'If you like court room dramas rush out and buy this one. It's one of the finest I've read this year with a plot that corkscrews one way and another before taking your breath away in the finale. A rock-solid plot with fascinating characters, it had a wonderful somersault ending that makes it a truly satisfying thriller'
(Daily Mail)
'Smart and well-executed . . . plenty of realistic behind-the-scenes courtroom finagling . . . a great book for summer reading'
(Toronto Globe and Mail)
'Not since Anatomy of a Murder has a novel so vividly captured the real life of criminal lawyers in the midst of a high-stakes trial. This is a book that every lawyer, law student, and law professor should, no must, read'
(Edward L. Greenspan. Q.C)
'A very good book. Rotenberg is a master of legal mystery craftsman in the rank of writers such as Scott Turow'
(Mysteries and More)
'A compulsive page-turner . . . it's the author's defence counsel sensibility that powers his novels, his insistence that every story is intensely personal, the way in which his humanizing of seemingly obvious killers raises doubt for the reader as it does at the same pace for the jury'
(Maclean's)
'This is a legal thriller of great pace and tension. Rotenberg knows how to bring a cast of characters to life'
(It's a Crime . . .)
'Gritty and engaging. It had me hooked from the moment I started it, and wouldn't let go. Wonderful stuff!'
(S. J. Watson, author of Before I Go to Sleep)
'A few lawyers are really expert in managing cases - especially criminial cases in the courtroom. A small percentage of these are very good at making trials come alive. Robert Rotenberg is one of the few, along with Scott Turow, David Baldacci, John Lescroat. His Guilty Plea is a crackling good read. Plan to keep turning pages late into the night'
(F. Lee Bailey)
'Another excellent legal thriller, the follow-up to crime novel Old City Hall with the same bunch of characters, each with their own intriguing back-story. Each chapter ends in a cliff-hanger. Works equally well as a standalone'
(Bookseller)
Robert Rotenberg's Old City Hall was a complex legal thriller of great ambition. Here again, the author's talent shines.
(Barry Forshaw, The Good Book Guide)
Praise for Old City Hall:
'Breathtaking . . . A tightly woven plot and a rich cast of characters make this a truly gripping read'
(Jeffery Deaver)
'Amazing . . . This one has winner written all over it' (Nelson DeMille)
'Clever, complex and filled with an engaging cast of characters'
(Kathy Reichs)
'There is nothing in Old City Hall to suggest that it's Robert Rotenberg's debut. The middle-aged Canadian criminal lawyer has got it all - pace, good characters, tension and an intriguing plot . . . The resolution is clever and surprising'
(The Times)
'Written by a real-life Canadian defence lawyer, this sweeping debut, with a vast, colourful cast, focuses on the apparent murder of his wife by talkshow host Kevin Brace. Then suddenly, he stops talking'
(Daily Mirror)
'Apart from evoking the seasonal rhythms of life in the city, the novel offers a convincing portrayal of backstage operations in the justice system . . . Old City Hall is an enjoyable addition to the literature of urban crime'
(TLS)
'Loved it! Rotenberg's courtroom drama is terrific'
(Ian Rankin)
