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The Guilty Die Twice: A Legal Thriller
Two attorney brothers. Two bullet-riddled corpses. Two sides to the story.Ten years ago, a capital murder case in the heart of Texas split the Lynch family in two. Now, estranged lawyer brothers Travis and Jake Lynch find themselves on opposing sides of the courtroom in a high-profile, grisly double murder case—with another accused criminal’s life on the line.Conscience-stricken Travis left his high-powered law firm to become a public defender, while bullish Jake rose to become District Attorney.The case pits brother against brother in a contest of wits, wills, and legal savvy that will shake the justice system to its both Lynches are convinced they’re in the right, but the truth turns out to be more complicated—and deadly—than either could have possibly imagined.A drug deal double-cross turns lethal, leaving two corpses and one victim paralyzed for life. The victim never saw the gunman, but he knows one Sam Park.Travis defended Sam’s brother years before, and his heart won’t let him turn down the case, even knowing it’ll bring him face-to-face with Jake after ten years of cold silence. Jake, meanwhile, runs afoul of the Austin political machine and needs a high-profile conviction to win a tough upcoming election.And Sam, the star witness and prime suspect, won’t talk—not to Travis, and certainly not to the high-and-mighty DA—and time is running out.Can these feuding brothers put aside a decade of enmity in the name of true justice? Or will the truth of what really happened that bloody night go to the grave with Sam Park?Fans of Due Process by Scott Pratt, The Family Lawyer by James Patterson, Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, and The Fifth Justice by John Ellsworth will love this book, as well as people who love to read crimeLegal thrillersCourtroom dramaTexas legal dynastiesPolitical dramaBroken families
263 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
April 7, 2021
The Guilty Die Twice would never come across to my life if my friend Amanda didn't ask me to read it together with her. I am so glad we shared this reading experience bc the book provided great discussion.
The main focus in the story is set on the theme of the capital punishment, the one that is not legal in many countries, including mine (CROATIA).
I already have an opinion about that said punishment, and the book didn't change it, but it did make me think what it's like for everyone involved in similar cases.
This book also touches sensitive topics like financies, family indifferences, and the most important part, the difference that comes with classes in society.
As you probably could have guessed (if you know my reading prefference), my favourite parts were character exporation and development. Also, observation of relationships, especially between the two brothers who were on different sides of the same case (I don't think that would even be legal in my country).
And when we're speaking about the characters, I'll just quickly mention that the wives were my favourite ones.
Overall, this was reallistic piece of fiction, that I would put somewhere between legal drama and legal thriller when it comes to box of genres.
If you like tv shows like Crime and Punishment this book is probably the one for you.
The main focus in the story is set on the theme of the capital punishment, the one that is not legal in many countries, including mine (CROATIA).
I already have an opinion about that said punishment, and the book didn't change it, but it did make me think what it's like for everyone involved in similar cases.
This book also touches sensitive topics like financies, family indifferences, and the most important part, the difference that comes with classes in society.
As you probably could have guessed (if you know my reading prefference), my favourite parts were character exporation and development. Also, observation of relationships, especially between the two brothers who were on different sides of the same case (I don't think that would even be legal in my country).
And when we're speaking about the characters, I'll just quickly mention that the wives were my favourite ones.
Overall, this was reallistic piece of fiction, that I would put somewhere between legal drama and legal thriller when it comes to box of genres.
If you like tv shows like Crime and Punishment this book is probably the one for you.
October 14, 2022
Two seems to be the number that pulls this tale together. Two brother, Jake Lynch, DA, and Travis Lynch, Public Defender, have two bodies, killed by a spray of gunfire, which puts them on two different sides of the law. The brothers Lynch have been estranged for ten years as a result of a capital murder case; their disagreement over the pursuit of lethal injection split the brothers in two. Now, ten years later, another high-profile capital murder case has the brothers on two different sides of the courtroom. A double-crossed drug deal went awry, shots were fired leaving two boys dead and one paralyzed from the waist down. The survivor never saw who fired the shots, but one name from the three they were meeting was very clear: Sam Park. Travis takes the case after once defending Sam’s brother Charlie as a result of the pleas for help from Sam’s parents, knowing this will pit him against his brother Jake, who is once again seeking the death penalty. With Sam refusing to speak in his own defense or reveal the third name, Travis worries that quickly time is running out for him. He is determined to prove Sam innocent and spare him the death penalty before the secrets of what really happened that night at the abandoned construction site go to the grave with Sam.
“The Guilty Die Twice” is a well-written tale about family and the law. The brothers were both excellent attorneys like the long line of men in their family history, both with tempers, both with the complete conviction that they were right. We see the feud has gone on for way too long thanks to the stubborn behavior on both sides. Travis’ conscience would not let him abide with the knowledge that the guilty party from the first capital murder case would be put to death, and went as far as to withhold video evidence about the defendant from the night that he murdered the liquor store owner. As the prostitute, beaten by the defendant and who was a witness in that first case pointed out: “It doesn’t bother you?” Karla asked, searching Travis’s face. “The idea of executing someone?” Travis shrugged. “It’s the law.” “It’s irrevocable,” Karla replied. “If you get new evidence, you can always let someone out of prison. You can’t un-kill them.” That little exchange shook Travis to his core, making him see through her eyes the finality of death by lethal injection. After that, he no longer wanted any part of the death penalty, his brother, or the family law practice. He gave up everything and followed his conscience to be a struggling public defender. Finally, Jake and Travis go about settling their score: at family brunch, in the back yard, with their fists, like they did when they were kids. After giving each other quite the beating, the situation calmed and they were able to be civil to one another, and clearer heads prevailed moving into the courtroom on opposite sides ten years later. The brother share a bit of the case with each other, the information helps, they are working toward the trial in a civil manner. Travis receives a mysterious envelope the morning of the trial that will blow the case wide open—but from whom?
I’d like to thank ReedsyDiscovery, Don Hartshorn, and TCK Publishing for the ability to read and review this ARC.
“The Guilty Die Twice” is a well-written tale about family and the law. The brothers were both excellent attorneys like the long line of men in their family history, both with tempers, both with the complete conviction that they were right. We see the feud has gone on for way too long thanks to the stubborn behavior on both sides. Travis’ conscience would not let him abide with the knowledge that the guilty party from the first capital murder case would be put to death, and went as far as to withhold video evidence about the defendant from the night that he murdered the liquor store owner. As the prostitute, beaten by the defendant and who was a witness in that first case pointed out: “It doesn’t bother you?” Karla asked, searching Travis’s face. “The idea of executing someone?” Travis shrugged. “It’s the law.” “It’s irrevocable,” Karla replied. “If you get new evidence, you can always let someone out of prison. You can’t un-kill them.” That little exchange shook Travis to his core, making him see through her eyes the finality of death by lethal injection. After that, he no longer wanted any part of the death penalty, his brother, or the family law practice. He gave up everything and followed his conscience to be a struggling public defender. Finally, Jake and Travis go about settling their score: at family brunch, in the back yard, with their fists, like they did when they were kids. After giving each other quite the beating, the situation calmed and they were able to be civil to one another, and clearer heads prevailed moving into the courtroom on opposite sides ten years later. The brother share a bit of the case with each other, the information helps, they are working toward the trial in a civil manner. Travis receives a mysterious envelope the morning of the trial that will blow the case wide open—but from whom?
I’d like to thank ReedsyDiscovery, Don Hartshorn, and TCK Publishing for the ability to read and review this ARC.
April 10, 2021
I actually expected a little too much that's why it came a little short for me. But, I won't deny it's a good read.
August 19, 2020
There is no-one that fights more viciously then two feuding brothers and Travis and Jake Lynch have had the last ten years boiling and brewing for a real humdinger. Their mum hasn’t been able to bring them together or their sister. The wives have tried and failed too but the thing that drove them apart is the thing that at last makes them come face to face. The death penalty.
Travis and his wife live from month to month on his earnings as a public defender and pro-bona cases while older brother Jake went on to become District Attorney and big bucks. When three wealth college students are shot in a car leaving two dead and one paralysed, two kids who are known to the police are soon picked up and charged but the identity of a third man is not known.
Travis is determined to avoid the death penalty for the young lads but it looks like he is going up against his brother. There is a lot of stormy air to clear between them if they are going to have a fair trial.
I must admit that I was fascinated with the family dynamics in the story as I was with the case. There are some pretty crafty female characters that know how to play the pair of them too. The first Sunday lunch is very entertaining.
The divide of wealth and justice soon rears its head, oh my does this story take off. There has to be a lot of cunning decisions and crafty moves, playing dumb and putting the past to rest if the right outcome is to come about.
From the opening pages to the end this book gives 100% of sheer entertainment in every way possible. Highly recommended read.
