Jonathan Davis, suave and manly as ever, reprises his narration of the Jack Swyteck series. This time the Miami criminal attorney is pursuing a settlement from multinational owners of an oil rig that exploded near the Florida Keys. Davis portrays the stalwart Swyteck consistently, even through a few implausible plot twists. But Davis’s vocal skills are best applied in the dialogue of the shady Cubans, who insist they have complete control of the disaster recovery; the demanding Russian thugs, who may or may not be involved in Swyteck’s kidnapping; and the slippery Chinese trader who conceals secrets about the construction of the rig. When Swyteck discovers that his wive, an undercover FBI agent, is working the other side of the case, Davis reveals a glimmer of Swyteck’s insecurities. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

★ 01/13/2014
Bestseller Grippando draws inspiration from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill for his fantastic 11th Jack Swyteck novel (after 2013’s Blood Money). Criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck and his new wife, FBI agent Andie Henning, cut short their honeymoon in the Florida Keys after an explosion on Scarborough 8, an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, results in a massive crude oil spill. Andie returns to Washington, D.C., where FBI higher-ups suspect sabotage was involved in the disaster. Back in Florida, Jack agrees to represent Bianca Lopez, the widow of a Cuban man killed on the rig, in a wrongful-death suit. In a concerted effort to get the case dismissed, the Chinese-Russian-Cuban oil consortium that owns the rig claims that Bianca’s marriage doesn’t exist. As Jack pursues the truth, he is kidnapped in Cuba and later threatened with disbarment by the FBI. Finely crafted dialogue and a realistic yet nuanced hero make this thriller a standout. Agent: Richard Pine, Inkwell Management. (Mar.)

Fantastic…Finely crafted dialogue and a realistic yet nuanced hero make this thriller a standout.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on BLACK HORIZON

“With a story that’s ripped from the recent headlines (remember the 2010 BP oil spill?), this is a solid legal thriller that should appeal to the author’s fans.” — Booklist on BLACK HORIZON

“James Grippando is a master of the legal thriller.” — Robert K. Massie, New York Times bestselling author

A briskly paced thriller…The complex plot points combined with the breezy narrative—not to mention the Florida Keys setting—make for a solid beach read that will no doubt leave longtime fans looking forward adventures of Jack Swyteck.” — Houston Chronicle on Black Horizon

James Grippando is a master of the legal thriller.

With a story that’s ripped from the recent headlines (remember the 2010 BP oil spill?), this is a solid legal thriller that should appeal to the author’s fans.

A briskly paced thriller…The complex plot points combined with the breezy narrative—not to mention the Florida Keys setting—make for a solid beach read that will no doubt leave longtime fans looking forward adventures of Jack Swyteck.

10/01/2013
Following a drilling explosion in Cuban waters, not so far from the Deepwater Horizon disaster, attorney Jack Swyteck finds himself representing a woman whose husband died on the oil rig. Grippando's 21st novel.