Vindication by H. Terrell Griffin / Review by Amy Nygaard
Vindication
By H. Terrell Griffin
Oceanview Publishing
$26.95
ISBN 978-1608092765
Publication Date: January 2, 2018
Book of the Day
Vindication is the 11th installment in the Matt Royal Mystery series by H. Terrell Griffin. Retired defense attorney Matt Royal is jolted from his idyllic south Florida life when his police detective girlfriend’s aunt is arrested for murder. A new best-selling author has been been killed in a sprawling Florida retirement community, and Aunt Esther is the accused in need of Matt’s legal knowledge and prowess.
Esther swears she had nothing to do with the murder, despite a perfect motive: the victim stole Esther’s manuscript and had it published as her own work. The sheriff in charge of the investigation was humiliated in court by Matt Royal several years earlier, and Matt is unsure how that will affect his defense. With the help of his girlfriend, J.D., in an undercover role in the retirement community, he uncovers layers of decades-old crime all leading to the improbable homicide Esther stands accused of. The entire story package is wrapped up with a bow on top when Matt reveals his findings during Esther’s trial, she is acquitted and released, and the real culprits are arrested.
Matt Royal is a likable protagonist, and capable in his profession. The story itself has a decent plot, with the kinds of twists I'd expect in a legal thriller, and I tip my figurative hat to the author on that note.
Amy Nygaard - I am a lifelong lover of words, and reading has been my passion since childhood. After years of editing work and teaching grammar and writing, I fell in love with writing myself. I have several adult suspense manuscripts completed, a middle-grade boy's mystery first-of-series, and the framework of a separate middle-grade mystery/adventure series. I've attended multiple writing conferences around the country, pitching agents, making new friends, and learning all I can about the world of writing and publishing.