Synopses & Reviews
“Breathtaking . . . A tightly woven spiderweb of plot and a rich cast of characters make this a truly gripping read.” Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bodies Left Behind It should be an open–and–shut case. Canadas leading radio–show host, Kevin Brace, has confessed to killing his young wife. He had come to the door of his luxury condominium with his hands covered in blood and told the newspaper deliveryman: “I killed her.” His wifes body lay in the bathtub of their suite, fatal knife wound just below the sternum. Now all that should remain is legal procedure: document the crime scene, prosecute the case, and be done with it. The trouble is, Brace refuses to talk to anyoneincluding his own lawyerafter muttering those incriminating words. With the discovery that the victim was actually a self-destructive alcoholic, the appearance of strange fingerprints at the crime scene, and a revealing courtroom cross-examination, the seemingly simple case begins to take on all the complexities of a hotly–contested murder trial. In the tradition of defense lawyers–turned–authors such as Scott Turow and John Grisham, Toronto-based defense counsel Robert Rotenberg delivers a debut legal thriller rich with his forensic skill. Firmly rooted in Toronto, from the ancient Don Jail to the sterile morgue and the shadowy corridors of the historic courthouse, Old City Hall takes the reader inside clattering Italian restaurants and late-night greasy spoonsand outside, to open-air skating rinks and parade-filled streets. Rotenberg leads us on a fascinating tour of a city as exciting and vital as the motley ensemble populating his story: theres Awotwe Amankwah, the only black reporter covering the crime; Judge Johnathan Summers, an old navy captain who runs his courtroom like hes still standing astride the foredeck; Edna Wingate, an eighty-three year old British war bride who just loves hot yoga; and Daniel Kennicott, a former big-firm lawyer who became a cop after his brother was murdered and the investigation hit a dead end. Douglas Preston rejoices that Rotenbergs Toronto settings “make this most multicultural city in North America come alive.” Elmore Leonard has Florida; John Lescroart, San Francisco; Robert B. Parker, Boston; Scott Turow, Chicago; George Pelecanos, D.C. And now, with Old City Hall, Rotenberg offers us a page-turning legal thriller set in a diverse and surprising Toronto filled with unexpected characters and plot twists that keep you guessing until the very end.
Review
“Robert Rotenberg's Old City Hall is one of the best books I've read in ten years. I devoured it in two sittings. Rotenberg is a criminal defense attorney, defending lowlifes and celebrities alike in Toronto, and he really knows his clients. His characters are stunningly good. They're real people. His Toronto settings make this most multicultrual city in North America come alive. He writes with assurance and panache. He has a series of characters who may well become a classic. He even has a sense of humor. This is one of those novels where you only need to read the first chapter to be swept away. If Old City Hall doesn't win an Edgar, I'll trade in my pen for a fishing rod...” Douglas Preston, author of The Monster of Florence
“Clever, complex and filled with an engaging cast of characters, Old City Hall captures the vibrancy and soul of Toronto.” Kathy Reichs, author of Devil Bones
“Breathtaking . . . and all the more so because this is the author's first novel. A tightly woven spiderweb of plot and a rich cast of characters make this a truly gripping read. And of particular interest is the setting: Robert Rotenberg does for Toronto what Ian Rankin does for Edinburgh.” Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bodies Left Behind
“An amazing debut novel. Robert Rotenbergs Old City Hall has everything a legal thriller should have, and more: absolutely engaging characters, a tight, taut, and believable plot, a heart-quickening pace, and, best of all, some of the finest writing Ive read in years. This one has winner written all over it.” Nelson DeMille, author of The Gate House Oline H. Cogdill - Page Traynor - James Boylan - Janet L. Nelson - Mavis Reimer - Gail M. Gerhart - Jessica Wang - The Source - Bill Piekarski - Harold W. Jaffe - Jessica Wang - Elizabeth A. Muenger - Megan Cassidy-Welch - Jeffrey Merrick - John Gray - Gilles Kepel - Peter Bergen - Jeffrey Merrick - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - Jessica Wang - Jessica Wang - Mavis Reimer - Elizabeth A. Muenger - Norman A. Lockman - Terrence Hackett - Shannon Mullen - Jessica Wang - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - Michael Stern - Edmund Carlevale - Martin Sieff - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - Jessica Wang - Jessica Wang - Jessica Wang - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - American Historical Review - American Historical Review - American Historical Review - Publishers Weekly - The Washington Times - The Boston Globe - The American Lawyer - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - American Historical Review - Asbury Park Press - Chicago Tribune - USA Today - War, Literature, and the Arts - The Lion and the Unicorn - American Historical Review - American Historical Review - Forum for Modern Language Studies - American Historical Review - Holy War, Inc. - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - New Statesman - American Historical Review - H-France - War, Literature, and the Arts - American Historical Review - New England Journal of Medicine - Library Journal - The Source - American Historical Review - Foreign Affairs - The Lion and the Unicorn - American Historical Review - Columbia Journalism Review - Publishers Weekly - Publishers Weekly - Romantic Times BOOKreviews - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Review
“An amazing debut novel. Robert Rotenbergs Old City Hall has everything a legal thriller should have, and more: absolutely engaging characters, a tight, taut, and believable plot, a heart-quickening pace, and, best of all, some of the finest writing Ive read in years. This one has winner written all over it.” —Nelson DeMille, author of The Gate House“Rotenberg juggles a large cast and spins his twisty yarns efficiently.” —Entertainment Weekly
“The plot is chock-full of atmospheric tension. . . . Old City Hall has enough hidden motives and gumshoeing to make it a hard-boiled classic.” —Nathaniel G. Moore, The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