Travis and his wife live from month to month on his earnings as a public defender and pro-bona cases while older brother Jake went on to become District Attorney and big bucks. When three wealth college students are shot in a car leaving two dead and one paralysed, two kids who are known to the police are soon picked up and charged but the identity of a third man is not known.
Travis is determined to avoid the death penalty for the young lads but it looks like he is going up against his brother. There is a lot of stormy air to clear between them if they are going to have a fair trial.
I must admit that I was fascinated with the family dynamics in the story as I was with the case. There are some pretty crafty female characters that know how to play the pair of them too. The first Sunday lunch is very entertaining.
The divide of wealth and justice soon rears its head, oh my does this story take off. There has to be a lot of cunning decisions and crafty moves, playing dumb and putting the past to rest if the right outcome is to come about.
From the opening pages to the end this book gives 100% of sheer entertainment in every way possible. Highly recommended read.
October 12, 2021
Don Hartshorn’s The Guilty Die Twice marks a change for me. I don’t normally read legal thrillers. But we [that is, the Reading Project website where the complete review for this book was originally published] were approached by TCK Publishing.com to review two of their books and I agreed to read this one.
Hartshorn explains on his website that this novel was inspired by a Dallas prosecuting attorney who suggested that capital cases might seem murky and vague from a layman’s view, even though the facts were usually very cut and dried. The attorney wanted to make a television show that explored that hazy area but died before the project could be realised. Hartshorn explains that this book was an attempt to achieve that vision.
The plot centres around the dysfunctional relationship of two brothers, Jake and Travis Lynch. Ten years ago, they became estranged over a capital case which results in the execution of Reilly Sutton. Travis, whose conscience forced him to act against his brother in the case, is heading back to Texas at the beginning of the novel to witness Sutton’s execution. Christine Morton, a political reporter professionally involved with the careers of both brothers, is also attending the execution. It would seem to be the end of a chapter in Travis’s life.
Yet things take a turn when two young men are shot and killed during a drug deal gone wrong. Peter Carlisle and Shane Ablin are from privileged white families, and Peter’s father, David, ignorant of his son’s drug dealing, is willing to use his political influence like a bully to press for a quick prosecution and the death penalty. Jake Lynch has become District Attorney since the Sutton case and is willing to press for the death penalty of Sam Park when he is named by a survivor of the shooting. Jake’s brother, Travis, however, is willing to put aside his own financial difficulties to act on behalf of Sam at the request of his family. And so, the scene is set for conflict between the two brothers, since they must meet again for the first time in ten years.
I had mixed feelings about this book.
To begin with, it has some strong features. The writing is competent, focussed on dialogue and action, and features some scenes in which it is enlivened by clever metaphor. There’s a scene in which Jake’s character and motivations are cleverly telegraphed in a game of pool. Hartshorn offers an extension to this scene on his website, but he was right to remove it for the book. Overall, however, the book is most successful in its plotting and the structure of the story. Scenes move deftly between the present and past, and the Sutton case – the revelations of the case and the slide towards estrangement ten years ago – act as counterpoints for the issues in the current-day plot very well. If the Sutton case was a story about how the brothers were torn apart, the Park case (or the ‘Rich Kid Murders’ as the press so charmingly label it) represents an opportunity to overcome old animosities and heal wounds. There are other symmetries in the story which also work well. An ambitious lawyer in Jake’s office, Bobby Velasquez, pursues his career as aggressively as Jake once did, with a clue to the moral pitfalls Jake must avoid. And the ‘Rich Kid’ appellation suggests the systemic poverty that is often the catalyst for crime, and the legal forces that oppose rather than ameliorate those problems. Peter Carlisle turns up to the drug deal with no intention of paying his poor suppliers. For Sam Park, the deal is fraught with many complicated emotions about class and privilege which will affect his actions and motivations in surprising ways. The system is primed to protect the interests and reputation of one family, but not the other.
Other competing interests enliven the story as well. Travis left the family law business ten years ago and now he and his wife struggle financially as he prioritises his conscience over money. With too much pro bono work and a baby on the way, Travis is under pressure to take paying customers to support his family. Sam Park’s poor Korean family are unlikely to be money makers, especially since Travis was never paid for defending Sam’s older brother, Charlie. Yet Travis finds comfort in his self-perception. He sees himself as the antithesis of his successful brother who pushed for the death penalty in the Reilly Sutton case, and is willing to do it again for Sam Park.
So, there are tensions within the book – between privilege and class, and poverty; and between competing notions of how the law should serve the community. It’s a good basis for a novel and Hartshorn balances the different story elements well.
But Hartshorn claims he is interested in that hazy area of capital cases, and I don’t think he achieves that here. The issues the narrative raises around the case, itself, aren’t tricky legal dilemmas or obscure points of law readers will be surprised by. Rather, the real drama occurs in the relationship between Jake and Travis. Circling them are satellite characters who inject a greater degree of tension into the relationship. There is Christine Morton, for instance, more a plot device than a character, who serves to pick at the scab of their past or introduce information that heightens the drama. Or David Carlisle, who pressures Jake towards prosecuting a capital case, thereby setting him on a course for conflict with his brother. But the conflict between the brothers misses its potential and devolves into obvious and disappointing moments, or is resolved by gratuitously placed deus ex machina. On the first point (since discussing the second would require a plot reveal) the conflict between the brothers is expressed in a physical fight at a family reunion. There are some potentially good moments when the fists stop flying. Jake, struggling to articulate his position, expresses in his feelings in mixed metaphors:
Jake further argues the difference between capital punishment and extra-legal killings: We’re not stringing them up like it’s the Wild West.
Unfortunately, as happens, Hartshorn’s characters seem to argue more coherently on the side of the devil. In an earlier scene involving Travis and his wife, Shirley, Travis offers a response that might have been made to Jake:
Even here, Travis feels obliged to concede the point .....
My review is too long for Good Reads. If you want to read the complete review, use the following link:
https://readingproject.neocities.org/...
Hartshorn explains on his website that this novel was inspired by a Dallas prosecuting attorney who suggested that capital cases might seem murky and vague from a layman’s view, even though the facts were usually very cut and dried. The attorney wanted to make a television show that explored that hazy area but died before the project could be realised. Hartshorn explains that this book was an attempt to achieve that vision.
The plot centres around the dysfunctional relationship of two brothers, Jake and Travis Lynch. Ten years ago, they became estranged over a capital case which results in the execution of Reilly Sutton. Travis, whose conscience forced him to act against his brother in the case, is heading back to Texas at the beginning of the novel to witness Sutton’s execution. Christine Morton, a political reporter professionally involved with the careers of both brothers, is also attending the execution. It would seem to be the end of a chapter in Travis’s life.
Yet things take a turn when two young men are shot and killed during a drug deal gone wrong. Peter Carlisle and Shane Ablin are from privileged white families, and Peter’s father, David, ignorant of his son’s drug dealing, is willing to use his political influence like a bully to press for a quick prosecution and the death penalty. Jake Lynch has become District Attorney since the Sutton case and is willing to press for the death penalty of Sam Park when he is named by a survivor of the shooting. Jake’s brother, Travis, however, is willing to put aside his own financial difficulties to act on behalf of Sam at the request of his family. And so, the scene is set for conflict between the two brothers, since they must meet again for the first time in ten years.
I had mixed feelings about this book.
To begin with, it has some strong features. The writing is competent, focussed on dialogue and action, and features some scenes in which it is enlivened by clever metaphor. There’s a scene in which Jake’s character and motivations are cleverly telegraphed in a game of pool. Hartshorn offers an extension to this scene on his website, but he was right to remove it for the book. Overall, however, the book is most successful in its plotting and the structure of the story. Scenes move deftly between the present and past, and the Sutton case – the revelations of the case and the slide towards estrangement ten years ago – act as counterpoints for the issues in the current-day plot very well. If the Sutton case was a story about how the brothers were torn apart, the Park case (or the ‘Rich Kid Murders’ as the press so charmingly label it) represents an opportunity to overcome old animosities and heal wounds. There are other symmetries in the story which also work well. An ambitious lawyer in Jake’s office, Bobby Velasquez, pursues his career as aggressively as Jake once did, with a clue to the moral pitfalls Jake must avoid. And the ‘Rich Kid’ appellation suggests the systemic poverty that is often the catalyst for crime, and the legal forces that oppose rather than ameliorate those problems. Peter Carlisle turns up to the drug deal with no intention of paying his poor suppliers. For Sam Park, the deal is fraught with many complicated emotions about class and privilege which will affect his actions and motivations in surprising ways. The system is primed to protect the interests and reputation of one family, but not the other.
