The Criminal Mind (The Good Lawyer Series)

"An indelible cast enhances this sharp, measured mystery."-Kirkus Reviews "Our verdict. Get It." Kirkus Reviews *****Editor's note: Third in a series that has sold over 1 million copies , The Criminal Mind is Thomas Benigno's darkest and most disturbing novel to date. Frightening and heart warming at the same time, the authors he has admired the most--John Grisham, Stephen King and even Pat Conroy--rise from the ashes of this heart pounding page turner to make this novel Benigno's best. Readers Favorite Review 5 STARS: "Superbly written, The Criminal Mind by Thomas Benigno is a sensational novel in the Nick Mannino series. Filled with mystery and suspense, it is a riveting story with an intricate plot, complex story line, and intriguing characters. Spellbinding twists coil throughout, coming to a horrifying and heart-stopping conclusion. Distinctive characters who have acute moral, physical, emotional, and mental issues add context to the story line. Their contrasting personalities, challenges, and attitudes give the plot definition and balance. Although this is the third book in the series, the book does well as a standalone. Nick's previous exploits that are relevant to the plot ease into the story line without interrupting the flow of the story. Engaging and intense, it is a gripping novel with a compelling and suspenseful plot that promises to thrill fans of mystery, thrillers, and suspense." Praise for The Good Lawyer " SMASHING LEGAL THRILLER DEBUT" "Benigno's first effort is a crafty legal page-turner, just as good in the courtroom as it is outside..."xa0xa0xa0 xa0xa0xa0 xa0- Kirkus Reviews "This one scared the briefs off me. Make room Grisham, legal suspense has a new senior partner."xa0xa0xa0 xa0xa0xa0 xa0xa0xa0 xa0xa0xa0-Mike Shain, The New York Post Praise for The Criminal Lawyer "In the end (we)eventually confront the killer in a scene that'sxa0relentless in its ferocity...Wisely, Benigno doesn't save every twist until theend; indeed, one or two happen early on, and even when the case seemsall but resolved, there are still a couple of doozies to come...inthisxa0surprising thriller."- Kirkus Reviews Excerpt © Copyright Thomas Benigno 2021 Reprinted with permission . It was 8:00 a.m. and the ground was still wet from the rain.The tractor's shovel bore deeper than the driver intended, and when itrose into the air, the rectangular box of gray-aged wood was liftedbut otherwise undisturbed. It was a clean scoop, and when the excessdirt and rocks were shaken loose, the box remained largely unscathed. Ifnot for a break in the clouds and the early morning sun, it might havegone unnoticed, routinely dumped in a waiting truck to be hauled awayand dropped into an even larger pile of dirt, sand, and unearthed gravel. Diego was a Mexican American and a citizen of the United States for over fifteen years. The home he shared with his wife and five kids was in asuburb just outside Ithaca, New York. Every morning he woke up at4:00a.m. to start his shift at 7:00 a.m., seventy miles away outside thesmall town of Cartersville. This day, his foreman put him on the tractor. The last thing Diego wanted was to find a box in the dirt that resembled the coffin of a small child. Two years earlier, he had buried his son in one the same size. The boy had died of brain cancer and was three yearsold.xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0 At first, Diego thought he had found a hidden crateof rifles. He was tempted to put it back, bury it deeper,and not getinvolved as a witness against 'the wrong people.' Then he thought again.Perhaps these were the remains of someone whose family could not afford a proper burial. xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0 He leveled the shovel to just a few feetoff the ground. Arms wide, he stepped off the tractor, gritted his teethand gripped the sides of the box. It was lighter than he expected. Hegently placed it on the ground. After hesitating for a moment, he triedto lift the cover off. But it was nailed shut. He thought about callinghis foreman, who cared only about time and money and keeping on schedule, and then thought again. Although Diego feared the ramifications of what he might find, he was a religious man and would not be able to live with himself if he dumped the box without knowing.xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0 He climbedback on to the tractor, grabbed a large screwdriver from his tool bag,stepped off, and pried open the box only to have his worst fearrealized. xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0 Inside he found the skeleton of a young child, and alongside it, a tarnished copy of the children's book, Christmas Moon. A malicious undercurrent plagues the remote hamlet of Cartersville,New York, where children have been going missing for over half a century with no explanation or concern. When a disabled Vietnam veteran, reared in that town, collides in the heart of Manhattan with a teenagegirl suffering from multiple personality disorder and memories of beingtrapped in a locked wooden box as a child, their budding connectionslowly unravels memories that neither of them can leave in the past.xa0After two buried crates are unearthed at a remote construction site outsideCartersville with the bones of small boys inside them, andsimultaneously, another local child goes missing, Nick Mannino, The Good Lawyer , and Paul Tarantino, a high-class fixer and former secret service agent, are drawn into the fray. Together they explore the disappearance overthe years of not just one, but hundreds of children in and around thisquaint but peculiar town. With the help of a genius hacker, adedicated reporter, and the only witnesses to the crimes--the alternatepersonalities of the traumatized yet innocent teenager-- The Good Lawyer is about to embark on his most disturbing investigation yet: uncovering a sinister underground enterprise, and the criminal mind behind it. Thomas Benigno is a practicing attorney on Long Island, N. Y . After graduating Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in Manhattan in1979, at the behest of his Criminal Law Clinic Professor, Barry Scheck(who later obtained fame for representing O. J. Simpson) he wasfast-tracked to a position as Associate Attorney with the New York CityLegal Aid Society in the Bronx. While there he sought out and tackledthe grittiest of cases, even representing the infamous Spider-manRapist. He currently resides on Long Island where he is also engaged inthe private practice of law. THE CRIMINAL MIND is his third novel. ALSO AVAILABLE ON AMAZON: The Criminal Lawyer , #2 in The Good Lawyer series, based on real crimes that occurred on Long Island, and The Good Lawyer , the international bestseller inspired by a true story that started the series. Contact the author: Website: Benignobooks.com Instagram: ThomasBenignoauthor Twitter: @ThomasBenigno Facebook: Thomas Benigno Author Read more