Temporary Sanity    by Rose Connors Order:  USA  Can Simon & Schuster, 2003 (2003) Hardcover, Audio, CD, e-Book      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth What a great book! If I may use a cliché, it's absolutely gripping. Cape Cod attorney Marty Nickerson has left her job with the prosecutor's office to join a law firm in South Chatham. She now finds herself on the other end of a criminal case, with the perspective of defense attorney instead of prosecutor. A videotape of her defendant Buck Hammond shooting the rapist murderer of his seven-year-old son seems to provide incontrovertible evidence of his guilt. Can she and her partner/lover Harry Madigan get him off? Howie Davis, an officer of the court, is found dead of eleven stab wounds after he drunkenly and viciously beat his housemate. Of course, what else? Arrest the housemate. Can she be acquitted of the murder when all the facts are in? I would hate to be a defendant in Judge Beatrice's courtroom. But what a great personality! I wonder if she is based on a real judge. The same thought holds true for Judge Leon Long, whose character is diametrically opposed to that of Judge Beatrice, and is joyously engaging. The culminating courtroom scene is an absolute gem. Whether true to life or complete fiction, it is riveting and suspenseful. The ending came as a complete surprise to me – but made complete sense. This is a simple, uncomplicated story brilliantly written. It's the second novel by Rose Connors, who has been a trial attorney for eighteen years. She deftly uses her professional expertise to write one of the most engrossing and entertaining courtroom tales I have read in a long time. You will laugh and cry and enjoy every minute of Temporary Sanity. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews