The Final Judgement

Nov 28, 2025 12:58 AM

Author:Richard North Patterson

The Final Judgement

A young man is brutally murdered. His distraught girlfriend is the prime suspect. Her aunt, Caroline Masters, about to take up a top job in the US Court of Appeals, decides to defend the young woman in the murder trial. But this will be Caroline's first contact with her family in almost twenty years, and as she prepares the case and goes through the trial, long forgotten secrets re-surface, pitting Caroline against not only the police and prosecution, but also against her father (a retired judge), her sister and the memory of her young self when she, too, lost a boyfriend in suspicious circumstances. The Final Judgement is a powerful, poignant, page-turning legal thriller that confirms Richard North Patterson as among the very best writers in the bookselling area.

Reviews

The narrative casts a mesmeric spell... intelligent, beautifully written, heartfelt and true, and a great book

—— Sunday Times

I would rather have written Ford Madox Ford's novel than all the books I have written. After reading it a dozen times, I still find a mystery at its heart... an exercise in elegance and a triumph of structure. I am always imitating it and always failing. The prose makes my heart ache with envy

—— Ruth Rendell , Guardian

An astounding novel

—— The Times

Sometimes the best presents come in small packages...masterful

—— Daily Telegraph

A central figure, artistically and influentially, in the modern movement...a masterpiece of Impressionism, as well as of intricate plotting, technical manipulation and powerful irony

—— Guardian

A sense of ambiguity and fluidity, of there being no absolutes, only relativities, is dazzlingly displayed in The Good Soldier

—— Economist

My favourite novel... You expect a boring novel about Edwardian marriages. This could not be more misleading. It’s a gothic melodrama with a high body count

—— Ned Beauman , Guardian

Previous Article：Henry And Cato Next Article：Must Be Love

Comments

Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.