Review: The Guilty Plea by Robert Rotenberg

In February I asked out loud on this blog where I might find a Canadian legal thriller. I was mindful of the fact that most such books appeared to originate in the USA, and that the market in the UK – where I was looking to break ground with Hatred, Ridicule & Contempt – was nowhere near as well supplied, regardless of the fact that the likes of Jeffrey Archer occasionally venture into the law (it has to be said that A Prisoner Of Birth is excellent).

This led me to find “The Guilty Plea” by Robert Rotenberg, a murder mystery set in Toronto. Wealthy businessman Terrance Wyler is brutally stabbed to death in his own home and the finger of suspicion points strongly at his ex-wife: should it?

I think this book, which I found thoroughly enjoyable, had two notable triumphs.  It kept me guessing throughout the first half as to where the anticipated twist was going to come in and how, and as the second half unfolded there was no way of working out the culprit until the very end. Many potential ones, and plenty of suspense.

So if Robert Rotenberg makes a breakthrough in the UK, on the strength of The Guilty Plea, it will be well deserved. Now then, how best for me to engineer one for Hatred, Ridicule & Contempt in Canada?