Product Description

Jack Swyteck, a brilliant Miami defense attorney has spent years rebelling against his father, Harry, now Florida's governor. Their estrangement seems complete when Harry allows one of Jack's clients -- a man Jack believes is innocent -- to die in the electric chair.

But when a psychopath bent on serving his own twisted version of justice places both Jack and Harry in extreme jeopardy, the two have nowhere to turn but to each other. Together they must find a way to overcome their cunning tormentor's manipulation . . . even as the stakes are being raised to far more perilous heights.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #155714 in Books
• Published on: 1995-11-01
• Released on: 1995-09-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 336 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780061092862
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Matters like realism and credibility take a back seat to high concept in this brisk but far-fetched first novel by a Florida attorney who poses a nifty question: What if a governor who favors the death penalty faced the prospect of allowing his own son to be executed for murder? In 1992, Florida governor Harold Swyteck allowed convicted killer Raul Fernandez to die in the electric chair despite the pleadings of his lawyer son, Jack, who claimed to have confidential proof that Fernandez was innocent. Now, in 1994, the man who supposedly gave Jack that proof-the man who claims to have committed the murder that was pinned on Fernandez-is blackmailing the governor by threatening to reveal that he let an innocent man die. Meanwhile, Jack has gotten an admitted killer, Eddie Goss, free on a technicality; when Goss is killed and all the evidence points to Jack as the murderer, the governor faces his dilemma: Will he sign his son's death warrant if he's convicted-or will he try to save him? Grippando's fast pacing obscures much plot manipulation and heavy-handed characterization. The novel's premise is compelling, but the structural holes sink this narrative. 75,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo; audio rights to HarperAudio; Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club and Mystery Guild alternates; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This first novel is yet another entry into the crowded legal thriller genre. Jack Swyteck, defense attorney, has for many years rebelled against his father, Harry, currently the governor of their state. The story begins with the denial by Harry of a request for a stay of execution for one of Jack's clients, which sets into play a series of events. First, Jack is arrested for murder, and then Harry is blackmailed and faced with political ruin. These events lead to a reconciliation between father and son, who must now pull together and face a vengeful psychopath. The action, while slow to get started, ultimately leads to a series of increasingly violent episodes. Recommended for libraries with large collections of mysteries or thrillers. [Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, and Mystery Guild alternates.]-Erna Chamberlain, SUNY at Binghamto.
--Erna Chamberlain, SUNY at Binghamton
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Jack Swyteck, son of Florida's law and order governor, Harry Swyteck, makes his living defending the very people his father has sworn to fry in the state's electric chair. The long-strained relationship between father and son seems irrevocably torn when the governor turns down his son's bid for an eleventh-hour commutation of a death sentence. But the death sentence Jack fails to stop unleashes a cunning psychopath bent on destroying father and son. Between the chilling opening scene of the hours before an inmate's execution and the climactic meeting between Jack and his nemesis, author Grippando, a Miami attorney, rachets the tension up every few pages. The Pardon is a promising, cleverly plotted, and taut first novel. Thomas Gaughan

Customer Reviews

A real thriller
What a excellent novel. I guess it takes a Lawyer to write one like this but I would guess he would be a homicide detective first. This is the fourth book of his I have read and never been disapointed. I have now ordered the second as of today. He rates right up with the best of the Legal/Thriller/Mystery writers that are in vogue at this time. Read it you will love it.

If I could give this a 5+, I would
I consider this to be one of the best novels I've ever read. This one had it all, (suspense, mystery, action, and drama). I was flipping through the pages wondering what would happen next. Talk about being "on the edge of my seat".

I've read off of his novels, and in my opinion, one cannot go wrong with a Grippando novel. And I believe this one ranks up there with his best. Read it and see for yourself. It'll be worth every minute and penny invested.

A "Hang On For Dear Life" Thrill Ride!
James Grippando has created a gripping spellbinder with "The Pardon." Believeable, multi-dimensional characters keep this story of legal twists and turns churning. Grippando keeps his readers guessing as his plot unfolds. Well written, intense, and frighteningly believeable. This may have been my first Grippando novel, but it surely won't be my last.