Review by LallaGatta -- Blanket Immunity
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Review by LallaGatta -- Blanket Immunity
[Following is a volunteer review of "Blanket Immunity" by Adam Van Susteren.]
As I am a crime and legal thriller fan, I delved into Blanket Immunity by Adam Van Susteren with a certain gusto and anticipation. The result was not quite what I had expected, yet I enjoyed it in spite of a few editing flaws and of the sometimes-confused plot. This is the reason why I rate it 3 out of 4 stars.
But let me begin with a quick synopsis.
Lawyer Joanna (Jo) P. Channing is about to make major changes in her life. After unsuccessfully running as a judge, she quits her job as prosecutor, opens her own law firm and meets Dzuy Gong, a software engineer.
If Dzuy quickly becomes more than a friend, the initial clients of Jo's new law firm don't seem to be model citizens. The first is a cop accused of stalking and raping a woman. The second is already sitting in jail on the charge of drug possession with intent to distribute. The third is a shady character waist-deep in even shadier deals that need legal representation.
The rule is that they're all innocent until proven guilty and no one is more adamant about it than her first client who demands that Jo work out an Immunity deal with the D.A. But this is just the start of a complicated new dance for Jo who will have to learn to walk the fine line between legality and illegality in order to survive.
My main disappointment with Blanket Immunity is that there’s little in the way of classic investigation and even less court action. The story focuses more on Jo's attempts at balancing all the new things in her life, although it seems odd that a lawyer with five years’ experience as a public defender should have so much trouble handling her new clients.
Her new boyfriend is sweet, but their involvement proceeds at an unrealistically fast pace as if it were a fairytale come true.
My biggest concern is with the plot itself. Since there are so many things happening at once, I have at times felt confused about what exactly is going on and how events and people are tied together. And the misspelling of Dzuy into Duzy on top of the typos doesn't help much in the clarity department.
So not professionally edited, still there are many favorable points that justify my rating of 3 out of 4 stars.
I'm not going to say that the last scene is almost worth the entire book, but I appreciate the multi-cultural background portrayed here, and the way the author addresses this particular aspect, without any emphasis to force the reader's attention on it. More than that, Mr. Van Susteren imbues the novel with a sense of family, of people supporting one another even beyond the classic family ties, which has drawn me in more than the actual storyline. Like with Joanna herself, who comes off as naive at times and way too trusting, yet it makes her more likeable, more human in a way. Or like with the implausible fairytale-come-true that sounds so outdated, but the characters make it work somehow. With straightforward, simple language without vulgarism or profanity, the author describes it all in such a way that makes me feel warm all over even now that I've finished reading.
Not to mention that the question, “Did we sex?” will remain with me forever lol
This is the first book of a series, so I encourage readers of the genre who also enjoy a romantic twist to pick it up and start reading.
******
Blanket Immunity
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
As I am a crime and legal thriller fan, I delved into Blanket Immunity by Adam Van Susteren with a certain gusto and anticipation. The result was not quite what I had expected, yet I enjoyed it in spite of a few editing flaws and of the sometimes-confused plot. This is the reason why I rate it 3 out of 4 stars.
But let me begin with a quick synopsis.
Lawyer Joanna (Jo) P. Channing is about to make major changes in her life. After unsuccessfully running as a judge, she quits her job as prosecutor, opens her own law firm and meets Dzuy Gong, a software engineer.
If Dzuy quickly becomes more than a friend, the initial clients of Jo's new law firm don't seem to be model citizens. The first is a cop accused of stalking and raping a woman. The second is already sitting in jail on the charge of drug possession with intent to distribute. The third is a shady character waist-deep in even shadier deals that need legal representation.
The rule is that they're all innocent until proven guilty and no one is more adamant about it than her first client who demands that Jo work out an Immunity deal with the D.A. But this is just the start of a complicated new dance for Jo who will have to learn to walk the fine line between legality and illegality in order to survive.
My main disappointment with Blanket Immunity is that there’s little in the way of classic investigation and even less court action. The story focuses more on Jo's attempts at balancing all the new things in her life, although it seems odd that a lawyer with five years’ experience as a public defender should have so much trouble handling her new clients.
Her new boyfriend is sweet, but their involvement proceeds at an unrealistically fast pace as if it were a fairytale come true.
My biggest concern is with the plot itself. Since there are so many things happening at once, I have at times felt confused about what exactly is going on and how events and people are tied together. And the misspelling of Dzuy into Duzy on top of the typos doesn't help much in the clarity department.
So not professionally edited, still there are many favorable points that justify my rating of 3 out of 4 stars.
I'm not going to say that the last scene is almost worth the entire book, but I appreciate the multi-cultural background portrayed here, and the way the author addresses this particular aspect, without any emphasis to force the reader's attention on it. More than that, Mr. Van Susteren imbues the novel with a sense of family, of people supporting one another even beyond the classic family ties, which has drawn me in more than the actual storyline. Like with Joanna herself, who comes off as naive at times and way too trusting, yet it makes her more likeable, more human in a way. Or like with the implausible fairytale-come-true that sounds so outdated, but the characters make it work somehow. With straightforward, simple language without vulgarism or profanity, the author describes it all in such a way that makes me feel warm all over even now that I've finished reading.
Not to mention that the question, “Did we sex?” will remain with me forever lol
This is the first book of a series, so I encourage readers of the genre who also enjoy a romantic twist to pick it up and start reading.
******
Blanket Immunity
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Weeping Woman of Putten by Alyce Bailey
