I have read and really enjoyed all three books in this author's Irish crime series. I really like her writing and how believable her books are so I was excited to see she had a standalone novel being published.

The Murder Rule is set in Maine and Virginia in the US and is an entirely different read from the author's others book. Hannah is a third year law student who manages to inveigle her way onto The Innocent Project at the University of Virginia. She portrays herself as idealistic as the rest of the legal minds on the team, a young woman passionate about helping to reform the brutal legal system. However Hannah is there for completely different reasons. Hannah is there for revenge.

The story unfolds with flashbacks through Hannah's mothers diary from twenty years ago. We learn about Hannah's father and his friend and what happened in the summer of 1994 and how it impacted all of Hannah's life. Hannah wants to make sure that person pays.

I liked this book. It held my interest for the most part but when compared to the authors previous books, it fell very short. The story was fine if depended on some outlandish circumstances to get to its conclusion but I was never fully invested. It's a slow enough burn and the twists aren't hugely surprising but its well written. A smidgen too long too, I felt. It felt a little drawn out across the final third.
Perhaps my expectations were too high, and that is why I was a little disappointed with this one as I can't find any fault with any element of the book. Would very much recommend the authors others books and if you have not read them, you might enjoy this more maybe?!

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 such a gripping read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own hone\st voluntary review.

Hannah is the central character who is determined to gain a place on the law university programme The Innocence Project, although not for the reasons expected. While her peers are working to free Michael Dandridge, Hannah is going to disrupt the case from within and ensure that he never walks free.
As the story unfolds we read excerpts from her Mum's teenage diary and start to understand why her mantra seems to be 'The ends justify the means'. What Hannah doesn't yet know is that she is not the only person with such machiavellian schemes, and some of the players are old hands. There are twists and turns, prevarication and duplicity from key players in the case and this builds to an intensely satisfying conclusion.
This is a fast paced, quick read that kept me entertained over a couple of days. There were a few niggles, especially the filler sentences that just weren't needed, and Hannah's character would have benefitted from more depth. Overall I enjoyed the read and would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Stunning legal thriller with sharp twists and turns and a not so likeable main character. I enjoyed the two narratives of Hannah and her mother’s diary entries. Superb reading material for a rainy day. I finished it in one setting and will definitely be checking out her Cormac Reilly series in the near future.

Thank you NetGalley / HarperCollins for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Murder Rule | Dervla McTiernan
Pub Date: 10/05/22
Genre: Mystery, psychological thriller, crime, legal,

The Murder Rule is the latest standalone psychological suspense by bestselling author of the Cormac Reilly series, Dervla McTiernan.

When I received an ARC for this one, I dropped everything I was reading to dive straight into this and I’m so glad I did. This one was unlike anything I’ve read before (and I read a lot of crime and mystery fiction).
The story follows Hannah, as she gets a position working with the Innocence Project, a legal team devoted to proving the innocence of wrongly convicted prisoners and setting them free. Hannah’s motivations are much more sinister. I don’t want to say much more as the plot itself is a masterpiece in mystery and suspense. It’s better that you go in blind.

Told from Hannah’s POV, the book also features diary excerpts written by Hannah’s mother Laura. These chapters are a different style and come across a bit juvenile and idealistic, a jarring contrast to Hannah who is methodical, calculated and determined. The mother-daughter relationship added an element to the story which made it more than a simple crime thriller, and gave real depth to these women. I didn’t know whether to love or hate them (or both at the same time).

The legal elements of the story were a nice touch and gave this book something different to set it apart. It reminded me of a cross between Karin Slaughter and John Grisham.

The pace was a little slow to start with but peppered with enough details to get you hooked and keep you hooked. About 65% of the way in though, it kicked up a few notches and didn’t let go until the final moment. There were plenty of twists and turns on offer. I didn’t guess the big plot twist or see it coming at all.

Overall this was an excellent, five star read. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

This review has been posted on Goodreads, Amazon and will be posted on my Instagram (@thepandasbookshelf) this week.

Wow! The murder rule is fantastic!

You start reading this story going along with what the narrator is telling you, but the more you go in, the more things start to unravel
Very tense and good read

The Murder Rule is the fourth novel by award-winning, best-selling Australian author, Dervla McTiernan. Law student Hannah Rokeby leaves her mother Laura in Orono, Maine and travels to Charlottesville, Virginia to study for a semester at UVA. She has a convincing cover story and manages to get herself a trial position with The Innocence Project. Professor Robert Parekh takes her on despite her fairly blatant attempt to blackmail him into it, but she will have to prove her dedication to the cause.

Parekh’s intimate team of three students is faced with an urgent case preparation: their latest client, Michael Dandridge, having served eleven years for the rape and murder of Sarah Fitzhugh in Yorktown is, due to certain technicalities, about to face trial once again. Within days, Hannah has manipulated the situation to her advantage, becoming one of Rob’s team.

What isn’t apparent to anyone on the team is that Hannah is not there to help prove Michael ’s innocence; rather, she wants to see him incarcerated for as long as possible, and to this end, sets about surreptitiously sabotaging their efforts; she knows something about Michael Dandridge that they don’t.

Laura Rokeby’s journal from 1994, the year she worked as a maid in a Seal Harbor Hotel, describes her summer love affair with a rich young man, an affair that ends with a shocking tragedy.

McTiernan’s first stand-alone novel has a plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing right up to those jaw-dropping reveals. The felony murder laws and the inner workings of the Innocence Project add interest, and very little suspension of disbelief is required with this intriguing page-turner.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK