Vindication (A Matt Royal Mystery) by H. Terrell Griffin Published January 2nd 2018 by Oceanview Publishing was a very interesting read.
Former attorney Matt Royal is enjoying his “retirement” on Longboat Key when he receives a telephone call from his girlfriend Jennifer Diane Duncan who is a detective and takes a few weeks off to help Matt resolve Aunt Esther’s situation. Nothing takes you out of retirement quicker then the person you love or there family needing help. Her aunt Esther Higgins has been arrested for the murder of writer Olivia Lathom. That is the first book by this author that I have read and it was a nice quick read. The prologue confused me because I was like what does a Miss Georgia pageant have to do with Aunt Esther’s book? This book is well written and brilliantly paced, it is a murder mystery until the last page. All the characters are likeable and the descriptions make me want to visit Florida more often. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future. I give it 4 Royal Stars. Thank you Negalley, Oceanview and H Terrell Griffin for my arc of this book I enjoyed it.
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Is this a really bad cozy mystery, an pretend thriller, or a truly lame courtroom drama? It's all three so decide which of these descriptions dismays you most and then triple the effect.

The cozy part comes from the aimless and nearly endless description of the hopelessly banal life in the paradise which is west Florida around Sarasota. Matt Royal retired there at an early-ish age and loves it and loves it and it's so perfect he loves it. Endless beer and sunshine and the caresses of his sweetie who is so perfect except she loves him for some unfathomable reason. Endless descriptive text of sunrises and sunsets and jogs on the beach and beer with his buddies.

The thriller bit is drawn from Matt's irrelevant prior military service (green beret, medal winner) and his buddy the super spy (who has a direct line to the US President for gosh sake). Three, count them three, unrelated characters who work for military intelligence. Gloried worship of ex-military personnel, and two of the the most pathetic shakedown attempts in print.

The courtroom drama is a simple recitation of the steps of a murder trial of a woman who should never have been arrested. In it we find out that a huge amount of work had been going on off screen without our knowledge. Piles of depositions taken "weeks before" at some never explained spare moment. The defendant's laptop is found and processed without our knowledge. (I had already done a text search to be sure that Royal had not collected it, when suddenly it popped up in the courtroom.)

And finally, the solution to the mystery is so improbable that you will want to cry out in anguish at the lost hours of your life.

I received a review copy of "Vindication" by H. Terrell Griffin (Oceanview) through NetGalley.com. ( )

Griffin is an author that leaves bread crumbs along a path for the reader to follow. Excellent crime drama with likable characters that travel through the pages in a smooth and entertaining format. This being the eleventh book in the Matt Royal series it has no problem being a stand alone. Matt is a retired lawyer who has found the spice of life as a beach bum. His girl friend J.D's aunt Esther has been arrested for murder and Matt is putting his shorts away to come to her rescue. Loved the way that Griffin left clues but kept the mystery moving till the very last page. All the evidence was gathered and justice was served in this case. "A copy of the book was provided by Oceanview Publishing via Netgalley with no requirements for a review. All comments here are my honest opinion." Would not hesitate reading any of the others in this series. ( )

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Matt, a former lawyer, is persuaded out of retirement to defend his girlfriend's aunt Esther on a murder charge. I gather that this is part of a series where Matt's services are regularly required. In this case Esther is accused of shooting a woman who she claims stole the manuscript of her novel, but whom she also claims never to have even met.

After a rather slow opening few chapters set in the past and focussing on a Miss Georgia pageant, things picked up once the focus switched to Matt and his girlfriend JD. There was a large chunk in the first person in Matt's voice, and then a sudden switch to the third person from JD's perspective, which was jarring. After that the narrative switched regularly between Matt, JD and Josh, with his useful government contacts. I liked Matt and his humorous, easy relationships with his friends. The novel was well-plotted, with the pageant story eventually being drawn into the main narrative, although only eventually - it kept me guessing. The last few chapters described the trial, which I always enjoy reading - these reminded me of a Perry Mason novel, although we did have more of an idea of what was going to happen. There were a few very heartfelt and moving sections about veterans and serving armed forces personnel, which somehow fitted with the otherwise light tone.

My only complaints would be a certain amount of repetition - we heard about the time of the year after the snowbirds had gone home at least three times - and an inability on the part of the editor to distinguish between principal and principle.

Recommended. ( )