An interesting slant on revenge with a couple of unseen twists. A good suspense for autumnal nights.

Hannah Rokeby is a third year law student, living at home with her mother. When Hannah discovers that The Innocence Project is taking on the case of rapist and murderer Michael Dandridge she decides that she has to be involved. The reason that Hannah is determined to be involved is that Dandridge murdered her father and escaped justice, she's resolved to ensure he isn't released from prison. By becoming part of the defense team Hannah hopes to steer the evidence away from exonerating Dandridge.

This is a fantastic story and I was gripped from the first page. Hannah isn't a particularly likeable character from the outset, she's premeditated, manipulative and determined. She's even willing to resort to blackmail to get what she wants.

The intriguing story slowly unfolds as we follow Hannah's efforts to get on the team involved with the Dandridge case, interwoven with her mother's diary entries from twenty-seven years ago. Those diary entries explain what is driving Hannah and you do begin to have a greater understanding of why she's behaving as she is. Hannah soon discovers that not everything is as she believed and has to resolve some moral issues.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for sending me a copy of this book ahead of it's release.

The Murder Rule is one of those intense mysteries that keeps you guessing right up until the end. Hannah Rokeby plans to infiltrate the Innocence Project and sabotage their high profile case defending the apparent rapist and murdered, Michael Dandridge. Hannah's motivation for wanting to see him rot in jail is slowly uncovered through her mother's (Laura) diary entries and the summer she experienced the year before Hannah was born. Michael and Hannah's stories are closely linked in ways that Hannah isn't even aware of; as the lawyers are running out of time to save Michael, Hannah is running out of time to stop them.

The book was tense, suspenseful and fast paced. Hannah is an intriguing, morally grey protagonist who is unafraid to play dirty to get what she wants. Just when you think you've figured out the mystery a new piece of evidence comes to light and throws all theories out of the window. The ending is not outlandish but firmly seated in reality in a way that is still a satisfying conclusion to Hannah and Laura's stories.

This is also a relatively short book which is perfect because once you start, you won't want to put it down. A five star thriller which carefully picks apart the motivations of those who work to free the criminals. I strongly, strong recommend this book.

I was hooked from the very start of this book! The more I read the more I was gripped and wanted to know the ending! Loved how it’s was a typical uni student story.

Wow! I loved this book. I definitely didn't see the way this book would go and I'm so pleased. Hannah enrols in law school and gets her self on Innocence Project Clinic. She seems very driven in her results but also seems to be hiding something. I hope there will be another book as looking forward to seeing Hannah again.

4-5 stars

In 2019 Hannah Rokeby blags her way onto the Innocence Project clinic run by Professor Rob Parekh at the University of Virginia. Why? The answer lies in her mother’s diary from 1994 when she works as a cleaner in Maine. There she meets uber-rich Tom Spencer and his friend Michael Dandridge, the latter is the case Hannah is interested in. Michael is in prison following the rape and murder of Sarah Fitzhugh for which he protests his innocence. The story is told mostly by Hannah interspersed with extracts from her mother Laura’s diary.

This is a cracking read with a slow but inexorable build up to where we hurtle to some breathtaking moments of danger, suspense and tension with numerous unexpected twists and turns in the plot road. Hannah is an intriguing central protagonist, she seems enigmatic, she’s certainly determined and can manipulate and use her creative powers to full effect in order to achieve what she wants. The diary is illuminating but is it true, that’s the million dollar question. We get hints of Laura, she’s in the background but she’s absolutely central to what occurs. The case is fascinating, the aspects of the law are really interesting and you find yourself willing the team in as they’re working against the clock to get Michael’s case heard. They are pitted against some powerful forces in order to reveal huge contradictions in the case. What emerges is a dramatic story of corruption, violence and intimidation to the degree that Hannah and the team don’t know which way is up. The ending is satisfying for all concerned. My only reservation is how Hannah manages to get onto the Dandridge case with such ease but hey ho, it does lead to a darned good story!

Overall, another gripping read from the talented Dervla McTiernan who has a way of effortlessly pulling you into the storytelling and keeping you there until the very end.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, Harper Fiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

The first book I’ve read by this author and WOW!

Hannah is a law student, she volunteers with The Innocence Project, an organisation seeking to assist convicted criminals get fair retrials.

There is a particular rape and murder hearing coming up and Hannah is determined to make sure the accused will not be walking free.

Told using a past and present narrative, the past is told through Hannah’s mother’s diary entries. The present is Hannah’s present day investigations and Innocence Project dealings.

The balance between past and present is excellent, both holding weight and developing into tense storylines.

There are plenty of twists and real tension. The second half of the book flew past my eyes.

I loved having a central character with an ulterior motive, a devious streak and a very selective morality.

Very original and highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK.

Hannah transfers to another law school for a semester and gets onto the Innocence project - a campaign to get wrongful convictions overturned. She's interested in a prisoner who has a history with her mother. Looking into his case brings her up against ruthless and violent opposition. The plot is ingenious, if slightly unlikely, it moves fast and is exciting - a good read.

Like Dervla's previous books, The Murder Rule was an absolutely cracking read.

Unlike her others, it's set in the USA, where law student Hannah is keen to volunteer with the University of Virginia's Innocence Project, seeking to overturn miscarriages of justice - and is very interested in one particular case.

It's clear from the outset though that Hannah has her own very specific agenda, and it's something to do with her mother Laura (about whom we gradually learn more through Laura's past diary entries). We follow the story as Hannah and her fellow student volunteers seek to uncover evidence which may - or may not - exonerate the imprisoned Michael Dandridge.

Around three quarters of the way in, something happened which was so unexpected and shocking to me that I immediately had to share it with everyone around me! It's not often that happens in a book.

For some reason I kept imagining a TV adaptation... complete with dramatic courtroom scene towards the end.

A fabulous read. Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it!

This book had me gripped me gripped from the start. Lots of twists and turns to maintain pace and suspense, this book was a very enjoyable read. A new author for me, I look forward to reading more of her work.

Hannah is a law student who volunteers for the Innocence Project, a group of lawyers and students who work tirelessly to overturn miscarriages of justice. Their focus at the moment is Michael Dandridge who was jailed for murder on the basis of some flimsy evidence and a seemingly forced confession.

Hannah is determined to work on Michael's case however not for the reason everyone else does...….

I will leave the synopsis there and not give too much away however Hannah's desperation to get her sense of justice just leaps off the page and despite the ambivalence I had towards her character I really felt her struggle.

I love legal thrillers and there was a lot of legal jargon in this book which I loved, it was educational in terms of the American legal system as well as being a thrilling novel.

Books like this often live or die by the ending and this one certainly delivered an excellent conclusion. Would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers with a legal aspect to it with a strong protagonist.

Thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Dervla McTiernan sets her latest novel ‘The Murder Rule’ in the USA, focusing on the Innocence Project, where a team of dedicated lawyers and law students commit to overturning travesties of justice. Student Hannah is so desperate to play her part that she has no problem in bending the truth herself in order to win a place at the table.
Focusing on the wrongful imprisonment of Michael Dandridge, currently serving a life sentence for rape and murder, together with fellow students Sean and Camila, Hannah is determined to expose the truth. However, her truth is not the one that the Project is seeking.
The narrative plays out over two different timelines: 2019 and 1994. The latter is told through Hannah’s mother Laura’s diary, revealing a troubled past. It has helped Hannah to understand Laura’s alcoholism, and has ensured that mother and daughter are a tight team. As the reader learns more and more from the diary, so Hannah’s motivation becomes clearer and clearer.
The legal discussions in this novel are interesting and sound convincing, perhaps because McTiernan originally trained as a lawyer. As Hannah’s motivation is revealed over the first half of the novelwe are drawn in and keen to see whether or not her mission will succeed. However, at the point at which the team see Hannah for who she really is, the whole plot becomes a little unconvincing. Things move at a pace and take on a type of straightforward comic book simplicity with little room for any convincing emotional or psychological exploration. The caricature headcount is quite high! We are told how characters feel as they do rather than being shown gradually. Nowhere more so does this happen than at the end of the novel. A shame; I haven’t felt this to be the case when reading McTiernan’s other novels. A well-written story but one that’s lacking in effectively developed characters
My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

#TheMurderRule #NetGalley
Absolutely loved it. Masterpiece of 2022.
If you want to murder someone then here' are the rules.
First Rule: Make them like you. Second Rule: Make them need you.
Third Rule: Make them pay.
They think I’m a young, idealistic law student, that I’m passionate about reforming a corrupt and brutal system.
They think I’m working hard to impress them.They think I’m here to save an innocent man on death row. They're wrong. I’m going to bury him.
This is a little premise of the book. Definitely I'm not going to ruin this book by telling all the story here. Go and read yourself.
Loved it's protagonist. Author has done a marvellous job.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy.

I was impressed with this succinct read, that had me full of conspiracies and thoughts of where it would go (I was wrong, all of them, wrong). Hannah, an idealistic law student, someone super keen to get ahead and make a name for herself, while reforming a brutal system of course, arrives at the prestigious Innocence Project, a group of investigators who work to free wrongly convicted prisoners. To the outside world, Hannah has sacrificed for her future: leaving an extremely ill mother while she works on a convicted rapist and murderer’s case. He’s on death row and the Innocence Project will do all they can, connect the dots that heretofore remain unconnected – and Hannah wants to help. She knows about surviving, after all, she learned from her mother, who hadn’t the best upbringing. Jumping from Hannah and Laura’s perspectives, with alternating timelines, slowly their stories unite – but how? Hannah’s motivation is palpable, you can almost touch it when reading about her on the page. Because one thing is sure: once she’s gotten the project on her side, she doesn’t plan to save the prisoner, she wants to throw him to the wolves.