One Night In Amboise (Book) - 9/20/2018 1:05:58 PM
One Night in Ambroise by Ken Malovos is a saga of an unfortunate
incident that occurred many years ago during Judge Jim Hansen’s trip to France while still a college student. He makes some bad choices
afterwards that haunt the life he has worked so had to build. With the
exception of this one incident he has been an upstanding member of his
community and a very highly respected judge. Mr. Malovos has done a fine job in researching and communicating his storyline, which not long ago would be considered unusual. Here is the tale of a truth being distorted and denied and the resulting consequences. The downfall of a dignified and honored individual is, unfortunately, no longer a stretch of the imagination. This genre, which used to bore me, was interesting and kept me in there to the very end.
Contempt of Court (Book) - 9/12/2018 10:30:36 PM
A Thrilling Novel that Goes Beyond the Courtroom
About two-thirds through Ken Molovos’s fascinating legal novel, Contempt of Court, Peter (the son of our protagonist Mike Zorich) points out to his father: “It’s beginning to sound like a reality show. Your life is becoming way too scary.” Scary indeed. Malavos tells the tale of a seasoned and well-respected Sacramento lawyer who encounters subtle forms of terror and abuse, whether they be physical, professional, or emotional. Mike Zorich must delve into his cases of the past and sort through the actions of the present to slowly unravel the nefarious plottings designed to make him suffer for perceived mistakes and miscalculations.
An experienced lawyer himself, Malovos deftly takes the reader inside the mindset and situations of courtroom intrigue. The trial scenes are quite memorable. Mike’s cross-examination of the witness Montoya at an earlier trial is a wonder to behold, and the courtroom presence of Mike’s own lawyer, Jim Haggerty, is one of the novel’s great pleasures. Plus, the extraordinary behaviors of opposing attorney Robert Cannes and Judge Karen Thoreson give the novel layers of intrigue that keep the reader off balance.
The attacks on Mike won’t be revealed here, since one of the aspects that really grips the reader is in what ways his life will be upended next. Those actions tie into the novel’s central theme – how much responsibility and impact a trial lawyer has on others in his long career. For practical purposes, Mike’s ruminations must ultimately boil down to one pressing matter: “The question today was whether one of his old clients was out to get him.”
What makes this novel so appealing is how well Malavos fleshes out Mike. While likeable and highly skilled, Mike is very human. With a few drinks in him, he can be a critical blowhard and, under great stress, he makes his share of mistakes. But in his relationships with his girlfriend Nancy, his son Peter, and his partner Denny, Mike reveals kindness, charisma, and affection. The reader cares deeply about Mike and the close circle around him right up the novel’s surprising and satisfying ending. I highly recommend Contempt of Court.
One Night In Amboise (Book) - 2/20/2018 12:54:05 PM
Ken Malovos uses his professional experience to present a gripping story involving criminal court room proceedings. It captured my interest after a slow start to the story. Believability is critical for a reader, and I had problems with believing how a college-educated, young adult, planning life's career in law, could actually knowingly cause the death of someone and not report it to police. This of course might have moved the main story line in a direction not planned by the author.
The area for the story's plot was very familiar, as I grew up in California, and traveled to France many times during my work career.
The initial "rape" scene also was confusing. When is a rape not a rape? This content certainly follows today's current dealings with sexual harassment and makes one aware of the seriousness of this problem in the work place.
It appears that Malovos is planning a follow-on story as I read a "to be continued" thread woven into the ending.
I look forward to reading about Jim Hansen's fate. I highly recommend this book for readers of mystery genre.
While typo mistakes are not uncommon, I felt that the 10 I noted were a bit too many (see pgs. 53, 66, 178, 184, 230, 234, 250, 258, 259, 281, 283. The book editing needed to be tightened up by a professional.
One Night In Amboise (Book) - 2/19/2018 9:59:04 AM
Excellent read from 1st page until the end. Very interesting story line. Very well-written smaller side stories that the author very nicely worked into the main story line. I enjoyed learning, albeit limited, the descriptions of the characters and quickly became intrigued with Mike Zorich! I will certainly be looking for additional titles by Ken Malovos. I was extremely thrilled to learn that there are a couple more books about the character Mike Zorich! If you enjoy reading, especially about the inner workings of the legal system, I refer this book, 'One Night in Amboise', very strongly! You won't be disappointed...
One Night In Amboise (Book) - 10/28/2017 11:40:09 AM
Wonderful story. Involving high profile character in horrible crimes is captivating. Packed with suspense and action in equal measure. I hundred percent recommend to read this book
Kotra Siva R Krishna,
Writer
