Last to Die: A Novel (Swyteck) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jack is a likeable protagonist. He is earnest, intelligent, professional, with a soft spot for kids. He is one of the few legal heroes of the genre who looks at his career as a job and not the driving force of his life. What spurs him onward is his own curiosity. I did object to Jack's treatment of one character (and I can't specify without ruining the plot), a reaction that seemed excessively harsh and unforgiving given the circumstances and Jack's emotional attachment to the character.

Grippando's writing is unobtrusive - not noteworthy but smooth enough to propel the story forward. For a thriller, the suspense does not reach adrenalin-pumping levels, although Grippando kept me interested throughout by his judicious meting out of details. I did lose some interest as Grippando took me to Africa, a portion of the book that reads more like a travelogue than a thriller. However, my main complaint with this novel is the weak ending. It lacks the oomph of a first-rate thriller, although the rest comes close.

This book's undemanding yet exciting premise is perfect for beach or airplane reading, and for anyone desiring pure entertainment. Those who love legal thrillers should definitely add Grippando to their reading lists. I'm looking forward to Grippando's next book.

The scope and goals of the author of this book are much more modest than Costain's but the central premise of the book is the same. If a large enough financial reward is payable to the last surviving member of a group, unexplained and perhaps violent deaths of the group's members will begin to occur within a relatively short period of time. The following brief summary of the plot reveals less of the story than the book jacket, since my advance knowledge of a few of the details mentioned there actually detracted from my enjoyment of watching the plot unfold. In this novel, Sally Fenning, a gorgeous divorcee is shot in her Mercedes on the streets of Miami, and her multimillion dollar estate (the book jacket says $48M, the text says $46M) is left to the last survivor among six apparent strangers with unclear connections to her. One of the potential beneficiaries is Tatum Knight, the brother of the best friend of Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swytek and now Jack's newest client. Jack not only has to prepare for the legal maneuvering that is sure to ensue, but also try to maintain the secrecy of many details of Tatum's past life from the glare of the media publicity that is sure to evolve.

This is a well written legal/mystery/action story with some surprising plot twists and interesting characters. Jack Swytek and his sidekick Theo Knight have an appealing relationship, but since this is the first book that I have read by this author I cannot comment on how his characters have developed over time. It is a very easy and fast read; I basically finished it on a long weekend without it monopolizing my time. I also enjoyed the occasional philosophical forays and asides and as well as the clever phraseology, e.g the chain link fence that had "razor wire running across the top like a man-eating Slinky".

Despite my enjoyment, there are three reasons why I did not give it a five star rating. The first is minor, there are a few editing and proofreading oversights of the sort that I do not expect in a book from a major publisher. More significantly, after the first murder (or certainly the first two occurred), it seemed highly improbable that such intelligent people as the remaining beneficiaries appeared to be would not taken greater precautions to avoid the obvious danger in which they had been placed. Last, I found the ending rather abrupt and contrived and not up to the quality of the remainder of the book. It seemed as if the author decided that the script has achieved its desired length and the storyline had been plumbed sufficiently so that it was just time to tie up all the loose ends and go home. Unfortunately, it left me with a slight feeling of anti-climax. But I do want to emphasize that my rating reflects the fact that I enjoyed the book and recommend it enthusiastically. I just felt that the promise of the plot was not completely fulfilled.

Tucker Andersen

The above quote could well be the theme statement for James Grippando's newest thriller, LAST TO DIE. Miami criminal attorney Jack Swyteck is asked to represent his best friend's older brother, Tatum Knight, a former hit man. Swyteck was successful in getting Theo Knight released from death row, serving time for a murder he did not commit.

A beautiful woman named Sally Fenning, who is worth millions of dollars, has tried to hire Tatum to kill her. He refuses her offer, but she soon turns up dead. Tatum is called to the dead woman's attorney's office for a meeting but wants to have his own attorney present. Swyteck accompanies him to a reading of Sally's will. The reading of this document is a life-altering event for those involved.

One of six persons named in the will is going to inherit $46 million. The catch is that the recipient will be the last one of them still living. The unlikely beneficiaries include a former husband, divorce lawyer, female crime reporter, assistant district attorney, Tatum, and a mysterious no-show at the reading named Alan Sirap. Throughout, Grippando develops the cast with believable motives and personalities. Each has a history with the deceased woman that indicates more reason for her hatred than the benefit of her generosity.

Swyteck's involvement takes him from Miami to Africa, where he meets Sally's sister Rene, a medical doctor as beautiful as her dead sibling. His near-romantic entanglements become complicated when he dates a law assistant and mother of his "little brother" Nate. The friendship is threatened when Kelsey divulges information from Swyteck's investigation to determine the guilt or innocence of his client in Sally's death.

One by one, the possible beneficiaries are murdered. Violence, bloodshed and death haunt the remaining ones enough to form alliances to protect themselves and their claims to the inheritance. When clues hint that Tatum is not whitewashed from blame, Swyteck is determined to find the remaining Alan Sirap.

LAST TO DIE is a clever rendering of motives, crimes both past and present, and a shocking resolution to the question of who will receive the millions. Courtroom drama is alive with wit and humor in the scenes when bumbling Gerry Colletti seeks a restraining order against Tatum. Grippando depicts Theo with humor as well and involves his audience with his characters as they wheel and deal their paths to conclusion. Swyteck is as real as the odd assortment he cohabits with on the page.

LAST TO DIE will have a place with most memorable thrillers. I highly recommend it for one who enjoys a great mystery.

--- Reviewed by Judy Gigstad