No Lesser Plea

Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi, Book 1

By: Robert K. Tanenbaum

Narrated by: Traber Burns

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Roger "Butch" Karp has been around New York long enough to realize that the judicial system can be dirty and cynical. But he still believes in justice. So when a vicious sociopath tries to dodge a brutal murder charge by convincing the court he is incompetent to stand trial, Karp teams up with firecracker Assistant DA Marlene Ciampi to unleash the full force of their relentless energy, hardboiled wit, and passion for the truth to put the killer away for good. They will accept no lesser plea.

©1987 Robert K. Tanenbaum (P)2013 AudioGO

A great surprise

Great story and narrator. Parts are extremely funny. Others entirely too realistic and make one worry about our legal system

Slow start, but then really got rolling!

Where does No Lesser Plea rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I only listen to the best of Audible.Com so this ranks right up there with the rest. This was a fun listen. While the plot is about an attorney general's office, it would fit nicely into any business environment.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

It was hard at first to figure out where the plot was going, but pretty soon it became apparent that Carp was no ordinary lawyer. The plot began to boil when the very clever killer took out a liqour store owner.

What about Traber Burns’s performance did you like?

I thought he did a good job with the various voices. His drunk voice was great!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I never want to listen all in one sitting. The great thing about long audio books is the ability to pick them up over several days.

Any additional comments?

This is a great audio listen and I highly recommend it. It gets a bit foul in the mouth at times, but the language lends itself to the sense of high pressure the lawyers are under. The book is full of surprises and a bad guy who would appear to have everything all figured out. Well, until he came up against Carp's sense of ethics.

Great personalization of the legal system.

Great characters, interacting in a very relatable manner. Legal system drama without the pompous aire sometimes found in Grisham books. More along the lines of Lincoln Lawyer type of story from the prosecution side of the table.

Irritating voice

This may well be a good crime novel, but I found the reader's voice so grating that I just could not listen to it.

Very entertaining!

I read all these Butch Karp books years ago. Audible included this one as part of its membership. I forgot how funny it was. Wow, things in law enforcement have changed. Too bad. There's no joy. But Butch loves the law, no politics. Excellent.

wonderful book

It was very well written , all the characters were well performed, alot of laughs mixed in throughout the story .

Entertaining but, lots of filler

The basic story was fine but, interwoven in this story was too much nonsensical filler. I don't think big drunken orgies have to be a part of a good murder/suspense book.

Carp & Ciampi do it again

I have read two in this series and I have enjoyed them. I like the sparing between Carp & Ciampi. And his devotion to her even after being maimed, that's love! Good series, I will continue to read.

Wonderful characters

I love the narration, character development, supporting characters and the interesting storyline. Although there were many characters they fit well together.

Wow, I am surprised that this book has four stars.

What would have made No Lesser Plea better?

The story could have been a good one if it was not completely overcome with sophomoric crass locker room talk. If he would have focused on the story it could have been quite good.

Would you ever listen to anything by Robert K. Tanenbaum again?

Not if this is an indication of his writing.

What about Traber Burns’s performance did you like?

Yes, the book was very well narrated.

Any additional comments?

I thought this was supposed to be a psychological thriller, not what seems like the talk of high school boys when their parents aren't around.