Ties That Bind (Amanda Jaffe Series Book 3)

“Mesmerizing … It’ll rope you in with its secret tapes, bribes, blackmail, sins of the past and beautiful plot twists.” From Booklist Young defense attorney Amanda Jaffe, still reeling from a near-death experience in Wild Justice (2000), doesn't know if she's ready to represent another violent criminal. Convinced that she can't run from the past forever if she plans to continue in defense work (in her hometown of Portland, Oregon), Amanda takes the case of Jon Dupre, a high-class pimp accused of murdering one of his lawyers and, worse, a U.S. senator. On the prosecution side is Tim Kerrigan, would-be perfect man but for a deep-rooted secret that makes his past success--winning the Heisman trophy, marrying the ideal woman, being tapped to replace the late senator--feel fraudulent. As Amanda digs to find evidence to exonerate her sleazy client, a strange pattern unfolds that involves high-powered men from business and the law; simultaneously, Tim taps into the same ring, and their discoveries converge in a thrilling climax that helps both heroes conquer their demons. Although the cast of characters grows a bit unwieldy, the novel is a showcase for Margolin's particular talents: intense action, unpredictable plot twists, embraceable (though, thankfully, flawed) heroes, and a powerful ending. Slick and convincing and sure to please thriller fans of all kinds. Mary Frances Wilkens Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Bestselling author Phillip Margolin brings back Portland lawyer Amanda Jaffe for a repeat performance (after Wild Justice ) in this mystery about a group of college killers who grow into a cadre of powerful political and business leaders bent on keeping their boyhood adventures concealed--as well as their present-day connection with a gang of cutthroat South American drug lords. There's big biotech money involved, enough to keep the so-called Vaughn Street Glee Club intent on making sure anyone who knows about their plans is silenced. Permanently, if necessary. It's up to Amanda to unmask the reason why the Glee Club is so anxious for her client Jon Dupre, the accused killer of a U.S. senator, to go down for murder. And what she learns about the lengths to which they'll go to keep their secrets, including killing members of their own family, threatens her life as well. Margolin strings a clumsy plot on a weak thread--why three affluent college boys become killers is never adequately explained--and the heroine, whose dogged perseverance is admirable, is otherwise too boring to capture the reader's interest. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Amanda Jaffe was a rising star in Portland's legal community until her well publicized battle with a brilliant sociopath—ironically the trial that made her famous—left her traumatized, filled with self-doubt, and wary of the limelight. But now she's agreed to handle a case no one else will touch. Her client, Jon Dupre, runs an upscale call-girl service and stands accused of murdering a high-profile U.S. senator. To Amanda, Dupre's story of an ultra-secret society of extremely powerful, dangerous, politically motivated men sounds like a criminal's desperate attempt to escape justice. But suddenly too many important people are pressuring her to drop the case . . . and too many people are dying. But Amanda will not surrender again to her fear. To get her life back, she'll follow this deadly juggernaut of an investigation wherever it leads her: to the graveyard, into the depths of hell . . . or to the highest office in the land. --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From Library Journal Defended by Wild Justice's Amanda Jaffe, the man who killed a senator who would be president has dirty secrets to share about several public officials. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Phillip Margolin has written nineteen novels, many of them New York Times bestsellers, including his latest novels Woman with a Gun, Worthy Brown’s Daughter, Sleight of Hand , and the Washington trilogy. Each displays a unique, compelling insider’s view of criminal behavior, which comes from his long background as a criminal defense attorney who has handled thirty murder cases. Winner of the Distinguished Northwest Writer Award, he lives in Portland, Oregon. Margaret Whitton's performing career includes extensive work on and off Broadway, numerous television appearances, and roles in such films as Major League , The Man Without a Face , and Ironweed . --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Ties That Bind CD By Phillip Margolin HarperAudio Copyright © 2003 Phillip MargolinAll right reserved. ISBN: 9780060532901 Chapter One United States Senator Chester Whipple, Republican from South Carolina, a staunch soldier of God, did not drink, a fact he regretted as he paced back and forth across the front room of his Georgetown town house. It was two in the morning; his investigator, Jerry Freemont, was three hours late, and prayer alone was not calming his nerves. The doorbell rang. Whipple rushed into the foyer, but he did not find his investigator standing on his front stoop when he opened the door. Instead, an elegantly dressed man, wearing an old school tie from Whipple's alma mater, smiled at him. The senator's visitor was of medium build and height. He wore his sandy hair slicked down; wire-rimmed glasses perched on a Roman nose. Whipple, a scholarship boy from a rural public school, disliked most of his privileged Harvard classmates, but they did not threaten him. In truth, Chester Whipple was a difficult man to frighten: he had the physical strength of a man who worked the land and the spiritual fortitude of one who never wavered in his faith. "Senator, I apologize for the intrusion at this late hour," the man said, handing Whipple his card. It announced that J. Stanton Northwood II was a partner in a prominent D.C. firm. Later that week, Whipple would discover that the firm employed no one by that name. "What do you want?" Whipple asked, genuinely puzzled and anxious for Northwood to leave before Jerry arrived. Whipple's visitor looked grim. "I'm afraid that I'm the bearer of bad news. May I come in?"Whipple hesitated, then led Northwood into the living room and motioned him into a seat. The lawyer leaned back, crossing his right leg over his left to expose freshly polished wingtips. "It's Mr. Freemont," Northwood said. "He's not coming." Whipple was confused. The lawyer looked solemn. "He was a fine investigator, Senator. He found the memo proving that several biotech companies