Judge & Jury

From Publishers Weekly Bestsellers Patterson and Gross (Lifeguard) once again deliver what their fans expect in this slapdash revenge thriller. When mob godfather Dominic Cavello is finally brought to trial by FBI agent Nick Pellisante, his longtime nemesis, the accused is strangely unconcerned even as a parade of his former criminal associates finger him as having ordered a hit on a corrupt businessman. The gangster's plan to intimidate the decision-makers at his trial reaches its climax when he arranges for a bomb to blow up the bus transporting the jury. The sole survivor teams up with Pellisante to make Cavello pay. Numerous legal howlers that would be obvious even to those who only know about trials from watching Law and Order may annoy some readers. From Booklist Judge and Jury gets off to a slightly slow start but delivers plenty of twists and turns. FBI agent Nick Pellisante has finally done the impossible: captured Mob boss Dominic Cavello. The jury is selected and Cavello's trial progresses smoothly-it seems the conviction Pellisante is hoping for is within his reach. Several formerly loyal henchmen now sitting in jail strike deals with the prosecution and testify about the savage murders Cavello ordered, and Pellisante takes the stand to detail how Cavello shot two of his colleagues while trying to elude capture. But Cavello has hired Richard Nordeshenko, a methodical and calculating killer, to make sure the trial never concludes. Nordeshenko carries out his plan with brutal efficiency, leaving a wake of devastation in his path. Pellisante is crushed by the abrupt end of the trial and determined to make sure that the retrial isn't similarly derailed, but Cavello and Nordeshenko have an even more diabolical plan in store this time around. A compelling hero and a truly evil villain distinguish this exciting read. *** Bestselling author James Patterson returns with the #1 blockbuster thriller of the summer, an unstoppable novel of law and revenge. Senior FBI agent Nick Pellisante is closing in on the notorious mob boss "The Electrician," when the scheduled sting goes spectacularly awry. Two FBI agents are dead, the boss is wounded, and Pellisante vows the Electrician's next move will be from a jail cell. Andie Echeverra, a part-time actress and a single, full-time mom, is assigned her next role as Juror #11 in the landmark trial against Mafia Don Dominic Cavello. Everybody is on edge. No one has ever crossed the man whose orders have made entire families disappear. Though Cavello's influence extends across blue uniforms and black robes, the case should be open-and-shut. But the legal system fails with devastating results, and Nick and Andie are the only ones left to seek justice. To stop the Electrician, they must take matters into their own hands. They are the judge and jury now. James Patterson spins an all-out heart-pounding legal thriller that pits two people against the most vicious and powerful mobster since John Gotti.