Review: Indefensible by Pamela Callow
[Kate Lange 2]
When Elise Vanderzell plummets from her bedroom balcony one gorgeous summer night, her children awaken to a nightmare.THEIR MOTHER IS DEAD. THEIR FATHER IS CHARGED WITH HER MURDER.
Lawyer Kate Lange knows all about nightmares. She’s survived the darkest period of her troubled life and the wounds are still raw. Now she’s been handed a case that seems utterly unwinnable: defending her boss, high-profile lawyer Randall Barrett. A prosecutor’s dream suspect, Randall is a man who was cuckolded by his ex-wife. A man who could not control his temper. A man who had argued bitterly with the victim the previous day in full view of the children.
With limited criminal law experience, Kate finds herself enmeshed in a family fractured by doubt. Randall’s teenage son is intent on killing him. His daughter wants only to feel safe again. And the entire legal community would like nothing better than to see Randall receive a public comeuppance. As Kate races to stay a step ahead of the prosecution, a silent predator is waiting for the perfect time to deal the final blow.
If you like thrillers (or even if you don’t) this is one book that should be on everyone’s TBR list! In Indefensible, Pamela Callow has managed to tap into our deepest fears.
Think about it for a minute…what do you fear most? Death? Prison? The death of someone close to you? Something bad befalling your children? Human predators? Divorce? Backstabbing and betrayal at work? Whatever your fear may be, you’ll most likely find it in this book.
I loved the flawed and all too human characters. When nightmares and fear kept Kate awake at night, I sympathized with her. When former spouses, Randall and Elise, argued and fought over almost everything, I understood their anger. When their children withdrew or acted out in response, it was all too familiar. These are the people we read about every day in the newspaper.
Ms. Callow explores the dynamics of family and workplace, exposing the weaknesses. Just as in real life, sometimes what you see is merely illusion – a façade worn to protect a fragile ego or to hide sins better left unknown or simply to protect one’s privacy. She holds a mirror before us and the reflection isn’t pretty.
I simply couldn’t put the book down even though I was on the edge of my seat with my knees bouncing nervously and my heart pounding. I had to know how the book ended before I could sleep, but once in bed sleep wouldn’t come. The emotional toll on the characters kept playing through my mind and I found myself trying to reconcile their futures.
I try not to use any type of rating system in my reviews, but in this instance, I’m making an exception. This book rates a rare Gold Star. Make that five of them.
Kate Lange
Damaged-June 1, 2010 ()
Indefensible-December 28, 2010
Tattooed-(January 1, 2012)
Find Pamela Callow:
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This book was given to Mona for review by NetGalley.
I am so glad you enjoyed this one! I have been looking forward to the sequel.
OH Mona thank you! I love thrillers, sadly I don't read enough of them. This will definitely be added to the TBR pile, that's right next to the ceiling now. ;)
Thank you so much for this review! Mona, you totally "got" what I was trying to express in INDEFENSIBLE. I thank you for your insightful review of my book. You might be interested to know that the theme song for this book was Jeff Buckley's version of Cohen's "Hallelujah".
Best,
Pam Callow
I love thrillers. I'll have to put this on my TBR pile.
@Ms. Callow – When I read Indefensible, I hadn't yet read Damaged. I ran across it a few days ago in the store and picked it up. I was curious about the back story.
I read it immediately and was simply floored by the reality of it. The tension was awesome. Thank goodness you gave us a break with the humor of the dogs in the backseat. I laughed out loud. I absolutely loved it!
Oh, yeah. Now I need to go find Jeff Buckley's version. Thanks for the heads up.
Dear Mona,
Thank you for picking up DAMAGED! I'm absolutely delighted you enjoyed it – especially the scene with the dogs. I debated putting that scene in, but figured there should always be a little "light" to counteract the "dark". And I knew Ethan and Alaska had some unfinished business!
P.S. I heard the song Last Train by Linda Brooks (a NS based songwriter) after I wrote DAMAGED but it perfectly caught the mood of Kate and Ethan's relationship.
Best,
Pam