And still they come, the James Patterson novels written in tandem with Andrew Gross--the latter a writer we’ve only heard of because... he writes novels in tandem with James Patterson. But as Judge and Jury proves, this is a team that breaks all the rules of these double novels (in which a top writer’s synopsis is worked up by another writer lower down the feeding chain). The Patterson/Gross books are often as compulsive reads as Patterson's solo efforts, and while the tagline of this one ('the ultimate legal thriller') may be optimistic, it's still a pretty pacy piece of work, with a strong central premise. Struggling actress Andie DeGrasse is finding her acting career in low gear as she copes with the demands of being a single mother. When she finds herself on jury duty, she hopes that she can shuck her responsibilities by telling the judge that she's played a stripper in The Sopranos. But she still finds herself as juror number 11 in a highly important trial involving a mob boss with a really nasty reputation. Bringing Mafia Don Dominic Cavello to trial has been the crowning achievement of senior FBI agent Nick Pellisante, who has been on Cavello's tale for years. The Don, known as ‘The Electrician’, is famous for his many grisly crimes, but this time it looks like he's about to go down for good. But as the jury moves towards a verdict, the Don does something that throws everything into chaos--including the life of actress and reluctant juror Andie. A bitter battle ensues, in which Andie and Nick Pellisante are obliged to form a partnership that will either save both their lives--or end them.
What makes this one particularly diverting is the canny juggling of a variety of elements, all of which are granted equal emphasis by Patterson and Gross. As always with the team, no effort is wasted on elegant writing--this is rigorously functional stuff, designed with one purpose: to keep us reading. And that task the authors pull off with very little effort.
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