contributed millions to a secret slush fund that Harold Travis is using to defeat the anti-cloning bill. Mr. Freemont also had pictorial and audio evidence that would have made a very persuasive case for criminal charges against Senator Travis and others. Unfortunately for you, he no longer has this evidence -- we do." Whipple was truly bewildered. He had no idea how Northwood knew about Jerry Freemont's assignment. "It's all very perplexing, isn't it?" Northwood said. "You're expecting your investigator to bring you the key to your presidential nomination, and I show up instead." He dipped his head in mock sympathy. "But surely you didn't think that my principals would just stand by quietly while you put us out of business?" The lawyer's condescension sparked Whipple's anger. He was a powerful man, feared by many, and he was not going to be patronized. "Where is Jerry Freemont?" he demanded, rising to his full height so that he towered over the lawyer. Northwood was not fazed. "I advise you to sit down," Whipple's visitor said. "You're in for a fairly strong shock." "Listen, you two-bit shyster, you've got ten seconds to tell me where Jerry is before I beat it out of you." "Let me show you," Northwood said as he pulled a snapshot out of his pocket and set it on the coffee table that separated him from the senator. "He was very brave. I want you to know that. It took several hours to convince him to tell us where he was hiding the evidence."Whipple was stunned. The photograph showed a man, barely recognizable as Jerry Freemont, suspended in air by a length of chain that bound his wrists. It was impossible to tell where the shot had been taken, but the bare beams and peaked roof suggested a barn. Only Freemont's torso and head were visible in the shot, but the cuts and burns on his body could be seen clearly. "Not a pretty sight," Northwood sighed. "But you need to know that my clients are very serious when they say that they will stop at nothing to achieve their ends." Whipple could not tear his eyes from the photograph. Jerry Freemont was a tough ex–state trooper, a dear friend who had been with the senator since his first run at political office twenty years earlier. Whipple's features suffused with rage, and his muscles bunched for action. Then he froze. Northwood was pointing a gun at his heart. "Sit," he said. Whipple hesitated for a moment. Northwood dropped two more photographs on the coffee table. The blood drained from the senator's face. "Your wife is a very handsome woman, and your granddaughter looks charming. She's five, isn't she?" "What have you . . . ?" "No, no. They're perfectly fine. If you cooperate, there will be absolutely nothing to worry about." Whipple's hands curled into fists but he stayed where he was, seething with impotent fury. "Please don't force me to shoot you, Senator. That wouldn't be good for you or my principals. And it certainly wouldn't save your family. If you think we'll forget about them once you're dead, you're mistaken." Whipple felt his strength and anger drain out of him. He slumped back onto his chair. "If you do as we say, you and your family will be safe." "What do you want?" Whipple asked. He sounded completely defeated.Northwood stood up. "Twenty years is a long time to be in politics, Senator. Maybe this would be a good time to retire so you can spend more time with your family. And you can do something for mankind as well by making certain that the anti-cloning bill doesn't make it out of your committee. There are some very fine companies trying to develop cures for disease through the use of cloning technology. When you think about how many sick people those companies can help I'm sure you'll see that your previous position on the bill was a mistake." Northwood pocketed the photographs. "Do we understand each other, Senator?"Whipple stared at the top of the coffee table. After a moment he nodded."I'm glad," Northwood said, sounding genuinely pleased. "Good evening."Whipple listened to the clack of Northwood's shoes as he crossed the parquet floor of the foyer, undid the latch, and stepped outside. He heard the front door swing shut -- a sound that signaled the end of a lifelong dream. Continues... Excerpted from Ties That Bind CD by Phillip Margolin Copyright © 2003 by Phillip Margolin. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From AudioFile The "ties" of the title are the relationships between drug lord Pedro Aragon and three well-to-do and well-connected members of Oregon's upper crust. George Guidall tells the story, from their meeting at a drug house in 1970 to their rise to ultimate power in 2003. Guidall's style has a knowing quality, whether he's speaking from the perspective of Hispanic thugs, brazen yuppies, or national politicos. Upscale pimp Jon Dupre is accused of killing a U.S. senator, and then, in a locked interview room, witnessed by a police guard, Dupre brutally stabs his court-appointed lawyer. The case seems open and shut. But for Defense Attorney Amanda Jaffe, the pieces don't add up. Her investigations begin to uncover old secrets and illicit ties that put her in a bind that might prove fatal. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Publishers Weekly Attorney-novelist Margolin's last feverish tale of Portland high crimes and low morals, Wild Justice, exposed defense attorney Amanda Jaffe to such brutal torture that this sequel finds her traumatized and withdrawn. Even rougher, the action is so convoluted and the cast of characters so large she nearly gets lost in the shuffle. Among the many vying with her for listener attention are Tim Harrigan, a popular state's attorney being groomed for "bigger things" but wallowing in self-loathing and sexual degradation; his overbearing father; a Hispanic gang lord with high-level protection; a drug dealer-pimp on trial for a murder he didn't commit; and that creaky pulp staple currently making a big fictional comeback, the secret society of evil power elitists. Amanda's cause is further thwarted by the choice of narrator on this unabridged audio edition. Guidall's seasoned voice has been put to excellent use on novels featuring male leads of a certain age (Lillian Jackson Braun's Cat Who... series [reviewed below] and Louis Bigley's About Schmidt). Here his mature tones work well for the cabal members and Harrigan's dad, but not for Harrigan, much less Amanda.-- and Louis Bigley's About Schmidt). Here his mature tones work well for the cabal members and Harrigan's dad, but not for Harrigan, much less Amanda.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Read more