Would You Kill the Man Your Beloved Grandmother Wants Dead?Lies She Never Told Me is the story of Michael Gresham’s heritage, beginning with his father’s father. The book features mob wars in 1920’s Chicago; World War II invasions and POW camps; romance between powerful men and beautiful women; the most infamous mass murder in 1960’s Chicago; and the complete growing-up story of Michael Gresham … story of Michael Gresham himself, from young boy to young lawyer. The book recounts the first meeting between Michael and his famous investigator Marcel in Operation Desert Shield when both young men are soldiers on the track of Saddam Hussein.
Finally, when Michael’s grandmother comes to him with a request that he track down and kill one man, can he refuse? He’s been trained as a lawyer, he believes in the rule of law, and he believes that no man is above the law. But his grandmother won’t let him go. She tells him a certain man must die for his crimes. Michael loves his grandmother with every cell in his body. Can he refuse her dying wish? Will he honor the vow he makes to this most important woman in his life?
And so the hunt begins.
Who will Michael find first: the killer or himself?
A Legal and Historical Thriller from USA Today Bestseller John Ellsworth
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Very unusual. Held my attention.
I couldn’t put it down. Really good!
I’m not sure what I expected but reading the summary really piqued my interest. The plot and characters were very well fleshed out and realistic. It got to the point where I was looking on Google for the real stories! That’s how I know I am really enjoying a book. The ways the characters’ stories intertwined but still were able to stand on their on was masterful. I laughed, I cried, I cheered, I raged. This was an experience. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was because every now and then the intertwining back stories were where hard to follow. But this did not stop me from reading every word and being mad when it ended.
Great read!
This was an easy read and I liked the history. The Gresham family was good, likable people. I liked getting to know the generations and the eras in which they lived.
The times that Ellsworth disappointed me were the heart of the story, when Michael Gresham was prosecuting Richard Dotty (based on Richard Speck, a mass murderer in 1966). At the beginning of the trial Judge Mendoza was referred to numerous times as “she”. At the end the Judge was referred to as “he/him.”
The name of the prosecuting attorney changed. (Rusk/Rush Levin)
The survivor of the massacre (a nurse) committed suicide by taking a poison which she knew would cause a lingering death which she had referred to as, “sick beyond anything he’d ever known before”.
When I’m reading a mystery I want the author (editor) to keep the facts straight and believable.
To say nothing about how Michael obtained the confession from Dotty…
Interesting. Sort of jumps around a little hard to follow.
No real plot.
Slog
It was ok, but not necessarily something I would recommend,
I enjoy reading stories based in my home town, as I can visualize where the events in the book are taking place.
Not nearly as good as his other books.
Fiction is on thing foolishness is another. The whole basis of this book is stupid. I wasted my time hoping for a better outcome that never came.
Pretty bad story – jumps around – simplistic read – did not hold my interest.
I could not put this book down. Wonderful fleshed out characters, with lots of twists and turns, along with some historic facts about the first multiple murders I remember in the US. All my friends felt the same way about this book. Thought provoking.
The premise was a little hard to swallow
Easy to get into the first part of the book: good character development. The ending was so unrealistic, I felt I had wasted the time spent reading the book.
It took a bit of reading to get into it but hang in there
Good
Interesting storyline with relevant historical details.
Great read. Just ordered the next book in series can’t wait to start reading the continuation of this wonderful story.