Other competing interests enliven the story as well. Travis left the family law business ten years ago and now he and his wife struggle financially as he prioritises his conscience over money. With too much pro bono work and a baby on the way, Travis is under pressure to take paying customers to support his family. Sam Park’s poor Korean family are unlikely to be money makers, especially since Travis was never paid for defending Sam’s older brother, Charlie. Yet Travis finds comfort in his self-perception. He sees himself as the antithesis of his successful brother who pushed for the death penalty in the Reilly Sutton case, and is willing to do it again for Sam Park.
So, there are tensions within the book – between privilege and class, and poverty; and between competing notions of how the law should serve the community. It’s a good basis for a novel and Hartshorn balances the different story elements well.
But Hartshorn claims he is interested in that hazy area of capital cases, and I don’t think he achieves that here. The issues the narrative raises around the case, itself, aren’t tricky legal dilemmas or obscure points of law readers will be surprised by. Rather, the real drama occurs in the relationship between Jake and Travis. Circling them are satellite characters who inject a greater degree of tension into the relationship. There is Christine Morton, for instance, more a plot device than a character, who serves to pick at the scab of their past or introduce information that heightens the drama. Or David Carlisle, who pressures Jake towards prosecuting a capital case, thereby setting him on a course for conflict with his brother. But the conflict between the brothers misses its potential and devolves into obvious and disappointing moments, or is resolved by gratuitously placed deus ex machina. On the first point (since discussing the second would require a plot reveal) the conflict between the brothers is expressed in a physical fight at a family reunion. There are some potentially good moments when the fists stop flying. Jake, struggling to articulate his position, expresses in his feelings in mixed metaphors:
There’s no more frontier, Travis. No place to put criminals like this, no wilderness to make them walk into. People like Sam Park have proved they can’t operate by the rules of modern society, and they’re never going to adapt. They’re predators. They’re cancer. So we have to cut them out.
Jake further argues the difference between capital punishment and extra-legal killings: We’re not stringing them up like it’s the Wild West.
Unfortunately, as happens, Hartshorn’s characters seem to argue more coherently on the side of the devil. In an earlier scene involving Travis and his wife, Shirley, Travis offers a response that might have been made to Jake:
So they’ll say it’s punishment. But it’s also retribution. And vengeance. They’ll say it’s a way to remove those people who have proven that they can’t function within the bounds of society. Which is true, I suppose. But all those reasons sound to me like justification after the fact.
Even here, Travis feels obliged to concede the point .....
My review is too long for Good Reads. If you want to read the complete review, use the following link:
https://readingproject.neocities.org/...
August 28, 2022
Legal Thrillers aren't usually my go-to sub-genre under the crime remit. Of course, I've read a few here and there by the big names and enjoyed them along the way but I tend to like my crime fiction a bit more fast-paced and bloody. Nevertheless, when given the opportunity to read Hartshorn's book I thought I would give it ago. The blurb sounded interesting enough to pique my interest. After all, waring brothers on either side of a courtroom has to bring with it some great tension and a great deal of drama. If I was lucky I would still be able to get my usual dose of an interesting crime thrown in for good measure.
From the get-go, the setup works well here. I quickly got to grips with both of these brothers. The author has clearly taken the time to build them both up as unique characters each feeling like well-fleshed-out people. But we also get to see the little tweaks where they are close to each other than they would probably like. As with most siblings, even those that would rather not talk to each other there are certain elements that are driven into the core of who they are. Speaking as a brother we know deep down they are there even if we will deny it to our dying days. But that is the point here for me he has done it with a light touch that makes it feel far more real than if they had just become mirrors to each other. What we get here is a dynamic duo even if they are fighting from opposing ends of a case.
As for the story itself, I have to say it really worked for me. That may be in part because of all the context that goes around with it. Rather than sending the whole book stuck within the walls of a courtroom, we are taken out into the world to explore not only how one man came to be facing the death penalty but also how these two brothers came to despise each other so much. The world, after all, is a tricky place and matters of one's own moral compass come into play in more ways than we usually give thought to. After all, if you are rich then why take to a career that sits on the other side of the law? For the thrill of it or simply to stick it to the people who raised you. Who can say but as I have seen firsthand both here in my home country and also in the U.S money certainly can pay for a greater amount of justice than if you have come from nothing? I always enjoy seeing how authors tackle such subjects from around the world after all every country has a class system even if it can be taboo to talk about.
Overall there was quite a lot to take in here and the author seems to have covered his bases well. On the one hand, we have a solid legal thriller that for me as not the biggest fan of the genre managed to keep me hooked in awaiting the final outcome. And on the other hand, we have a look at how the American legal system does seem to favor thought who come from wealth. It was also an interesting take to see how things were never as clear-cut as you might think. I suppose in part it is usually why we turn to fiction. As readers, we can know with complete certainty who our killers are and what went down. Sadly life is never this clean and it definitely felt to me that the author had tried to weave some of this into his tale. And in the end, it was a book that I enjoyed my time with and would be happy to dive into further installments in the series.
From the get-go, the setup works well here. I quickly got to grips with both of these brothers. The author has clearly taken the time to build them both up as unique characters each feeling like well-fleshed-out people. But we also get to see the little tweaks where they are close to each other than they would probably like. As with most siblings, even those that would rather not talk to each other there are certain elements that are driven into the core of who they are. Speaking as a brother we know deep down they are there even if we will deny it to our dying days. But that is the point here for me he has done it with a light touch that makes it feel far more real than if they had just become mirrors to each other. What we get here is a dynamic duo even if they are fighting from opposing ends of a case.
As for the story itself, I have to say it really worked for me. That may be in part because of all the context that goes around with it. Rather than sending the whole book stuck within the walls of a courtroom, we are taken out into the world to explore not only how one man came to be facing the death penalty but also how these two brothers came to despise each other so much. The world, after all, is a tricky place and matters of one's own moral compass come into play in more ways than we usually give thought to. After all, if you are rich then why take to a career that sits on the other side of the law? For the thrill of it or simply to stick it to the people who raised you. Who can say but as I have seen firsthand both here in my home country and also in the U.S money certainly can pay for a greater amount of justice than if you have come from nothing? I always enjoy seeing how authors tackle such subjects from around the world after all every country has a class system even if it can be taboo to talk about.
Overall there was quite a lot to take in here and the author seems to have covered his bases well. On the one hand, we have a solid legal thriller that for me as not the biggest fan of the genre managed to keep me hooked in awaiting the final outcome. And on the other hand, we have a look at how the American legal system does seem to favor thought who come from wealth. It was also an interesting take to see how things were never as clear-cut as you might think. I suppose in part it is usually why we turn to fiction. As readers, we can know with complete certainty who our killers are and what went down. Sadly life is never this clean and it definitely felt to me that the author had tried to weave some of this into his tale. And in the end, it was a book that I enjoyed my time with and would be happy to dive into further installments in the series.
January 10, 2021
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
So. The Guilty Die Twice had me convinced to give it a try based on the synopsis. I do quite enjoy a legal thriller, so I was all for it. Also, the case being carried out by two brothers on opposing sides seemed like it could be interesting.
The story is split between the past and the present, and again between the two brothers. However, I found that the pacing of the book was excruciatingly slow, especially for such a short read. I also never connected with the characters. Shirley came across as a cold hearted woman, Jake was toxically angry, Travis was stubbornly all for throwing everything away to help the downtrodden, Christine was a bloodthirsty reporter, and Velasquez was just a vapid, unconvincing phoney. Then there was Sam, and he is just a grade A piece of work.
So it was difficult having no characters I liked or could root for. I also found the setup for the story to be quite confusing initially as there were a ton of characters to try and keep track of. Later you do make sense of it all, and there is a decent story buried under it all. The book obviously has a lot to say about the death penalty, which is interesting to read.
The Guilty Die Twice is a short book, but it does feel slow. It features a lot of childish characters and focuses on a heavy issue. It’s not nearly as thrilling as I was hoping, but it wasn’t an awful read. It kept me reading, though not obsessed. People that enjoy legal thrillers will likely enjoy this.
So. The Guilty Die Twice had me convinced to give it a try based on the synopsis. I do quite enjoy a legal thriller, so I was all for it. Also, the case being carried out by two brothers on opposing sides seemed like it could be interesting.
The story is split between the past and the present, and again between the two brothers. However, I found that the pacing of the book was excruciatingly slow, especially for such a short read. I also never connected with the characters. Shirley came across as a cold hearted woman, Jake was toxically angry, Travis was stubbornly all for throwing everything away to help the downtrodden, Christine was a bloodthirsty reporter, and Velasquez was just a vapid, unconvincing phoney. Then there was Sam, and he is just a grade A piece of work.
