Plea of Insanity

By: Jilliane Hoffman

Narrated by: Karen White

Julia Valenciano is a young, ambitious Miami prosecutor. Assigned to a hectic trial division with an ornery judge, just getting through the day can be a challenge. When Julia is asked to second chair a case that could very well make or break her career, she doesn't hesitate to jump on board. The defendant: a successful Miami surgeon. The victims: his own wife and small children. The plea: Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity. The perfect father. The perfect husband. Dr. David Marquette seemingly just snapped one night. Or did he? His defense team claims paranoid delusions caused by schizophrenia drove him to slaughter his entire family. But the state suspects that Marquette's insanity defense is being fabricated to disguise murders that were cold-blooded and calculated. And the evidence appears to be mounting that Marquette may be responsible for other unsolved murders around the state as well---murders that bear the frightening signature of a serial killer. It's Julia's first murder trial and her first insanity defense, and the stakes are incredibly high. If convicted, Marquette faces the ultimate penalty---death. If found insane, he could walk free. To bring a killer to justice, Julia will have to journey into the mind of madness herself. For her, the trial of Dr. David Marquette will mean more than just disarming a legal defense; it will take her on a personal journey back into her own past---a past she has struggled for fifteen years to forget. And it will bring her face to face with a future that is so frightening, she's not sure she ever wants to see it.©2007 Jilliane Hoffman (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[A] gripping legal thriller." ( Publishers Weekly)

Immensely enjoyable despite ...

I think Julliane Hoffman may just become my new favourite "legal thriller" author! This was a surprising page-turner (If one can use that term for an audible book) and I found myself adding just another 30 - 45 minutes to my late night listening. I say surprising because for a good part of Julia's story I found myself rolling my eyes or wanting to shake her. Does every attractive young female lawyer have to be so daft as to have an affair with her boss? Would someone be so thoughtless and insensitive to go against her aunt and uncle, who had practically raised her, in order to see a brother who had committed such a personal and vicious crime? Still, it all made for a good plot and I do enjoy novels where I find myself getting overly emotional about a character's actions.

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

The reason this isn't a solid 5*s for me is because of the ending. I just knew what was going to happen last minute in that courtroom when the defendant turned around and looked at Julia. For somone who professed to love what she did (state prosecutorial work), any sane person would have found another way to ease her conscience and remove herself from the case. But that was the whole point, wasn't it? How far had the schizophrenia that ran in her family actually spread - to her?

The other reason I enjoyed this legal thriller was because it prompted me to really think whether I would have acquitted the defendant, or considered him worthy of the death penalty for the way he brutally murdered his wife and three young children. Why the fact that he deliberately left a venue 220 miles away at the dead of night to murder his family , thereby giving himself an alibi, wasn't made more of by the prosecution escapes me...but then, it obviously didn't fit the plot or the author's "message" interwoven throughout. It would seem to me that anyone who truly saw "horns" grow out of his baby's head or other "evidence" of demon possession - or was insane enough to think they did - wouldn't have chosen such an opportune time to commit the crime.

So - plenty of holes in this for me, but I did enjoy the ride and look forward to checking out other novels in this vein from Ms. Hoffman.

Insane or smart as a fox.

You never really know what someone is thinking. Proceed with caution. A thriller that I could not stop listening to.

frustrating but great

Great book! I won't spoil it but definitely frustrated with the ending. I like justice and this stressed me out!

great read

a little hard to follow when listening to it, but the store is great. enjoy

Too much schizophrenia

Starts fine with mystery and suspense, but then the last half just completely over does the schizophrenia - ad nauseum - over & over & over again. Had to fast forward through portions of the trial as it was a complete repeat - verbatim, in fact I thought I had skipped back by mistake. OMG, enough already! Take away all the repetition and preaching and it would be 2 hours shorter and a 4 star novel.

Wow a Cop on a Harley!

Would you listen to Plea of Insanity again? Why?

Yes, just to check the clues I missed. This was so well done.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Oh boy did it! Right from the start to the end

What about Karen White’s performance did you like?

I purchased this book only because ms white read it. I love the way she can make the characters come to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen to it in one sitting and oh what an emotional roller coster it was.

Any additional comments?

I do not know if I will buy the author other listing as I do not know the reader. I have been badly burned on the newer crop of readers...some are just plain awful. Ms White will not disappoint. Enjoy

not the best but not the worst

i did listen to the whole book. the ending was not satisfying & quite anticlimactic. there should've been more.

A very good listen

The story is very interesting and the reader is very good. I enjoyed this story very much and look forward to reading more by this author.

Great story line

This book offers a great and excited story line. It highlights the complexity of mental illness and the criminal justice system. I was engaged throughout the book and never felt like it was dragging on. I would definitely recommend it!

good story

I knew how this story would play out from the beginning. I wish they had at least pretended to look for other suspects. From doing investigative work for 30 years I know that the more you investigate you can rule out other people and motives as well as finding that the main suspect is the one.

On the subject of firing State workers in Florida: Attorneys are Select Exempt when means they are paid more than the average state employee and get more vacation time etc. Because they are select exempt they are hired at will which means they have a better chance of being fired. In my experience it is not uncommon for people to be fired. The average state worker can also be fired fairly easily. Things are not like in this book.