Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni - Book Review

Publication Date: 28th March 2023

Genre: Contemporary Legal Thriller 

4.5 Stars 

One Liner: Super entertaining; Love it 

Keera Duggan, the daughter of the reputed defense attorney Patsy Duggan, is making a name for herself as a prosecution lawyer in Seattle. However, she is back at her father’s law firm after ending a toxic relationship with her former boss. Things aren’t great with her family either, and Keera finds comfort in playing anonymous online chess and sharpening her skills. 

Vince LaRussa, an investment advisor, hires Keera’s family law firm when he is suspected of his wealthy wife’s murder. Keera sees this as a chance to establish herself but soon realizes she has to use all her chess strategies to stay one step ahead and win the case. What’s more, Keera may have to make some tough decisions that could affect her family, the law firm, and her career. 

With her former boss and lover as the prosecution attorney, Keera knows the stakes are higher than ever, and there may not be a second chance. 

What I Like: 

The book takes time to set the stage but does it very well. We already know how Keera’s mind works by the time the actual case is introduced. This makes it easy to read fast and enjoy the developments too. 

As a legal thriller, the focus is on courtroom scenes and the backend work lawyers do. The police work complements the case instead of overshadowing it. And I got strong Adaalat vibes (one of the crime shows I binged on telly). Am I right or am I right? ;)

I really like how the author writes women. I was impressed by Tracy Crosswhite’s character though I read only one book in the series. Keera Duggan is also etched to be real and relatable. 

The family dynamics also get some importance in the book. Given how the law firm is run by Patsy and his daughter, this move to present them as a dysfunctional yet loving family enriches the plot and characterization. 

Chess is an integral part of the book (I skimmed the scenes as my knowledge of the game is the bare minimum) and shows the importance of using one’s mind and wits to fight a case in court. Turns out the author doesn’t even play chess. Very impressive! 

Patsy’s alcoholism, its impact on the family, and the subsequent changes in the family dynamics during the case have a natural arc. Patsy isn’t just an alcoholic lawyer. He is a father who loves his children. Never did I expect to like an alcoholic character this much. He made me root for him. 

Despite being a legal thriller, it doesn’t get heavy on the jargon. Only the necessary terminology is used, and some of them are explained in a natural flow. There’s even a Powerpoint presentation in one of the scenes. Nothing more fun than reading about a systematic approach to things (I love lists). 

Miller Ambrose may seem like a stereotype, but he nails it on the head. He’s a character readers would love to hate. I wish Keera beats him in more cases. 

I could guess the murder case and the connection halfway through. However, I enjoy the process of logically revealing the information to readers. I also think the author didn’t try to prevent the reader from connecting the dots b deliberately misleading them or ‘pulling the rug’.  

What Could Have Been Better for Me:

Well… nothing much for me to rant about. But I still got a couple of issues to talk about… 

While repetition is expected in courtroom scenes, the same seems unnecessary during the climax reveal. The conversation gets a bit too long, with one character repeating information that has been already presented multiple times. Since I figured out almost all of it, I just wanted to get to the ‘how’ and ‘what next’ part of the story.

A certain diagnosis (for the lack of a better word) doesn’t seem to be necessary. The character has already been established. This didn’t add anything to it. In fact, I like it when characters can be who they are without some sort of medical diagnosis to support it (trying hard not to reveal spoilers). 

To summarize, Her Deadly Game is easily one of the best legal thrillers. It is entertaining, intriguing, and fun to read. I hope the author turns this into a series. All main characters have the potential to star in multiple books, especially Keera, Rossi, and Patsy. 

Oh, the author’s note is one of my favorites. It’s a letter from the author to the readers, and that’s how it is written. Beautiful! 

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #HerDeadlyGame