So it was difficult having no characters I liked or could root for. I also found the setup for the story to be quite confusing initially as there were a ton of characters to try and keep track of. Later you do make sense of it all, and there is a decent story buried under it all. The book obviously has a lot to say about the death penalty, which is interesting to read.
The Guilty Die Twice is a short book, but it does feel slow. It features a lot of childish characters and focuses on a heavy issue. It’s not nearly as thrilling as I was hoping, but it wasn’t an awful read. It kept me reading, though not obsessed. People that enjoy legal thrillers will likely enjoy this.
August 17, 2020
The Guilty Die Twice by Don Hartshorn is an intricate legal thriller set over two time periods – present day and ten years earlier in the form of flashbacks.
The whole novel surrounds the topic of the death penalty versus life imprisonment. There are some strong voices for both sides, both inside and outside the jail. For me, personally, the death penalty does not sit comfortably. Once done, you cannot undo it if a miscarriage of justice has occurred.
There is also the subject of the rich and the poor. The wealthy can afford a good defence. The poor need to find someone who believes them and will work to see justice prevail. There are those who work for their own gain counter balanced by those with scruples.
Family is important. Family need to pull together. If cracks or craters appear in our relationships, we need to fix them. We need to develop bonds of loyalty.
The whole novel was well thought out and executed. There were an eclectic mix of characters eliciting a variety of responses from me.
I enjoyed The Guilty Die Twice and read it in just one sitting. It would translate marvellously into a courtroom drama.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
The whole novel surrounds the topic of the death penalty versus life imprisonment. There are some strong voices for both sides, both inside and outside the jail. For me, personally, the death penalty does not sit comfortably. Once done, you cannot undo it if a miscarriage of justice has occurred.
There is also the subject of the rich and the poor. The wealthy can afford a good defence. The poor need to find someone who believes them and will work to see justice prevail. There are those who work for their own gain counter balanced by those with scruples.
Family is important. Family need to pull together. If cracks or craters appear in our relationships, we need to fix them. We need to develop bonds of loyalty.
The whole novel was well thought out and executed. There were an eclectic mix of characters eliciting a variety of responses from me.
I enjoyed The Guilty Die Twice and read it in just one sitting. It would translate marvellously into a courtroom drama.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
December 22, 2020
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The Guilty Die Twice by Don Hartshorn is a thrilling mystery that also looks at the two sides of capital punishment.
Will the Lynch brothers make peace with each other after ten long years?
The Lynch Family has been attornies for generations. They are among Austin's elite. Valentine Lynch ran for Texas's governor twice and lost, but he still has clout in the political and legal arena.
Claire Lynch is the middle sibling. She is running the family law firm now with her father as a figurehead. Claire is a force to be reckoned with too. She does help her brothers with whatever she can.
Jake Lynch
Jake is the oldest of the three Lynch siblings. He is also the current district attorney; he is married with two children and lives in Austin's best neighborhoods. At first, Jake came across as a pompous jerk, but I saw that he wasn't the monster that everyone made him out to be after getting in his head. Jake is good at his job and seeing people for what they are.
Jake seems like the bad guy in this story, but there is more to him than meets the eye. So, keep your eye on him.
Travis Lynch
Travis is the youngest of the three Lynch siblings. He has chosen not to use the privilege that the Lynch name comes with. In fact, his beliefs are very different from the rest of his family. However, Travis is punishing himself for things that are out of his control, and he is hurting his wife and family in the process. Honestly, at first, I thought that Travis was this righteous person who helped the poor and outcast. Which he totally does, but at times it felt like he did it to make up for a past event that he couldn't change. In the process of finding his truth, Travis alienates his family, turns his back on his friends, and becomes a mess of a man trying to give free legal help to those he deems worthy.
We do start to see a change in Travis, but it sneaks up on you, and then you see this totally different person.
Christine Morton
Christine is a surprising character. She is a newspaper reporter that made her name with that old case ten years ago. The brothers both hate her, but she is tough, and she knows far more than most other people involved in the cases and around Austin.
I loved this character. She has some grit, and she isn't afraid to back down. She kept everything moving.
The Story
The story switches between the present in which Jake is the DA and must figure out how to handle a case where two rich boys were brutally shot and killed. Travis has decided to take one of the accused boy's side against the DA's office. It looks like this case may also have capital punishment (death penalty).
The case from the past was ten years ago when Travis worked as Jake's clerk in the DA's office. They were working on another capital punishment case where Travis flips on Jake in the middle of the investigation.
We see how that case tore the brothers apart and how the new case helps bring them back together. It also shows the corruption and a side of the defendants that most people don't see. It also shows that just because someone has money doesn't mean that they are good parents.
Oh, and Bobby Velasquez, what a jerk. That man is so slimy. But Jake did teach him a few things. ;)
Five Stars
I have to say that I was skeptical about this book, but it really came through. There was even a part where I was actually outraged and pissed off at the things that were happening. When a book gives me that much emotion, the author has done an outstanding job. My rating for The Guilty Die Twice by Don Hartshorn is five stars.
If you like legal thrillers, then this is a book for you. Mr. Hartshorn does an amazing job of weaving all the pieces into a cohesive story that really makes you think.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Guilty Die Twice by Don Hartshorn.
Until the next time,
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
Will the Lynch brothers make peace with each other after ten long years?
The Lynch Family has been attornies for generations. They are among Austin's elite. Valentine Lynch ran for Texas's governor twice and lost, but he still has clout in the political and legal arena.
Claire Lynch is the middle sibling. She is running the family law firm now with her father as a figurehead. Claire is a force to be reckoned with too. She does help her brothers with whatever she can.
Jake Lynch
Jake is the oldest of the three Lynch siblings. He is also the current district attorney; he is married with two children and lives in Austin's best neighborhoods. At first, Jake came across as a pompous jerk, but I saw that he wasn't the monster that everyone made him out to be after getting in his head. Jake is good at his job and seeing people for what they are.
Jake seems like the bad guy in this story, but there is more to him than meets the eye. So, keep your eye on him.
Travis Lynch
Travis is the youngest of the three Lynch siblings. He has chosen not to use the privilege that the Lynch name comes with. In fact, his beliefs are very different from the rest of his family. However, Travis is punishing himself for things that are out of his control, and he is hurting his wife and family in the process. Honestly, at first, I thought that Travis was this righteous person who helped the poor and outcast. Which he totally does, but at times it felt like he did it to make up for a past event that he couldn't change. In the process of finding his truth, Travis alienates his family, turns his back on his friends, and becomes a mess of a man trying to give free legal help to those he deems worthy.
We do start to see a change in Travis, but it sneaks up on you, and then you see this totally different person.
Christine Morton Christine is a surprising character. She is a newspaper reporter that made her name with that old case ten years ago. The brothers both hate her, but she is tough, and she knows far more than most other people involved in the cases and around Austin.
I loved this character. She has some grit, and she isn't afraid to back down. She kept everything moving.
The Story
The story switches between the present in which Jake is the DA and must figure out how to handle a case where two rich boys were brutally shot and killed. Travis has decided to take one of the accused boy's side against the DA's office. It looks like this case may also have capital punishment (death penalty).
The case from the past was ten years ago when Travis worked as Jake's clerk in the DA's office. They were working on another capital punishment case where Travis flips on Jake in the middle of the investigation.
We see how that case tore the brothers apart and how the new case helps bring them back together. It also shows the corruption and a side of the defendants that most people don't see. It also shows that just because someone has money doesn't mean that they are good parents.
Oh, and Bobby Velasquez, what a jerk. That man is so slimy. But Jake did teach him a few things. ;)
Five Stars
I have to say that I was skeptical about this book, but it really came through. There was even a part where I was actually outraged and pissed off at the things that were happening. When a book gives me that much emotion, the author has done an outstanding job. My rating for The Guilty Die Twice by Don Hartshorn is five stars.
If you like legal thrillers, then this is a book for you. Mr. Hartshorn does an amazing job of weaving all the pieces into a cohesive story that really makes you think.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Guilty Die Twice by Don Hartshorn.
Until the next time,
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
August 5, 2020
The Guilty Die Twice follows the Lynch brothers across two timelines; the primary timeline in the current day investigating the double murder case and you see their relationship breakdown by following the Sutton case ten years previously. Whereas their younger personalities are consumed by their actions, reactions and opinions relating to the Sutton case, current-day Travis and Jake Lynch are certainly distinctive. Hartshorn does an excellent job here depicting the evolution of the conflict between Travis and Jake from exclusively professional to intensely personal which, in an extended family of legal and political professionals, will recapture their professional lives. However, Hartshorn continues to succeed by establishing very different lifestyles for the two Lynch brothers throughout their ten-year grudge without showing any preference for one said over the other.
