Vindication

H. Terrell Griffin

Jan 2018 · Oceanview Publishing

About this ebook

Best-Selling and Award-Winning Author

Cold-blooded murder in Florida's "friendliest" retirement community—The Villages

In this John Grisham style mystery, Matt Royal, the retired lawyer-turned-beach-bum is called back into the courtroom to defend his girlfriend J.D. Duncan's Aunt Esther, who lives in the sprawling North Central Florida retirement community of The Villages. A best-selling author has been murdered after a book signing, and Aunt Esther has been arrested. Matt has a history with the local sheriff—one which may not bode well for his client.

Matt reluctantly suits up for the courtroom, and J.D. takes a leave from the police department to go undercover. A bizarre specter from the past haunts their investigation every step of the way.

As they delve further into the case, the pieces of the puzzle refuse to fall into any kind of coherent pattern. Jock Algren arrives with his special skill set to expose the real murderer and free Aunt Esther, but to no avail.

Not until the case goes to trial and the evidence is revealed does the truth emerge—and a strange kind of justice prevails.

The perfect blend of a Michael Connelly police procedural and a John Grisham legal thriller

While all of the novels in the Matt Royal Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

Blood Island
Wyatt's Revenge
Bitter Legacy
Collateral Damage
Fatal Decree
Found
Chasing Justice
Mortal Dilemma
Vindication

Ratings and reviews

Matt Royal is a retired lawyer -turned beach bum. He finds himself called back into the legal system when his girlfriend's aunt is arrested for murder. Aunt Esther lives in a retirement community in Florida. She is accused of murdering a sort - of friend who lives in the same area. She was shot in the back and dumped in a parking lot. The victim was a best-selling author and had just finished a book signing. Things don't look good for Aunt Esther. The murder weapon is found in her house with her fingerprints all over the gun and bullets. She was heard saying that she was going to kill the victim the day before she was shot. Matt has his hands full, as well as trying to find a way to beat these charges. The local sheriff and Matt have a history ... and not a good one. And there are people who aren't who people believe they are. It is only when Esther goes to trial that the puzzle pieces begin to fall in some kind of order. I really enjoy a good legal thriller ... especially when it is well-written and not a Perry Mason moment anywhere to be seen. Matt Royal is a great character, as is his girlfriend, J. D. who is also a law enforcement officer. I love how they interact with each other, as well as with their friends. One of them is Jock, who's a sniper for an unnamed company. Murder is serious, but there's always room for a little humor and the author writes it well. This is book 11 in a series .... and it does well as a stand alone. I have read some of his earlier books and found all of them to be engaging, filled with twists and turns and surprising endings. Many thanks to the author / Oceanview Publishing / Netgalley / Edelweiss for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

About the author

H. Terrell Griffin, a former board-certified civil trial lawyer and soldier, is the award-winning and best-selling author of ten Matt Royal mysteries set on the Florida Gulf Coast island of Longboat Key, and now Vindication, which takes place in The Villages in Central Florida. He and his wife, Jean, divide their time between their homes in Maitland, Florida, and Longboat Key, Florida.