Plea of Insanity

could not put the book down!

very well researched! cant wait to read her other books.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Jillaine Hoffman has hit the mark this time . . .

. . and provided the reader with a taunt legal thriller. The author's attention to detail regarding schizophrenia and her sensitivity towards it is unlike most writers treatment of the subject in a courtroom drama. This reader has a family member who has suffered from schizophrenia most of her adult life. I wept during the passage between Julia and the priest handing her brother's funeral. The plot was tighter in this book than her last one and it renews my faith in this writer. Good job!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Weak and teary

What a disappointment. I finished the book, but frankly, reading a book about a silly woman who lets herself be used by an assortment of people was not what I was expecting from this author. The premise that this weepy, hysterical, foolish woman could actually give any kind of forceful opening argument in a trial court was only one of the unbelievable events in this sad little story. Just one more example of how far wrong fiction authors can go if instead of telling a story they try to sell a cause. Sadly, this almost looks like a set up for a future novel - one I would advise against wasting money on...

excellent book - I highly recommend it!

As always, Jilliane Hoffman holds your interest throughout the book. Her characters are bigger than life. She offers twists and turns at every corner. I would definitely recommend reading this book!

Nothing to like.

There was nothing to look forward to through the entire book. Of course she would stay involved with the worthless guy. Of course the case would unhinge her. Of course her brother was in the situation he was in. The woman cried the entire second half of the book. Enough already. Give me something that lets me think and gives me a reason to continue reading. This was not it. Latarroni was the only real and likeable character in this muddy mess.

A disappointment

Ms Hoffman's previous books were excellent reads. The latest effort seems just that- an effort. The characters never really came "alive".

Thrilling, a must read

A page turner with twists & turns along the way. Couldn't put down.

This book far surpassed anything I had expected.

Julia Vacanti had been raised by her aunt and uncle from the time she was thirteen. Her brother, a schizophrenic, had killed their parents. At twenty-eight, Julia was a DA in Miami and sleeping with Rick Bellido, the big shot in the DA's office. Rick requested Julia as the back-up in the case of a doctor who was pleading insanity in the murder of his family. The author's descriptions of the murders, her interactions with her brother, and the personality clashes of the main characters, make this a book you have to race through. After reading this book, I feel that I have gained insight into a frightening illness and a new respect for the "little" people in the law.

This excellent legal thriller focuses on the title subject, but does so with a fabulous creative twist

In Miami twenty-eight year old Miami assistant state attorney Julia Vacanti leads the prosecution team in the highly visible homicide case of surgeon David Marquette. The doctor stands trial in the stabbing deaths of his wife and their two older children, and in the smothering thing of their baby. The defense team admits he killed his family, but plea insanity due to schizophrenia.

While the prosecution tries to prove Marquette knew right from wrong and is just faking a mental illness to elude the death penalty, Julia thinks of her sibling Andrew Citro, who when she was a preadolescent and he a teen was convicted of killing their parents. He remains locked away in an asylum for the criminally insane in New York. Feeling the cases are similar although the prosecutor also ponders if Marquette is a clever serial killer who committed homicides long before his mass murder of his family, Julia contacts Andrew for the first time since he killed their parents.

This excellent legal thriller focuses on the title subject, but does so with a fabulous creative twist as the heroine wonders if schizophrenia is genetic. The gripping courtroom scenes are top rate, but it is the communication between the siblings for the first time in over a decade and a half that grabs the audience. The former brings legal tension and insight into the trial process; but the latter brings greater tension and insight into the fears of Julia. Jilliane Hoffman provides an excellent character driven tale with a profound look at a PLEA OF INSANITY.

Harriet Klausner

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.