Alongside the two brothers, each facing informing difficulties of financial and career difficulties, Hartshorn also creates an engaging cast of characters including their successful sister Claire, their wives Rita and Shirley, Velasquez and Christine Morton a journalist who follows the Lynch brothers throughout their cases. Slightly surprisingly, given that I was initially drawn to the topic of the plot, it was the characters who kept me turning pages. There is a good balance between the lovable characters you just want to see more from, notably Claire and Shirley, and mysterious members of the cast, specifically Velasquez, as I just wanted to learn what they were up to. There is also Christine Morton who falls into both categories. As the cast is intrinsically interconnected there is palpable emotion and tension in each interaction, however, the explosive emotion of the scenes between the Lynch family are true highlights of Hartshorn’s writing. This also extends to the case itself as Hartshorn crafts an intriguing crime scene during which he intricately hides who pulls the trigger.
As I mentioned above, I was drawn to this title due to a personal research interest in depictions of capital punishment. The Guilty Die Twice certainly doesn’t disappoint in terms of establishing the legal battle, the paperwork involved and a clear instance of lethal injection. These aspects were certainly interesting and demonstrated the full scope of legal procedures and practices. However, I must admit I was disappointed to see the traditionally climactic trail scene was cut short. While I appreciate this decision contrasts the fictional expectation of a dramatic trail with the common reality that many legal battles are settled behind closed doors, however, in a title that set up the conflict between two brothers which seemed made for the courtroom I would have liked to see both brothers going against each other in court.
Despite coming in at 260 pages, I did find the pacing quite slow and often misplaced. While the opening was suitably gripping, I found myself wanting to get through the middle sections quicker than the pacing or plotting would allow. The characters were gripping me and pushed me through as I wanted to discover what they were up to; however, the plot contained some aspects of convenience which unfortunately didn’t quite live up to the anticipation.
Overall, I did enjoy challenging myself to die into a book I wasn’t expecting to receive, and I found intriguing characters, interesting depictions of capital punishment and a legal setting which I certainly enjoyed. However, the slow pacing of the middle section and the feeling of missing the climactic trail led me to rate this read three stars.
Alongside the two brothers, each facing informing difficulties of financial and career difficulties, Hartshorn also creates an engaging cast of characters including their successful sister Claire, their wives Rita and Shirley, Velasquez and Christine Morton a journalist who follows the Lynch brothers throughout their cases. Slightly surprisingly, given that I was initially drawn to the topic of the plot, it was the characters who kept me turning pages. There is a good balance between the lovable characters you just want to see more from, notably Claire and Shirley, and mysterious members of the cast, specifically Velasquez, as I just wanted to learn what they were up to. There is also Christine Morton who falls into both categories. As the cast is intrinsically interconnected there is palpable emotion and tension in each interaction, however, the explosive emotion of the scenes between the Lynch family are true highlights of Hartshorn’s writing. This also extends to the case itself as Hartshorn crafts an intriguing crime scene during which he intricately hides who pulls the trigger.
As I mentioned above, I was drawn to this title due to a personal research interest in depictions of capital punishment. The Guilty Die Twice certainly doesn’t disappoint in terms of establishing the legal battle, the paperwork involved and a clear instance of lethal injection. These aspects were certainly interesting and demonstrated the full scope of legal procedures and practices. However, I must admit I was disappointed to see the traditionally climactic trail scene was cut short. While I appreciate this decision contrasts the fictional expectation of a dramatic trail with the common reality that many legal battles are settled behind closed doors, however, in a title that set up the conflict between two brothers which seemed made for the courtroom I would have liked to see both brothers going against each other in court.
Despite coming in at 260 pages, I did find the pacing quite slow and often misplaced. While the opening was suitably gripping, I found myself wanting to get through the middle sections quicker than the pacing or plotting would allow. The characters were gripping me and pushed me through as I wanted to discover what they were up to; however, the plot contained some aspects of convenience which unfortunately didn’t quite live up to the anticipation.
Overall, I did enjoy challenging myself to die into a book I wasn’t expecting to receive, and I found intriguing characters, interesting depictions of capital punishment and a legal setting which I certainly enjoyed. However, the slow pacing of the middle section and the feeling of missing the climactic trail led me to rate this read three stars.
September 21, 2020
I don’t read many legal thrillers, but The Guilty Die Twice has definitely reignited my interest in this genre and I am eager to find other books like it. It’s filled with intricate plots that the author skilfully weaves together to create a compelling story with deeply complex characters and a family feud that had me rooting for a happy ending.
Split across two timelines, the story follows the capital murder case that ripped apart brothers Travis and Jake Lynch ten years ago and the present day when a drug deal double-cross turns lethal, forcing the brothers to come face-to-face for the first time in ten years. The story is told from multiple POVs, but mainly from Travis and Jake. I really enjoyed the stark contrast between the two brothers personalities and behaviours. While Travis is the compassionate brother who takes on cases pro bono, his brother has surged to the top to become Distract Attorney and is a much harder, angrier character. The contrast between the rich and the poor also comes into play here as Travis seeks to help those from disadvantaged backgrounds who can’t afford legal fees, which inevitably means that his own finances suffer. Jake, on the other hand, is much wealthier than his brother and lives a more luxurious lifestyle. Also, while Jake has continued to have lunch with their parents once a week, Travis has kept away and has had nothing to do with his family.
One thing I was eagerly anticipating was the moment they finally come face-to-face and it did not disappoint. Leading up to their meeting, the author emphasises how the betrayal ripped them apart during the capital murder case. Needless to say, I was curious to see what would happen when they finally met and when they finally did, the tension between them was palpable. It was a really great scene and by the end of their meeting, it actually felt like a turning point in the story.
While the relationship between Travis and Jake is the driving force behind this story, there’s a lot of other great characters as well. The female characters really stand out and are also given prominent roles in the story. Christine Morton, who is a political reporter, closely keeps tabs on all the high-profile cases and is always after a quote from the Travis and Jake; Shirley, Travis’ wife, manages their finances and all Travis’ clients; and Claire, their sister, is highly successful. There’s plenty more female characters that are quite successful or confident. While I really enjoyed the plot, the story is definitely character driven.
As I said earlier, this is really compelling story, however, one thing I found disappointing was that we don’t actually see the brothers go head-to-head in the courtroom. They meet before the trial to discuss the case and help each other out but when it comes to the trial, it ended up being completely different to what I was expecting. That was one scene I was anticipating and to have it turn out differently and actually have the trial cut short was rather disappointing. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the twist and the ending that was given – it was really satisfying in its own way, it just would have been great to see the brothers finally confront each other in the courtroom.
Overall, The Guilty Die Twice was a well thought out story with a brilliant cast of characters. The author perfectly brought together all the different plots and showed how they have impacted the present day, which takes immense talent. Dan Hartshorn is definitely an author to watch out for.
**Thank you to TCK Publishing for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
Split across two timelines, the story follows the capital murder case that ripped apart brothers Travis and Jake Lynch ten years ago and the present day when a drug deal double-cross turns lethal, forcing the brothers to come face-to-face for the first time in ten years. The story is told from multiple POVs, but mainly from Travis and Jake. I really enjoyed the stark contrast between the two brothers personalities and behaviours. While Travis is the compassionate brother who takes on cases pro bono, his brother has surged to the top to become Distract Attorney and is a much harder, angrier character. The contrast between the rich and the poor also comes into play here as Travis seeks to help those from disadvantaged backgrounds who can’t afford legal fees, which inevitably means that his own finances suffer. Jake, on the other hand, is much wealthier than his brother and lives a more luxurious lifestyle. Also, while Jake has continued to have lunch with their parents once a week, Travis has kept away and has had nothing to do with his family.
One thing I was eagerly anticipating was the moment they finally come face-to-face and it did not disappoint. Leading up to their meeting, the author emphasises how the betrayal ripped them apart during the capital murder case. Needless to say, I was curious to see what would happen when they finally met and when they finally did, the tension between them was palpable. It was a really great scene and by the end of their meeting, it actually felt like a turning point in the story.
While the relationship between Travis and Jake is the driving force behind this story, there’s a lot of other great characters as well. The female characters really stand out and are also given prominent roles in the story. Christine Morton, who is a political reporter, closely keeps tabs on all the high-profile cases and is always after a quote from the Travis and Jake; Shirley, Travis’ wife, manages their finances and all Travis’ clients; and Claire, their sister, is highly successful. There’s plenty more female characters that are quite successful or confident. While I really enjoyed the plot, the story is definitely character driven.
