David Sloane bumps into Barclay Reid as he is leaving an evening meeting at which he spoke. She was the lawyer for Kendall Toys in one his other cases, which she lost. After hitting it off for a couple of days, she asks him to represent her in a wrongful death suit against a drug dealer Filyp Vasiliev who has just gotten off on a trial for drug trafficking when the judge throws out the major evidence due to an over enthusiastic search warrant. A few days later, Vasiliev is found shot in the head in his house. Barclay is charged with his murder since her footprint is the same size as the shooter, she wears the same brand of running shoe, and is seen by a 16-year old returning from the ocean through an easement next to his house at 3:30am the morning of the murder. The book follows David and Barclay's relationship and David, Charles and Alex Jenkins, and his law partners' quest for information about the crime and their efforts to prove her innocent. ( )

Robert Dugoni's latest David Sloane legal thriller is actually more of a mystery than a thriller. But that isn't a bad thing. The author is in top storytelling form, weaving a complex plot that has the reader turning pages and trying to guess whodunit right up to the very end.

In previous novels, Sloane has gone up against government and corporate conspiracies with long arms and deep pockets that threaten his life and the lives of the people he cares about. There seemed to be dangers at every turn. Now, a year after his wife was murdered by someone involved in one of those cases, he goes back to work and tries to get back to living.

Before he knows it, he's romantically involved with Barclay Reid, another lawyer and former adversary. She's accused of murdering a drug kingpin she blames for the tragic overdose death of her daughter. Sloane is put in the position of defending her in a criminal case, something he's never done. As the investigation unfolds, all of the evidence indicates that Barclay is guilty. Sloane and his private investigator friend Charles Jenkins struggle to make the all the pieces fit and find the real killer. At least this time the adversaries are straight-shooting cops and the legal system and some uncooperative witnesses. Sloane's heart and integrity are on the line, even if his life is not.

Murder One is a fine addition to the David Sloane series. Dugoni has filled it with colorful characters and local details that add life and depth to what might otherwise have been a dry police procedural. Highly recommended. ( )

This is another good mystery/suspense by Robert Dugoni. This legal thriller has many twists in the story and leaves the reader guessing until the end. Story dragged on in the first half.... I just wanted it to move on. second half was thrilling. I enjoyed it. ( )

I enjoyed MURDER ONE. Dugoni has a fluid writing style and a confident voice and shows them both in good measure. I was less impressed with the story though - a little too much coincidence and suspension of belief for me. Still, worth the effort. Recommended. ( )

David Sloan begins dating fellow attorney Barclay Reid. Then she's accused of murdering a drug dealer and Sloan takes on his first criminal case defending her. This is part of a series and I haven't read any other books in the series but the book worked well on its own. A good legal thriller. ( )