Finalist for the 2011 International Thriller Writers Award for Best First NovelSan Francisco corporate attorney Will Connelly’s well-ordered life is shattered when he watches a colleague hurtle to his death outside his office window. Within days, Will is the prime suspect in a murder, the target of an SEC insider trading investigation, and a pawn in a complex criminal scheme involving the Russian … the Russian mafia and a ruthless terrorist plot.
Now, Will must ensure that a deadly enemy doesn’t gain access to the nation’s most sensitive and confidential information — and the power to do incalculable, irrevocable harm.
“Regulatory attorney Hirsch’s debut thriller has something for everyone …. Hirsch’s fast-paced, film-ready plot and tough, ambitious characters will keep fans of legal thrillers on the edge of their seats.” Publishers Weekly
“All the danger, treachery and action that make a reader clamor for more are there. Gripping and gritty.” Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author
“Reece Hirsch is writing and running with the big boys.” John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author
more
The Insider by Reece Hirsch was the best legal thriller I have read in awhile. There was non-stop action from the beginning to end. The main character, Will, is very likable. When I read the synopsis on the back of the book I was slightly worried that there might be too many story lines to follow but I was totally wrong. Everything flowed together perfectly.
I will be watching for the next Reece Hirsch book.
The story was good, the language was awful. Almost did not finish book because if it.
exciting thriller with interesting twists.
I love a good legal thriller, and Reece Hirsch’s debut novel, “The Insider,” is a red-hot scorcher.
Meet Will Connelly, a bright young lawyer yearning to become a partner in his deep-carpet San Francisco law firm. A one-man billing machine, Will gets to work early, so he’s the only one to see a fellow lawyer plunge to his death from a higher floor. Accident? Suicide? Murder?
Events conspire to make Will the prime suspect in the death. He’s also implicated in an SEC insider trading scandal, and the Russian mafia are on his tail. If that’s not enough, the author spins a terrorism story, too. That’s a lot of plot, particularly for a first novel, but Hirsch juggles the characters and story lines like an old pro.
I’m a long-time fan of crime fiction set in foggy, windy San Francisco. From Dashiell Hammett’s “The Maltese Falcon” to John Lescroat’s Dismas Hardy series, to Sheldon Siegel’s Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez thrillers to Hirsch’s debut, the city by the bay is a perfect backdrop for intrigue, corruption, and murder.
A finalist for the International Thrillers Award for best first novel, “The Insider” rings true, both in its legal gymnastics and traditional thriller plotting. Hirsch has written five more novels, including “Black Nowhere” and “Dark Tomorrow,” featuring FBI agent Lisa Tanchik. When you’ve finished “The Insider,” you’ll want to read these fast-paced thrillers, too.
This book kept me guessing! Page turner for sure!
Reece Hirsch’s first novel from 2011, introduces us to San Francisco attorney Will Connally. In his office early, he sees an office mate fall past his high rise office window to his death. He later discovers the dead man was holding Will’s building pass. Now a suspect, though innocent, this event has happened right after he was made a Partner (the dead man was passed over). Will gets involved, unwillingly but persuasively, with a Russian mob looking for ways to make money using insider information on prospective mergers. Someone in his firm may have set him up. Will is fired and tries to get away from the mob unsuccessfully. He had been on top of the world career-wise, and suddenly was on the street and under the gun. Claire, a bright and capable law firm staffer is also fired. They become a team trying to survive their predicament. Claire, using her feminine wiles, arranges to steal a crypto key belonging to NSA on a thumb drive to give to the Russians and get them off their backs. More trouble follows.
this book has almost all things pertaining to criminal procedures of the legal profession and a member of that union penning a book of the corruption with a bit of russia mafia … like the current democrat agenda makes this an interesting story with detailed of each scene from murder to sex to violence the millions who have purchased the book reaffirms the nasty reviews are in the minority and could be like the book infiltrating the majority who confirmed their satisfaction with this author…
An adventure in a real-life plausible situation.
Predictable, didn’t finish it.
Legal thrillers generally..aren’t. This one started slowly and seemed as if it was going to be another “almost Grisham” novel. Then Hirsch changed the direction of his plot- and his characters responded. It wasn’t the deepest, most-involved legal fiction I’ve read, but it wasn’t bad. In fact, it was pretty good, despite resolving itself into a package that was -almost- too-neat to be palatable. But law, like life, occasionally has happy endings.
The Insider is a well written, thriller. Will is a regulatory lawyer in a large law firm, putting in tremendous hours, dealing with the stress of working on big-time deals and navigating the law firm politics to try to become one of the chosen few – a partner.
When it finally happens, the thrill is soon replaced with terror and the start of a thrilling ride that will make it hard for you to put the book down.
I read a lot but don’t write a review for most of the books that I read. Partly out of laziness and partly because many of the books are just okay. When I do review a book I rarely give it 5 stars but when you have a well written book, with a great story, interesting characters and an author who knows how to keep the suspense building so you feel the characters fear and desperation, how could I not give it a 5 star rating!
A bit slow and predictable, not much build up to ending which was short, flat and encompassed only the last few pages.
This was really not be believable from chapter one. I stopped reading shortly thereafter.
Very good characters. You get a little fearful for the main character. It was a great book and enjoyable. Good mystery
Wasn’t a real fan. Well written but somewhat predictable.
Loved this book, I couldn’t put it down. It was non-stop suspense, almost like watching a movie.
Great mystery/thriller where the main character gets involved as a murder suspect, the Russian mob, a romance, threats and job promotion….
I will definitely read more by this author!