longer books that I can't finish in a day's time! I hope you enjoy the next thriller just as much

    ~Lenna
    http://lennajennie.wordpress.com

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  18. Not my genre, but I hope you're enjoying it. It looks interesting though :)

    BookBeginning@EverythingNyze

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  19. You got my attention right away. I get that type of aura and pain from migraines. Poor guy! This does sound like a good read.

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  20. I know exactly how that first line feels like. This sounds like a good exciting thriller!

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