As I said earlier, this is really compelling story, however, one thing I found disappointing was that we don’t actually see the brothers go head-to-head in the courtroom. They meet before the trial to discuss the case and help each other out but when it comes to the trial, it ended up being completely different to what I was expecting. That was one scene I was anticipating and to have it turn out differently and actually have the trial cut short was rather disappointing. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the twist and the ending that was given – it was really satisfying in its own way, it just would have been great to see the brothers finally confront each other in the courtroom.
Overall, The Guilty Die Twice was a well thought out story with a brilliant cast of characters. The author perfectly brought together all the different plots and showed how they have impacted the present day, which takes immense talent. Dan Hartshorn is definitely an author to watch out for.
**Thank you to TCK Publishing for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
November 25, 2020
The Guilty Die Twice by Don Hartshorn is as much a nuanced family drama and social inquisition as it is a murder/courtroom/legal thriller. If you can get past a few contrived plot points, and engage with the characters, whose reliability or unreliability is a puzzle to piece together, you will be satisfied with this warm yet dark story of a community and family unhinged by a violent crime.
We follow two masterly-crafted characters — two lawyer brothers, Travis and Jake Lynch. The story follows two timelines; the primary timeline in the current day investigation of the double murder case; and in second time line we see the brothers' relationship breakdown by following the Sutton case ten years previously. Afterwards everything goes wrong between the two brothers and continues to escalate at a blinding pace.
Don Hartshorn is skilled at informing the reader about the law and procedure without telegraphing it. He has a talent for metaphor and imagery, rendered beautifully in the elegiac narrative. The narrative is even, polished, and intelligently observant of a community in shock, a family shattered. How these things fit into the rest of the story is gradually disclosed, and its presence is both suspenseful and revealing. Don Hartshorn's dialogue is crisply cinematic but organic to the characters.
The book features some really great court room scenes, complex characters and portrays so many human emotions and frailties. Illicit passion, betrayal, jealousy, paternal feelings, family bonds - everything finds a place in the story. The author has also explained quite a few legal technicalities which makes it easier for the reader to understand some of the complexities of the trial.
The Guilty Die Twice by Don Hartshorn was very much an atmospheric and character-driven slow burn, where author's ruminations on the deeply complex relationships formed in the midst of a murder trial. I would recommend the book to lovers of legal thrillers, murder mysteries, psychological thrillers.
We follow two masterly-crafted characters — two lawyer brothers, Travis and Jake Lynch. The story follows two timelines; the primary timeline in the current day investigation of the double murder case; and in second time line we see the brothers' relationship breakdown by following the Sutton case ten years previously. Afterwards everything goes wrong between the two brothers and continues to escalate at a blinding pace.
Don Hartshorn is skilled at informing the reader about the law and procedure without telegraphing it. He has a talent for metaphor and imagery, rendered beautifully in the elegiac narrative. The narrative is even, polished, and intelligently observant of a community in shock, a family shattered. How these things fit into the rest of the story is gradually disclosed, and its presence is both suspenseful and revealing. Don Hartshorn's dialogue is crisply cinematic but organic to the characters.
The book features some really great court room scenes, complex characters and portrays so many human emotions and frailties. Illicit passion, betrayal, jealousy, paternal feelings, family bonds - everything finds a place in the story. The author has also explained quite a few legal technicalities which makes it easier for the reader to understand some of the complexities of the trial.
The Guilty Die Twice by Don Hartshorn was very much an atmospheric and character-driven slow burn, where author's ruminations on the deeply complex relationships formed in the midst of a murder trial. I would recommend the book to lovers of legal thrillers, murder mysteries, psychological thrillers.
August 10, 2022
The Guilty Die Twice is a mystery thriller written by Don Hartshorn.
Set in America the main two characters are brothers - Jake and Travis Lynch. Both brothers are attorneys. The eldest, Jake, is the DA for Texas whist Travis runs a mostly pro bono practice. 10 years ago the family was split in two by a capital murder case. The author uses flash backs to explain this case, Travis hid vital evidence to stop Sutton, the accused, from being executed. His brother finds out and Jake resigns from his job at the DA’s office. They haven’t spoken since then.
This new case features three victims: two teenage boys shot dead in a car whilst the third has life changing injuries. A drug deal gone horribly wrong there were were three shooters. As the DA Jake is prosecuting this case whilst Travis is trying to prevent his young client, Sam, from being charged with the death penalty. The two brothers attempt to figure out who pulled the trigger whilst a secondary storyline is woven in which is full of political intrigue and backstabbing as elections for both the DA and Governor are imminent.
This book is beautifully thought out. The flashbacks and different storylines are cleverly woven together. Travis is a likeable character, Jake is not. The secondary characters, the wives, Claire etc do not hinder but add to the storyline. The book is not sanctimonious when expressing Travis’s opposition to the death penalty merely presenting thoughtful and considered arguments. I enjoyed this debut novel and would thoroughly recommend it.
Set in America the main two characters are brothers - Jake and Travis Lynch. Both brothers are attorneys. The eldest, Jake, is the DA for Texas whist Travis runs a mostly pro bono practice. 10 years ago the family was split in two by a capital murder case. The author uses flash backs to explain this case, Travis hid vital evidence to stop Sutton, the accused, from being executed. His brother finds out and Jake resigns from his job at the DA’s office. They haven’t spoken since then.
This new case features three victims: two teenage boys shot dead in a car whilst the third has life changing injuries. A drug deal gone horribly wrong there were were three shooters. As the DA Jake is prosecuting this case whilst Travis is trying to prevent his young client, Sam, from being charged with the death penalty. The two brothers attempt to figure out who pulled the trigger whilst a secondary storyline is woven in which is full of political intrigue and backstabbing as elections for both the DA and Governor are imminent.
This book is beautifully thought out. The flashbacks and different storylines are cleverly woven together. Travis is a likeable character, Jake is not. The secondary characters, the wives, Claire etc do not hinder but add to the storyline. The book is not sanctimonious when expressing Travis’s opposition to the death penalty merely presenting thoughtful and considered arguments. I enjoyed this debut novel and would thoroughly recommend it.
March 22, 2021
The Guilty Die Twice is a legal thriller where two brothers take on the same case but different sides. Travis is a defence attorney that works for himself and Jake is the District Attorney.
Legal thrillers are one of my favourite genres and because this one involved capital punishment I was even more intrigued to see how the lawyers would argue and see the details of the case. I wondered if it would make me think about capital punishment and whether I agree with it or not. It is a very tricky decision to make. The book allowed good discussion between me and my book buddy reader Irena regarding this case and capital punishment in general.
I really enjoyed following the case and the way the two lawyers went about their work. They did it very differently primarily due to finance and staffing.
All the characters were well written and I could see development in most of them over the chapters. The person who was being charged with this offence was not a likeable character at all. It was like he didn't really want to help himself. I think this showed great strength of character for Travis as he was offering practically free legal care. It should have been grabbed with both hands.
There are other secondary characters involved which are also very readable. We hear about the brothers Wives quite a lot and this gave a good family element to the book which broke up the whole legal case part. Having the lawyers whole life in a book is important to me so that we can see their full character.
Overall I loved this book and would definitely read more from this author. I recommend to anyone who likes legal thrillers but also family drama with thriller elements too.
A great read and I look forward to hearing more from this author.
Legal thrillers are one of my favourite genres and because this one involved capital punishment I was even more intrigued to see how the lawyers would argue and see the details of the case. I wondered if it would make me think about capital punishment and whether I agree with it or not. It is a very tricky decision to make. The book allowed good discussion between me and my book buddy reader Irena regarding this case and capital punishment in general.
I really enjoyed following the case and the way the two lawyers went about their work. They did it very differently primarily due to finance and staffing.
All the characters were well written and I could see development in most of them over the chapters. The person who was being charged with this offence was not a likeable character at all. It was like he didn't really want to help himself. I think this showed great strength of character for Travis as he was offering practically free legal care. It should have been grabbed with both hands.
There are other secondary characters involved which are also very readable. We hear about the brothers Wives quite a lot and this gave a good family element to the book which broke up the whole legal case part. Having the lawyers whole life in a book is important to me so that we can see their full character.
Overall I loved this book and would definitely read more from this author. I recommend to anyone who likes legal thrillers but also family drama with thriller elements too.
A great read and I look forward to hearing more from this author.
March 18, 2020
An emotional, intense, persistent battle between attorneys who are brothers. Jake Lynch is the fictional District Attorney in Austin, Texas. His younger brother, Travis, also an attorney, struggles to make ends meet as the novel opens. Texas is a capital punishment state and part of the novel deals forcefully and thoughtfully with that issue.
The story is not, however a sociological or psychological treatise on the rights and wrongs nor on the social implications of an existing approach to capital murder. This is a bare-knuckle, stirring confrontation between opposing points of view in the persons of Travis and Jake.
