The Dreamer

Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez Legal Thriller, Book 11

By: Sheldon Siegel

Narrated by: Tim Campbell

The chef's knife was in the wrong place...wedged deep in the gut of celebrity chef Carlos Cruz. With her bloody discovery, Mercy could lose it all. And not just for her. Her entire family is at risk, too.

Carlos Cruz, San Francisco’s hottest young chef, rose from modest beginnings to getting a James Beard Award for his upscale Mission District eatery El Conquistador. In addition to creating cutting-edge cuisine, the mercurial Cruz has been accused of sexual harassment multiple times.

Smart, ambitious, and tenacious, Mercedes “Mercy” Tejada was granted "dreamer" status while studying to become a nurse. The waitress job wasn’t ideal, but the tips paid the bills.

When she finds her boss dying in the alley behind his trendy bistro, she knows she’s in a lot of trouble. Mercy’s fingerprints and blood-splattered sweatshirt make her a prime suspect. It doesn’t help that she and Cruz were seen fighting, and Mercy had threatened him.

In the 11th installment of The New York Times best-selling author Sheldon Siegel’s iconic San Francisco series, ex-spouses and public defenders Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez are thrust into the middle of this politically charged case and tasked with finding the truth.

The case is personal for them, too. Mercy’s mom Perlita is the longtime housekeeper for Rosie’s mother Sylvia. It is Sylvia who asks Rosie and Mike to handle Mercy’s case. There are political ramifications, as well. Rosie is running for reelection as public defender. Her decision to handle a dreamer’s defense herself will not play well to a portion of the electorate.

As Mercy’s case hurtles toward trial, Rosie, Mike, and Pete, Mike’s brother and private investigator, race between the tenements, trendy restaurants, and century-old churches of the Mission District in a desperate search for an elusive truth where everybody - including Mike and Rosie and their families - has something to hide.

An intricate plot, likeable characters, powerful suspense, and a touch of humor are Sheldon Siegel’s hallmarks. In The Dreamer, listeners will discover, once again, why Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez have been called two of the most compelling characters in contemporary crime fiction.

©2020 Sheldon M. Siegel, Inc. (P)2020 Sheldon M. Siegel, Inc.

This series has become formulaic

And yet I enjoy the likeable characters. I also can't imagine them done in any other voice.

Good story and narrator

These novels are always interesting but are basically repeated in each book. There is always an indigent client accused of murder and the story of the investigation and trial are explained. The client is always found not guilty.

Consistently good series ...

This is a very good courtroom /legal mystery. This is book 11 in the series which can be listened to in any order. They are all pretty much stand alone novels.
This book is plot based and has very little character development. The plot is interesting and the story is believable.
Tim Campbell does a great job narrating.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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Very enjoyable!

Tim Campbell is such a great narrator! I'll have to look for other books narrated by him. Sounds like there'll be more books forthcoming.

Worth A Credit

Enjoy this series very much. Wish the author didn’t age them so fast. Mike is now 58. Summary is on target. Unlike some other reviewers, I did not think the author was making a political statement about immigration or dreamers or dreamer status. I thought the topic wove easily into the story and meshed well with all the characters & their background.

Tim Campbell is always excellent!

Excellent!

Real issues in today’s political environment. Excellent characters. Always a twist in the end. I am looking forward to the next installment!

Strange...

The novel is quite good as is the narration. What is strange is that the audio version was released 4 weeks before the Kindle ebook version. THE DREAMER is the first case that I have noticed where that is true.

Too short a story

This is a great series, story is always interesting and the narrator does an excellent job. My only criticism is with each new book the stories get shorter and shorter. I think it's time to put a little more effort into extending the books.

Bit Disappointing

I enjoyed the previous books in this series but was disappointed in this one. A bit too much political views for me and the book didn't build to a suspenseful I have come to expect in previous books in this series. Not bad enough to return but I won't rush to purchase the next in the series when or if it is written.

Repeat of the last book

Format and plot was almost identical to the last book. Even some of the dialogue was identical.