“A roller coaster of a legal thriller . . . an outstanding and fast-paced plot, well-developed characters with depth and personality, great dialogue, plenty of courtroom and investigative drama, and an explosively satisfying conclusion.” —Library Journal
“[Rotenberg] has got it all -- pace, good characters, tension, and an intriguing plot. . . . The resolution is clever and surprising.” —The Times Literary Supplement (UK)
“Robert Rotenberg's Old City Hall is one of the best books I've read in ten years. I devoured it in two sittings. Rotenberg is a criminal defense attorney, defending lowlifes and celebrities alike in Toronto, and he really knows his clients. His characters are stunningly good. They're real people. His Toronto settings make this most multicultrual city in North America come alive. He writes with assurance and panache. He has a series of characters who may well become a classic. He even has a sense of humor. This is one of those novels where you only need to read the first chapter to be swept away. If Old City Hall doesn't win an Edgar, I'll trade in my pen for a fishing rod...” —Douglas Preston, author of The Monster of Florence
“Clever, complex and filled with an engaging cast of characters, Old City Hall captures the vibrancy and soul of Toronto.” —Kathy Reichs, author of Devil Bones
“Breathtaking . . . and all the more so because this is the author's first novel. A tightly woven spiderweb of plot and a rich cast of characters make this a truly gripping read. And of particular interest is the setting: Robert Rotenberg does for Toronto what Ian Rankin does for Edinburgh.” —Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bodies Left Behind
Review
An amazing debut novel. Robert Rotenbergs Old City Hall has everything a legal thriller should have, and more: absolutely engaging characters, a tight, taut, and believable plot, a heart-quickening pace, and, best of all, some of the finest writing Ive read in years. This one has winner written all over it.” Nelson DeMille, author of The Gate HouseRotenberg juggles a large cast and spins his twisty yarns efficiently.” Entertainment Weekly
The plot is chock-full of atmospheric tension. . . . Old City Hall has enough hidden motives and gumshoeing to make it a hard-boiled classic.” Nathaniel G. Moore, The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
A roller coaster of a legal thriller . . . an outstanding and fast-paced plot, well-developed characters with depth and personality, great dialogue, plenty of courtroom and investigative drama, and an explosively satisfying conclusion.” Library Journal
[Rotenberg] has got it all -- pace, good characters, tension, and an intriguing plot. . . . The resolution is clever and surprising.” The Times Literary Supplement (UK)
Robert Rotenberg's Old City Hall is one of the best books I've read in ten years. I devoured it in two sittings. Rotenberg is a criminal defense attorney, defending lowlifes and celebrities alike in Toronto, and he really knows his clients. His characters are stunningly good. They're real people. His Toronto settings make this most multicultrual city in North America come alive. He writes with assurance and panache. He has a series of characters who may well become a classic. He even has a sense of humor. This is one of those novels where you only need to read the first chapter to be swept away. If Old City Hall doesn't win an Edgar, I'll trade in my pen for a fishing rod...” Douglas Preston, author of The Monster of Florence
Clever, complex and filled with an engaging cast of characters, Old City Hall captures the vibrancy and soul of Toronto.” Kathy Reichs, author of Devil Bones
Breathtaking . . . and all the more so because this is the author's first novel. A tightly woven spiderweb of plot and a rich cast of characters make this a truly gripping read. And of particular interest is the setting: Robert Rotenberg does for Toronto what Ian Rankin does for Edinburgh.” Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bodies Left Behind
Synopsis
"Breathtaking . . . A tightly woven spiderweb of plot and a rich cast of characters make this a truly gripping read." Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bodies Left Behind
The murder of a Toronto radio host's wife engulfs the lives of cops, lawyers, and a journalist in this sprawling legal thriller.
It should be an open and shut case. Canada's leading radio-show host, Kevin Brace, has confessed to killing his young wife. The trouble is, after muttering his last incriminating wordes --"I killed her"-- he now refuses to talk to anyone, including his own lawyer.
With the discovery of strange fingerprints at the crime scene, and a revealing courtroom cross-examination, the seemingly simple case begins to take on all the complexities of a hotly contested murder trial.
In the tradition of defense lawyers-turned-authors such as Scott Turow and John Grisham, Toronto-based defense counsel Robert Rotenberg delivers a debut legal thriller.
"
Synopsis
Canada's leading radio show host, Kevin Brace, admits to killing his young wife. Detectives figure this is an open-and-shut case. With the appearance of strange fingerprints in the Brace apartment, however, the mystery gets more complex just as it should be getting simpler.
Synopsis
A sprawling debut legal thriller in which the entire city of Toronto - from the detectives, to the defense attorneys, to the prosecutors, to the journalists - all take part in solving the murder of a famous radio hosts wife.
Synopsis
“Breathtaking . . . A tightly woven spiderweb of plot and a rich cast of characters make this a truly gripping read.” —Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bodies Left Behind The murder of a Toronto radio host's wife engulfs the lives of cops, lawyers, and a journalist in this sprawling legal thriller. It should be an open-and-shut case. Canadas leading radio-show host, Kevin Brace, has confessed to killing his young wife. The trouble is, after muttering his last incriminating wordes --“I killed her”-- he now refuses to talk to anyone, including his own lawyer. With the discovery of strange fingerprints at the crime scene, and a revealing courtroom cross-examination, the seemingly simple case begins to take on all the complexities of a hotly contested murder trial. In the tradition of defense lawyers-turned-authors such as Scott Turow and John Grisham, Toronto-based defense counsel Robert Rotenberg delivers a debut legal thriller.
About the Author
Robert Rotenberg is one of Torontos top lawyers, defending, as he likes to say, “everything from murder to shoplifting.” He lives in Toronto with his wife, a television producer at CBC News; their three children; and their little dog, Fudge.