Judgment Day

By: Sheldon Siegel

Narrated by: Tim Campbell

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

New York Times best-selling author Sheldon Siegel returns with a harrowing new case for the San Francisco law firm of Daley and Fernandez.

As husband and wife, Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez couldn't make it work. But as partners in one of San Francisco's most tenacious law firms, Daley and Fernandez make one hell of a team.

Judgment Day finds the ex-spouses tackling their most difficult case yet. Called in at the last minute to try to stop the execution of Nathan Fineman, a former mob lawyer convicted of murdering three people in the back room of Chinatown's notorious Golden Dragon Restaurant, Mike and Rosie must race the clock in a desperate attempt to prove their client's innocence. With only 10 days to go and a wealth of forensic evidence pointing overwhelmingly to Fineman's guilt, their task seems impossible. Complicating matters, Mike must battle his own personal demons when the reputation of his dead father - a San Francisco cop who was one of the first officers at the scene the night of the murders - is called into question.

And as the plot hurtles toward its stunning denouement, judgment day is fast approaching not only for Nate Fineman, but for Mike's father and the law firm of Daley and Fernandez as well.

©2008 Sheldon M. Siegel, Inc. (P)2017 Sheldon M. Siegel, Inc.

Innocent & on death row...

This is book 6 in the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez legal mystery series. I've been listening to this series and HIGHLY RECOMMEND all of the books so far. I can only assume that the rest of the books are of this same caliber.
I won't restate the plot as I think the synopsis does that adequately. I will say that this book is complex and there are a few names and relationships to keep track of. This is a multiplayer plot with the characters very well fleshed out, right down to a jail house snitch with a story of corruption. Daley and Fernandez must follow 10 year old clues to find the truth. Very interesting, solid legal/courtroom mystery that leaves no questions unanswered.
Tim Campbell does an excellent job narrating.
Cannot RECOMMEND this book enough.
If you found this review helpful please indicate so.
Thank You.

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Oh No! Only Hours Remain... GULP!

This is one of those count-down adventures. You know, '... only seconds remain until... 10... 9... 8..." Normally I'd rebel against this sort of showy manipulation. But Sheldon Segel's roasted this old chestnut legal-suspense thriller gimmick and turned it into the best Daley/Fernandez adventure so far. Not to worry, I've given nothing away since their clock starts ticking on the very first pages. I especially liked it that Tim Campbell doesn't revert to a breathless reading, instead he teases the suspense at a pace calculated to actually keep it in the background while building upon Siegel's plot twists.

Here's a good adventure, nicely told and narrated. Satisfying stuff from a pro team all about a pro-team doing their job without some arch villain over-acting all-over the text.

Great legal escape here. What the heck... I give it 15 stars.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

A Race Against The Clock

As the wheels of justice turns, Mike and Rosie races against the clock to stop the execution of a man they believe to be innocent. But the forensic evidence points overwhelmingly to their client's guilt, and their success seems unlikely.

While the listener may know that Mike and Rosie will win the race, but it's the path to that win that keeps the listener on the edge of their seat because that path is fraught with a wealth of obstacles including forensic evidence against the man's innocence.

Mike and Rosie have been divorced for over 10 years, they have a 14 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. In doing the math, you can see that the birth of their son is evident to their continuous love affair. They can't live together but they continue to love each other.

I've really enjoyed the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez series. The stories are well written and suspenseful with colorful characters. Tim Campbell's narration adds to the enjoyment.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Another superb legal thriller by Sheldon Siegel!

The Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez series consists of 8 novels. For the first seven original release dates are between the years 2000 and 2010 with the eighth, Felony Murder Rule, being released in 2017. Only the fourth and 8th novels in the series were released in audio format when the original novels were released; indeed, most of the others were first released in audio format in 2017. Only novel 7, Perfect Alibi, has not yet been released in audio format. This novel, judgment Day, was first released in 2008 and first released in audio format ten days ago.

The novels in this series are set in San Francisco. Protagonists Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez are law partners in their own firm. At the time of this book in 2008 they had been divorced for more than 10 years and had a 14 year old daughter and 2 year old son. Even after divorce they have maintained their monogamous sexual relationship with each other because they are still in love; they just cannot live under the same roof.

Judgment Day is about a lawyer who is going to be executed in 2 weeks for murders he was convicted of decades earlier. They decided to take his case and try to stop the execution. Although California has not executed a person since 2006, at the time that this novel was written the state had executed 13 people during the prior decade.

I really enjoy this well written and suspenseful series with its colorful and unusual characters. Tim Campbell's narration adds to the enjoyment.

9 of 12 people found this review helpful

Confusing

The story line was good but the narration left a lot to be desired. Thus the reason for the confusion. He will talk about one person as a she then says it's a he throughout the book. Makes you wonder if you missed something.

Getting better

I like the series, and I think this was one of the best so far. My only quibble is that I intensely dislike Grace. She came off as unbelievingly precocious and bratty at age 5 and has moved on to plain bratty. I won’t mind when she goes away to college, perhaps in Nepal since she has no role in the story lines anyway. Love the narrator who makes me love PI Nick.

Intricate plot, although predictable outcome.

This is #6 in the series, and the best of the three that I have listened to. The plot is fairly intricate, although there is little doubt about the outcome, no matter how little time remaining. Siegel tends to reveal crucial facts only at the very end, so it is almost impossible to guess how the mystery will resolve itself, a weakness in the telling. Nevertheless, it held my interest, and the main characters and their families are interesting.

Tim Campbell is a good but not great reader. I liked Stephen Hoye better.

A little too dramatic and drawn out

The dialog between their 14 year old daughter with attitude is a little too dramatic.

The premise is fine. I listened to the whole thing but was not really enthralled. I was begging for it to end in the predictable way that it did.

A talented writer. Book 1 was very good - Competing good and bad reviews made me skip to book six. Skipping now to book eight based on other reviews

J

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Ho hum

Meh. Just droned on and on. Not very exciting at all. Not an interesting book.

0 of 2 people found this review helpful

Wow!

This series is gripping and enthralling. But this particular book has been the best so far! The whole landscape has changed yet again and no one will be the same.

The next in the series will have a lot to beat...