The well written narrative switches between a decades old execution of a truly evil and unrepentant character and the truly awful results of the penetration of the modern drug culture into every aspect of Austin’s society. And while the well-defined characters raise several important tragic issues in the investigations and trials of some of the characters, the pace of the novel drives the narrative in relentless fashion through personal, political and even racial aspects.
Readers can ignore the sociological aspects and read the novel as a fine fascinating adventure. Or one could use the story as the basis for thoughtful debate. Either way, I recommend the novel without reservation.
The story is not, however a sociological or psychological treatise on the rights and wrongs nor on the social implications of an existing approach to capital murder. This is a bare-knuckle, stirring confrontation between opposing points of view in the persons of Travis and Jake.
The well written narrative switches between a decades old execution of a truly evil and unrepentant character and the truly awful results of the penetration of the modern drug culture into every aspect of Austin’s society. And while the well-defined characters raise several important tragic issues in the investigations and trials of some of the characters, the pace of the novel drives the narrative in relentless fashion through personal, political and even racial aspects.
Readers can ignore the sociological aspects and read the novel as a fine fascinating adventure. Or one could use the story as the basis for thoughtful debate. Either way, I recommend the novel without reservation.
October 10, 2020
I was immediately intrigued by the premise of a "legal thriller" with two feuding lawyer brothers on opposing sides of a death penalty case. But, while the story mostly held my interest, for me it didn't live up to its promise.
First, this is absolutely not a thriller. What we have is a family drama, with the death penalty case being the divisive issue the brothers fight about. I'm not a big fan of drama.
My biggest problem is that I didn't like either brother. Jake is the typical, arrogant DA focused on winning at all costs. I badly wanted to like Travis, who opposes the death penalty and is dedicated to helping the poor get fair trials. Unfortunately, his dedication comes with a giant chip on his shoulder and a self-centered myopic view that always puts his wife second, at best. The wives of these two men are either saints or idiots.
In the end, this story isn't a court battle at all but a family battle. We don't have any intense court scenes, and the accused isn't the kind of person readers are going to care about saving. The only real question throughout is whether or not the brothers can put aside their differences long enough to work out a deal.
If you're a fan of family dramas with a legal element, you might love this one.
*I received a review copy from TCK Publishing.*
First, this is absolutely not a thriller. What we have is a family drama, with the death penalty case being the divisive issue the brothers fight about. I'm not a big fan of drama.
My biggest problem is that I didn't like either brother. Jake is the typical, arrogant DA focused on winning at all costs. I badly wanted to like Travis, who opposes the death penalty and is dedicated to helping the poor get fair trials. Unfortunately, his dedication comes with a giant chip on his shoulder and a self-centered myopic view that always puts his wife second, at best. The wives of these two men are either saints or idiots.
In the end, this story isn't a court battle at all but a family battle. We don't have any intense court scenes, and the accused isn't the kind of person readers are going to care about saving. The only real question throughout is whether or not the brothers can put aside their differences long enough to work out a deal.
If you're a fan of family dramas with a legal element, you might love this one.
*I received a review copy from TCK Publishing.*
November 24, 2020
This entertaining novel is difficult to categorize. It’s part family drama, part legal thriller, part crime story. But what may seem like disjointed genres comes together in a tight, well-paced story about two brothers—district attorney Jake Lynch and defender Travis Lynch—who have been estranged for ten years over the outcome of a previous case and are now matched against each other in a high-profile murder case.
The novel begins with a tense drug deal gone wrong, resulting in two dead and one severely wounded. One of the dead is the privileged son of an Austin powerbroker, adding pressure on Jake to find and convict the murderers. Heart-of-gold attorney Travis represents one of the suspects. An enterprising journalist with her own agenda hounds both brothers.
The Lynches themselves are a high-profile family, and the brothers face off at a family gathering that exposes their old wounds. Will they be able to put resentments aside and perform their professional duties? Any chance they will they can reconcile their differences and become a family again? This is the key story question as the arrests, double-deal-making, and case against the suspects expand.
Thank you to TCK Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The novel begins with a tense drug deal gone wrong, resulting in two dead and one severely wounded. One of the dead is the privileged son of an Austin powerbroker, adding pressure on Jake to find and convict the murderers. Heart-of-gold attorney Travis represents one of the suspects. An enterprising journalist with her own agenda hounds both brothers.
The Lynches themselves are a high-profile family, and the brothers face off at a family gathering that exposes their old wounds. Will they be able to put resentments aside and perform their professional duties? Any chance they will they can reconcile their differences and become a family again? This is the key story question as the arrests, double-deal-making, and case against the suspects expand.
Thank you to TCK Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 29, 2022
I love getting into a good legal thriller that has a lot of depth to the story. Don Hartshorn is a new author to me and one I plan on reading more books from him in the future. If I read it correctly this is his first novel and I expect he has a good future as an author.
I have to say it has been one of the more intriguing books that I didn’t expect. The plot is good and not washed down by boring courtroom or politics. The death penalty is touched on here in the story and you hear both sides regardless of your thoughts on the topic it does a good job on both sides of the political card. Even when the verdict is in you will have a hard time putting this story down.
The family dynamics make this extremely interesting. I like that the characters are amazing and both being on opposite sides in the court room not to mention their feelings of the death penalty. I don’t know if that would legally be a conflict of interest in reality but, it was such a good twist in the story. The two brothers Jake and Travis Lynch have been estranged for 10 years. Even the wives of the brothers are pretty good characters in the story. If you like legal thrillers this will be a good book for you. It kept me reading late into the night.
I received this complimentary product
I have to say it has been one of the more intriguing books that I didn’t expect. The plot is good and not washed down by boring courtroom or politics. The death penalty is touched on here in the story and you hear both sides regardless of your thoughts on the topic it does a good job on both sides of the political card. Even when the verdict is in you will have a hard time putting this story down.
The family dynamics make this extremely interesting. I like that the characters are amazing and both being on opposite sides in the court room not to mention their feelings of the death penalty. I don’t know if that would legally be a conflict of interest in reality but, it was such a good twist in the story. The two brothers Jake and Travis Lynch have been estranged for 10 years. Even the wives of the brothers are pretty good characters in the story. If you like legal thrillers this will be a good book for you. It kept me reading late into the night.
I received this complimentary product
September 27, 2020
The Guilty Die Twice by Don Hartshorn is an engaging thriller. Two brothers are fighting against each other and soon become embroiled in a dark crime investigation. The conversations and interactions between the brothers was entertaining to follow. I liked them both. Both have careers and wives. They want to succeed at their jobs. Only a particular case lays between them. I kept hoping things would go well for both. However, seeing how anger they were towards each other anything could happen. Things sometimes gets worse before they get better. In this case, that's what happens between these two thickheaded men. The story was well-crafted and well-developed. I felt what the men were going through and why. I enjoyed the dialogue and action. Crime fiction is amazing. This new writer is now on my top favorites list. The writing was done in a way that had me hooked from beginning to end. Overall, it was a quick read. I cannot wait to read more thrillers by Don Hartshorn in the future.
I received this copy from the publisher. This is my voluntary review.
I received this copy from the publisher. This is my voluntary review.
November 5, 2020
This is a book which needs the reader's full attention - there's so much going on!
Travis and Jake Lynch are not only brothers, they are both lawyers. Ten years ago they were both involved in a capital case which caused a massive chasm in the family. Now they find themselves on opposing sides again - this time in a double murder case. With one brother choosing to always fight for the underdog and the other now occupying the office of District Attorney this promises to be quite a show - and in the public eye.
This is far more than just a legal thriller; in order to understand what's happening now we have to discover what went on a decade ago. From time to time I found my attention wandering, perhaps if the synopsis had been less revealing I wouldn't always have been waiting for stuff to happen. The characterisation is terrific throughout and the story excellent but I would have liked it to be a little sharper. There is a LOT packed into this one and it's all finished off with a great ending. An author to watch and worth a full four stars.
Travis and Jake Lynch are not only brothers, they are both lawyers. Ten years ago they were both involved in a capital case which caused a massive chasm in the family. Now they find themselves on opposing sides again - this time in a double murder case. With one brother choosing to always fight for the underdog and the other now occupying the office of District Attorney this promises to be quite a show - and in the public eye.
This is far more than just a legal thriller; in order to understand what's happening now we have to discover what went on a decade ago. From time to time I found my attention wandering, perhaps if the synopsis had been less revealing I wouldn't always have been waiting for stuff to happen. The characterisation is terrific throughout and the story excellent but I would have liked it to be a little sharper. There is a LOT packed into this one and it's all finished off with a great ending. An author to watch and worth a full four stars.
