Wild Justice

Written by Phillip Margolin

Narrated by Anna Fields

Performed by Anna Fields
8 1/2 hours/6 cassettes, unabridged

Seven years ago, Phillip Margolin seized the imagination of thriller readers everywhere with his chilling breakout bestseller, Gone, but Not Forgotten. After five subsequent New York Times bestsellers, Margolin now returns to the haunting terrain of Gone, but Not Forgotten with a mesmerizing tour de force of psychological suspense, an electrifying tale of revenge and retribution that shows a master storyteller at the very peak of his craft.

Thursday: Subject is still combative after four days of applied pain, sleep deprivation and minimal food.

Vice squad detective Bobby Vasquez, for months on the trail of a slippery underworld figure, receives an anonymous tip that directs him to a mountain cabin. He races through the idyllic Oregon woods, expecting to close the book on a long-standing vendetta. What he finds instead opens a Pandora's box of horror that will haunt him to his dying day.

8:10: Subject bound and gaffed and placed in upstairs closet at end of hall. Turned out lights in house, drove off, then parked and doubled back. Watched from woods.

Within hours, Vincent Cordoni -- a brilliant surgeon with a history of violence and drug abuse -- is arrested for a heinous crime. Facing a seemingly insurmountable wall of evidence, he turns to Portland's top criminal defense attorney, Frank Jaffe-who, along with his ambitious daughter, Amanda, must put on an inspired defense. Amanda's first taste of criminal defense work is as intoxicating as it is chilling, but it raises moral questions she's loath to address. Is she defending an innocent man? Or is she using her considerable skills to set a monster free? Then Cardoni disappears under bizarre circumstances. Four years later, a second set of murders has begun ....

8:55: Subject exits house, naked and barefoot, armed with kitchen knife. Remarkable strength of character. Breaking her will be a challenge.

Has Cardoni resurfaced to ply his deadly trade anew? Is there a copycat killer? Or has the real killer been someone else all along? The police will do everything they can to stop Cardoni -- but they have to find him first.

Following a twisting trail of clues, including a harrowing diary that clinically records the killer's horrible deeds, Amanda Jaffe and Bobby Vasquez join the hunt-and themselves become targets of the twenty-first century's first genuinely monstrous psychopath.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 23, 2004
• ISBN: 9780060755751

Phillip Margolin

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.

[Jessica January · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a great page Turner. Took me less than a week to finish this book.

[Rachel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book isnt too bad. I guessed the killer fairly early. However, I have to say- the reason I enjoy Phillip Margolin is because I'm from the area and I usually can visualize the areas he's writing about. But when the audio book narrator/reader uses east coast accents for the cops/detectives or the mafioso/thug characters it takes away from that. Coming across an east coast accent is pretty rare in the PNW and seems so cliche to read those parts in such an accent.

[burritapal · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was just so-so.
Not that I myself have managed to write a book.

[susandennis-139327 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have enjoyed Margolin's previous books but I don't think I've liked any as much as I did this one. Surgeon's selling body parts on the black market, torture for revenge, legal wranglings to get obviously guilty guys off… this story has it all and it's really laid out well. An excellent read.

[CharlieParker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very entertaining novel where criminal lawyers have to deal with a complicated case.
It's hard to review this book without revealing key clues about the plot, so I'm not going to say anything. If I read it without knowing anything at all, you can too.

I can say that it's an ideal novel to read in a group; the bolder ones will quickly present their theories about the case, "it's this way, it's that way..." The more cautious will say, "well, I don't know if it's that way or this way..." and those who are unsure won't respond, they'll surely wait to see what others say ?

Come on, it's a book recommended by @tgaliana, who knows a thing or two about this, just over 300 pages, and you'll have good moments with it. (Translated from Spanish)

[tiffanyak_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had to knock off a star because I guessed the identity of the killer far in advance of it being revealed as even a possibility. That being said, this was a quite entertaining murder mystery thriller that was well worth reading. I enjoyed reading it, and while I wouldn't be likely to read it again, I would recommend it to others.

[dbower_21 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read Gone but Not Forgotten a few years ago and loved it but for some reason never picked up any more of this author's books. I recently picked up Wild Justice and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an easy read with great characters and a good storyline. Although the ending is not totally unpredictable you do need to follow the clues to figure it out. I definitely recommend this book.