I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Privilege
by Claire Matturro
Published by LLC on May 15, 2019
Genres: Historical Legal Thriller
Pages: 286
Format: Kindle, Paperback
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WHEN BEAUTIFUL, JADED ATTORNEY RUBY RANDOLPH IS ARRESTED FOR KILLING HER SNAKE OF A LAWYER HUSBAND, NOBODY BLAMES HER—EXCEPT THE COP WHO LOVES HER.
Ruby Randolph is a street-smart lawyer with a dark past who finally makes it big, but she’s snared in an abusive marriage. Privilege has its costs.
When her husband’s shocking murder sets her free, Ruby vows to keep it that way at any cost. But when her former lover shows up at her door as the police detective investigating the case, freedom gets tricky. There’s still heat between them, but can she trust him?
Hank Rider, an honorable, world-weary cop, knows better than to get emotionally involved in a case. But he can’t forget what he once felt for Ruby as they re-ignite their steamy affair. When he discovers evidence against her, the line between duty and passion gets blurred, fast.
As the investigation spirals out of his control, Hank struggles through a long list of suspects who wanted Ruby’s husband dead—including Ruby. A bankrupted law firm, a busted client-attorney privilege, an ex-con out for revenge, a corpse in an orange grove, and Ruby’s own shady history conspire to make everyone a suspect.
Privilege by Claire Matturro is a fast-paced story with mystery, tragedy, and some sizzle.
Did Ruby kill her husband? Even if she didn’t, will she lose Hank forever?
Ruby Randolph
Ruby is our main character. I was rooting for her from the beginning. Ruby is beautiful, intelligent, and an attorney. She has the air about her that makes you either want to like her or hate her. Most men like her, and women don’t care for her. She grew up in Louisiana, poor, doing drugs, and being rescued. However, she turned it around when Gardner decided he wanted her. Ok, it’s more complicated than that, but that is how life is.
The one thing that I truly admired about Ruby was her self preservation. She does her best to land on her feet through it all.
Luther Downs
Luther is my favorite male character. He is by far the down to earth; hard-working, family orientated, detective that doesn’t see Ruby as an object but a person. Luther is also Hank’s partner and probably his best friend. Hank and Ruby have a “thing” going on. When Luther realizes this, he talks to Hank and tries to work through everything. Through all of this, Luther is such a great guy. He even uses old police contacts to try to track down information about Ruby and Billy. Luther has demons of his own to deal with too.
The Mystery
Ruby’s husband Gardner is murdered in their bedroom the day after he attacks her in the office, and she moves out of the house. Gardner was trying to push the primary partner in their law firm out by messing with the books. The law firm is going to implode soon. Gardner was having an affair with one of the other associate attorneys. Ruby was having a relationship with Hank, but she tries to be a loyal friend to an old boyfriend, Billy, who recently got out of jail. Nathanial, the leading partner in the firm, is her friend and mentor, so Ruby hates what Gardner is doing to him. There are so many pieces of the puzzle. Yet, who killed Gardner?
Five Stars
Privilege by Claire Matturro is wonderfully written. I honestly didn’t figure out who killed Gardner until the reveal. There are so many suspects and different motives. I loved that the story takes place in the 1980s. Ms. Matturro adds the right amount of heat to the story. Police work was different back then; they had to drive to the location and pull hard files to read them. The characters are fabulously put together with enough flaws to make them real. I love this story, and therefore I am giving Privilege by Claire Matturro five stars.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you like a good mystery with some heat.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Privilege by Claire Matturro.
Until the next time,
This Guest Review is for Baroness’ Book Trove.
About Claire Matturro
Claire Hamner Matturro was raised on tales of errant, unhinged kith and kin, whiskey making, and the War Between the States. Inspired by such stories, she wanted to write fiction, but became a lawyer instead. An honors graduate of The University of Alabama Law School, she became the first female partner in a prestigious Sarasota, Florida law firm. After a decade of lawyering, Claire taught at Florida State University College of Law and spent one long, cold winter as a visiting legal writing professor at the University of Oregon. She guest blogs, reviews books at Southern Literary Review, Sassy Girl Book Expo, and Compulsive Reader, maintains a butterfly garden year round in SW Florida, is active in the Oasis Christian Writers critique group, teaches an occasional adult ed class, and counts her blessings daily. Claire maintains her long love affair with Florida through her fiction, as well as her life.
Her books are: Skinny-Dipping (2004) (a BookSense pick, Romantic Times’ Best First Mystery, and nominated for a Barry Award); Wildcat Wine(2005) (nominated for a Georgia Writer of the Year Award); Bone Valley(2006) and Sweetheart Deal (2007) (winner of Romantic Times’ Toby Bromberg Award for Most Humorous Mystery), all published by William Morrow, and Trouble in Tallahassee (2018 KaliOka Press). Coming in Fall of 2019: Privilege(Moonshine Cove), a steamy legal thriller noir set on the Gulf coast of Florida. She recently finished polishing Wayward Girls–a manuscript she co-wrote with Dr. Penny Koepsel–and awaits the happy news when her agent, the great, fun, funny, and radically energetic Liza Fleissig, places it with the right publisher.
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