Alibi

by Stephen M. Murphy

Book Overview

In Manchester, New Hampshire, lawyer Dutch Francis is known for defending people accused of DWIs, not murder. But as a favor to a friend, he decides to take the case of a troubled young man accused of killing the local high school football star. Dutch is up for the challenge. The more he investigates, the more he is convinced of his client's innocence--and the more he gets played.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0515139467
• ISBN13: 9780515139464
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Jove Books
• Length: 374 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Waiting for Alibi II

This was a fast read. The story held my attention throughout the book. The plot twist was surprising, but not so twisted as to be unbelievable. I found the main character, attorney Dutch Francis, to be human and likeable. I am looking forward to many sequels to come.

Legal Fiction Authors Take Note

I loved this book. The characters are realistic, the story line is believable and the plot twists were unexpected. At several points in this book I had to remind myself that I wasnt reading a book from Richard North Patterson or John Grisham, it was that good. If a book is boring or predictable I flip to the end after only a few chapters to verify I was right in guessing the ending then move on to another book, I didnt do that with this book, it was too engaging, I was not prepared, nor was I able to guess the twist at the end, my guess had it all wrong and that was how I knew this was a good book. I could hear the author in the childhood memories, you just knew he was writing about himself, and I longed to ask him how many bottlecaps did he collect and how many footballs did he send out for when he was a kid. Murphy wrote the main character, Dutch, in a very human way. You could relate to this guy and feel what he felt and you believed him. That was what kept the pages turning. I can't wait for the sequel to come out. Mr. Murphy, if you need help in clearing your desk to make time to write, give me a call, I would be glad to help:)

stunning courtroom drama

Narayan of Rebeccasreads highly recommends ALIBI as Stephen Murphy's first foray into legal fiction. For those who don't recognize his name he the editor of THEIR WORD IS LAW: Bestselling Lawyer-Novelists Talk About Their Craft, & Narayan interviewed him about his book. ALIBI centers around the murder of a local football star of Manchester, New Hampshire. The accused is Raymond Walker, & the evidence against him is nothing but foolproof, he even admits to having threatened McHugh. After topnotch Defense Attorney Dutch Francis agrees to defend Raymond he finds that things are not what they seem -- even Dutch's lifetime friend might be involved in the murder. What follows is courtroom drama at its best -- correctly delineated without antics & histrionics; just pure, incisive courtroom action, as can be expected in real-life -- culminating in a stunning finish.

Excellent book with strong attention to detail

This book is an excellent read for anyone who is from New England. As a native of Manchester, I found that Murray's portrayal of the city and the people who live there is right on. His ability to bring each of the characters to life was a strong contribution to an already interesting plot . This book is an easy read, as I finished it in one night. I am still trying to decide if that was mostly because I was drawn into the storyline and couldn't wait to learn how it ended. I am very anxious to read more of Murray's work in the future.

Alibi

I took Alibi on a recent vacation and could not put the book down! Stephen Murphy's character, Dutch Francis, is a skillful trial lawyer who is also very humble and likeable. In this novel, Dutch, a civil lawyer, takes on the case of his life - a client charged with murder. The story is a legal thriller and mystery with subplots dealing with friendship and love. All of the characters in this book are well developed which make it an entertaining read. I am sure everyone will enjoy the trial and Dutch's clever cross examinations as much as I did. Stephen Murphy is a remarkable writer and I hope we will see more Dutch Francis novels in the near future.