Her Deadly Game

I can always trust Robert Dugoni to give me an exciting suspense read with twists and incredibly well-developed characters. In his latest book, Her Deadly Game, he has combined a tension-filled legal thriller with a hearty dose of police procedural and a side of family drama.  

This standalone centres around Keera Duggan, a lawyer who made a name for herself as a prosecutor in Seattle. But when she leaves her job due to a bad romantic entanglement, the former chess prodigy begrudgingly returns to her family's criminal defense law firm, hoping to restore her family's reputation.

Keera's first case is to defend Vince LaRussa, an investment advisor whose wheelchair bound wife was found brutally murdered in their home. To add fuel to the fire, Keera's former lover and the reason she left the DA, is her opponent in the courtroom. And he's making it personal.

Chess plays a substantial role in this book. Keera, a former chess prodigy, uses her strategic skills in her role as a defense lawyer and as she builds her case, she is also playing online chess with a mysterious 'Dark Knight' opponent whose moves seem to suggest moves she should make to defend her client. The chess aspect was interesting, but a bit heavy handed. Despite me understanding basic chess, I didn't enjoy reading the chess moves and tended to gloss over them.

This is a compulsive read that will keep readers guessing the identity of the murderer and brings us into tense courtroom battles. I also enjoyed that it wasn't all 'cop shops and courtrooms' as Dugoni brings readers into Keera's close but dysfunctional Irish family (who reminded me of the Reagan's on the Blue Bloods TV show) who uphold the law by day and set aside their quarrels to come together once a week for a family meal. For all their issues and dysfunction, they are a formidable family in and out of the courtroom.

I hope this book is the start to a new series because I want to see more from the Duggan clan, and I would LOVE to see Keera go head-to-head with Miller Ambrose again in the courtroom.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Thomas and Mercer for my complimentary copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Robert Dugoni

Genre: Suspense, Legal Thriller

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

First Published: March 28, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: A defense attorney is prepared to play. But is she a pawn in a master’s deadly match? A twisting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

Keera Duggan was building a solid reputation as a Seattle prosecutor, until her romantic relationship with a senior colleague ended badly. For the competitive former chess prodigy, returning to her family’s failing criminal defense law firm to work for her father is the best shot she has. With the right moves, she hopes to restore the family’s reputation, her relationship with her father, and her career.

Keera’s chance to play in the big leagues comes when she’s retained by Vince LaRussa, an investment adviser accused of murdering his wealthy wife. There’s little hard evidence against him, but considering the couple’s impending and potentially nasty divorce, LaRussa faces life in prison. The prosecutor is equally challenging: Miller Ambrose, Keera’s former lover, who’s eager to destroy her in court on her first homicide defense.

As Keera and her team follow the evidence, they uncover a complicated and deadly game that’s more than Keera bargained for. When shocking information turns the case upside down, Keera must decide between her duty to her client, her family’s legacy, and her own future.