October 4, 2020
I was offered a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book intrigued me and thus I picked it up to read. The story follows estranged lawyer brother's Travis and Jake Lynch as they navigate their separate worlds, having parted ways ten years ago. The story is told from each of their perspectives interspersed with flashbacks to the incident from ten years ago.
Though the book's premise seems to promise an interesting case involving a double murder and the brother's on opposite ends, the story focuses more and more on their relationship and dynamics. We see very little of the investigation, trial preparation and somewhere along the line, the truth behind the murders is revealed. The main focus is on the brother's and whether they can put aside their differences to work together and bring about a change.
The story is well-written, the family dynamics are well explained, but the characters are not wholly developed. There always seems to be something lacking in them. There are many elements to the story where the reader is not given a lot of background. Some incidents just happen and we have to accept them without enough explanation as to why they happened in the first place. All this however, is not a major deterrent. Though it takes some effort to get through, the book is definitely worth a one time read.
The premise of the book intrigued me and thus I picked it up to read. The story follows estranged lawyer brother's Travis and Jake Lynch as they navigate their separate worlds, having parted ways ten years ago. The story is told from each of their perspectives interspersed with flashbacks to the incident from ten years ago.
Though the book's premise seems to promise an interesting case involving a double murder and the brother's on opposite ends, the story focuses more and more on their relationship and dynamics. We see very little of the investigation, trial preparation and somewhere along the line, the truth behind the murders is revealed. The main focus is on the brother's and whether they can put aside their differences to work together and bring about a change.
The story is well-written, the family dynamics are well explained, but the characters are not wholly developed. There always seems to be something lacking in them. There are many elements to the story where the reader is not given a lot of background. Some incidents just happen and we have to accept them without enough explanation as to why they happened in the first place. All this however, is not a major deterrent. Though it takes some effort to get through, the book is definitely worth a one time read.
June 6, 2020
Don Hartshorn's THE GUILTY DIE TWICE has all the dark intrigue of Grisham with deeper subtext and thematic content than you'd expect from such a deep-in-its-genre pick. Because the plot tells the story from both of the dueling attorney brothers' perspectives, the novel never really materializes a true antagonist - and is all the better for it. The mystery itself, and the problem of how to handle race and class inequality in the complex, often muddy world of the legal system, becomes the focal obstacle, allowing Hartshorn to focus his considerable talents on rendering complex, fascinating characters. THE GUILTY DIE TWICE is billed as the beginning of a series, and this reviewer can't wait to see what the Brothers in Law do next.
June 23, 2020
All Lives Matter
Well-written and paced. Tells us a story within a story and even a third story. Poverty, crime, how a young hood is looking for respect and recognition . The real story here isn't about the feud between two brothers in a close knit family, it's not about a kid trying for recognition, it's not about navigating politics. It's about the taking of a life for a life in the criminal justice system.This is a statement about how the system is, and that a good Christian needs to turn towards this and get a good look. I was hooked up in the story, I have my opinion as to what a waste of 10 years to a family. It's a strong statement based on the belief that every life matters
Well-written and paced. Tells us a story within a story and even a third story. Poverty, crime, how a young hood is looking for respect and recognition . The real story here isn't about the feud between two brothers in a close knit family, it's not about a kid trying for recognition, it's not about navigating politics. It's about the taking of a life for a life in the criminal justice system.This is a statement about how the system is, and that a good Christian needs to turn towards this and get a good look. I was hooked up in the story, I have my opinion as to what a waste of 10 years to a family. It's a strong statement based on the belief that every life matters
July 28, 2022
this author is new to me. it was suggested to me to check it out. i see it was on KU ...i have that subscription so i did check it out. come out March 1, 2020. edge of your seat kind of read. i enjoyed it and it had me curious. i love that kind of reads. always looking for new authors to add to my favorite list and i am happy to have found another one. thriller. i am curious what other books Don might write in the future... i wish that Amazon would allow me to review again, unsure and was never given a reason as to why i can't ... so silly. so, i continue to review here on Goodreads. i will hope to see more soon Mr. Don H. look forward to that. take care. read on folks. if this is your style of reading, please take the time to check it out. i loved it!!
April 5, 2020
I liked the book. Legal twists and turns and two lawyers, brothers, who have a conflicted past over a case 10 years in the past involving the death penalty. I found it to be a book that was easy to keep reading. Besides the resolution of the present case, another capital punishment trial, I wanted to find out about the past case that caused the rift between the brothers and if and how they might come together again. The conclusion was satisfying and the book provoked thoughts about the use of the death penalty.
August 13, 2020
Review of "The Guilty Die Twice"
I enjoyed the storyline, The Death Penalty in this day and age is highly Political and usually very popular in Red Republican States such as Texas. The author makes you understand the Political Interests can influence the Legal System, especially if the District Attorney is interested in a Higher Office. The author also understands the rivalry between brothers and the burden carried by being born into a Rich and powerful family. I would hope the author would continue writing about The Lynch Family.
I enjoyed the storyline, The Death Penalty in this day and age is highly Political and usually very popular in Red Republican States such as Texas. The author makes you understand the Political Interests can influence the Legal System, especially if the District Attorney is interested in a Higher Office. The author also understands the rivalry between brothers and the burden carried by being born into a Rich and powerful family. I would hope the author would continue writing about The Lynch Family.
March 9, 2020
Move over John Grisham, there’s a new guy writing page-turning legal thrillers. Don Hartshorn’s debut novel has it all: murder, politics, mystery, and family intrigue. Set in present-day Austin, with flashbacks to Ten Years Ago, the novel tells the unpredictable story of estranged brothers who practice law from different sides of the courtroom. The verdict is in—this book is highly entertaining.
January 24, 2021
Before I say anything else, I just want to thank TCK Publishing for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this novel. It's not something I'd necessarily pick out on my own, but I am honestly so glad I read this book!
The label 'legal thriller' may not entice everyone, but I found this to be so much more than just that. Yes, it was about legal proceedings and conviction of a criminal, but it was also about family, making positive changes in the world, and (of course) finding the truth. It begins with a poignant scene where a convicted criminal is given the lethal injection that ends his life. Throughout the course of the book, through flashbacks and conversations, we learn the backstory of this particular event. The importance of Travis's endeavour in this book is then established.
I want to highlight that this book confronts the death sentence, with Travis pointing out the flaws in such a system. This is something I definitely agree with. In fact, Travis touches on the idea of rehabilitation instead of punishment, which is something I am hoping to work on as a forensic psychologist. So you can see that this book kind of struck a cord with me.
As legal fiction goes, this was certainly not dull or confusing. It was extremely interesting, well written, and actually rather exciting. I will not share too many details of the book in case I ruin it for any future readers, but I will say that there is death, there is deceit, there is drama. What more could you want?
I've given this a strong 4.5 stars overall. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes crime books, thrillers, legal fiction, or just a good read in general.
The label 'legal thriller' may not entice everyone, but I found this to be so much more than just that. Yes, it was about legal proceedings and conviction of a criminal, but it was also about family, making positive changes in the world, and (of course) finding the truth. It begins with a poignant scene where a convicted criminal is given the lethal injection that ends his life. Throughout the course of the book, through flashbacks and conversations, we learn the backstory of this particular event. The importance of Travis's endeavour in this book is then established.
I want to highlight that this book confronts the death sentence, with Travis pointing out the flaws in such a system. This is something I definitely agree with. In fact, Travis touches on the idea of rehabilitation instead of punishment, which is something I am hoping to work on as a forensic psychologist. So you can see that this book kind of struck a cord with me.
As legal fiction goes, this was certainly not dull or confusing. It was extremely interesting, well written, and actually rather exciting. I will not share too many details of the book in case I ruin it for any future readers, but I will say that there is death, there is deceit, there is drama. What more could you want?
I've given this a strong 4.5 stars overall. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes crime books, thrillers, legal fiction, or just a good read in general.
October 15, 2020
A different type of legal story - refreshingly original, it holds your interest to the end.
I enjoy a well-written legal story that sounds autobiographical. The characters are believable and well fleshed-out. The previous book I read by a different author sounded like it was written by a teenager in comparison to this one. Good job, Mr. Hartshorn! Thanks for a good read.
I enjoy a well-written legal story that sounds autobiographical. The characters are believable and well fleshed-out. The previous book I read by a different author sounded like it was written by a teenager in comparison to this one. Good job, Mr. Hartshorn! Thanks for a good read.
June 22, 2020
Excellent read
I love finding new authors and this book was definitely not a disappointment. I totally recommend that you read it just know that you probably won’t be able to put it down!
I love finding new authors and this book was definitely not a disappointment. I totally recommend that you read it just know that you probably won’t be able to put it down!
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