Resolved: A Novel (A BUTCH KARP-MARLENE CIAMPI THRILLER) - Hardcover

Tanenbaum, Robert K.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0743452860 ISBN 13: 9780743452861

Publisher: Atria, 2003

Synopsis

When a convicted killer escapes from prison and sets out to kill those responsible for his incarceration, chief assistant district attorney Butch Karp is horrified to discover that the convict holds him personally responsible and is targeting Karp's daughter as part of his vengeful plot.

About this title

About the Author

Robert K. Tanenbaum is one of the country's most respected and successful trial lawyers and has never lost a felony case. He has held such prestigious positions as homicide bureau chief for the New York District Attorney's Office and deputy chief counsel to the congressional committee investigations into the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In addition, he has worked on such high profile cases as the Hillside Strangler, the assassinations of two New York City police officers by Muslim terrorists, the collegiate teenage mom accused of killing her newborn, and a ground-breaking racial profiling case. For the past four years, he has taught Advanced Criminal Procedure at his alma mater, the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, and conducts continuing legal education (CLE) seminars for practicing lawyers in California, New York, and Pennsylvania. His previous works include the novels Enemy Within and Absolute Rage and two true crime books, The Piano Teacher: The True Story of a Psychotic Killer and Badge of the Assassin.

Reviews

Even Tanenbaum's diehard fans may have wished, over the course of his last few novels, that his famously tempestuous investigative duo-scrupulously honest homicide prosecutor Butch Karp and his wife, private detective-cum-vigilante Marlene Ciampi-would finally break up, if only in the interest of their poor children. In this 15th installment of the hugely popular series, that wish comes closer to fulfillment, and the family dramas are as fascinating as the criminal ones. Set in the months following the explosive conclusion of its predecessor, Absolute Rage, the novel opens with Butch in the running for DA in New York City, while Marlene tries to live a quiet life raising attack dogs. Although teenage daughter Lucy still has those "conversations" with St. Teresa of Avila, she has grown a little weary of her fiercely guarded chastity. Twins Giancarlo and Zak (who obviously hears Columbine calling) idly speculate on whether their parents' marriage is finally through. On the legal front, a fishy cop shooting and an unusual case of sexual assault ("a colonoscopy in progress, diarrhea, the smell.... Karp was not at this stage capable of surprise at any of the acts that people chose to relieve the sexual itch, but this still seemed extreme") spark an investigation that leads the Karps to two baddies from previous books in the series: Arab militant Feisal ibn-Salemeh (from Reckless Endangerment) and homegrown psycho Felix Tighe (from Immoral Certainty), entwined in an intricate conspiracy to blow big holes in a post-9/11 New York. There is the predictable big courtroom finale, and another showdown full of bullets and mayhem. All of the Tanenbaum standards are here, and fans won't be disappointed.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Throughout his astonishing run of successful Butch Karp-Marlene Ciampi mysteries, Tanenbaum has drawn on what appears to be an inexhaustible supply of fascinating family and jurisprudential issues to keep his highly original characters occupied. He is at it again here. When terrorists enlist the help of vicious murderer Felix Tighe, who first appeared in Immoral Certainty (1997), college-age Lucy Karp winds up in danger. Meanwhile, angst-ridden, rage-filled Marlene, emerging from self-imposed exile, once again runs smack into Butch's moral certitude about the law. The visceral action, ethical dilemmas, and courtroom dramatics are certainly all here. The plotting, however, is shakier than usual--the coincidences can't be ignored--and Tanenbaum's recycling of two psychopaths from previous books seems little more than a time-saver. But if this episode lacks the series' usual tightness, the action still sizzles, and the family relationships remain compelling. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Atria
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0743452860
• ISBN 13: 9780743452861
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352