Mr. Finder writes a tense and well-balanced novel that unfolds in the context of a suburban life full of other, more mundane challenges. The more we learn about Judge Brody and her family, the more we root for a merciful resolution to their travails.
Finder is an industrious researcher, and there’s lots of fascinating lore here about courtroom procedures and the professional lives of judges ... Still, it will take perseverance for some readers to make it as far as the believable juicy stuff here, given Finder’s dopey beyond words opening scene ... There’s plenty else in the novel I didn’t believe a word of ... But some of Finder’s scenes do land effectively ... In bringing this thriller to a conclusion, Finder hews closely to what readers might expect from the genre. Exactly how events resolve I shall not disclose. Suffice it to say that the denouement feels less than believable.
Affairs causing marital discord and havoc are a frequent theme in thrillers. Author Joseph Finder takes these common story elements and makes them appear fresh and new ... Finder proves that what appears to be a simple idea can be elevated with great writing and powerful characters.
Joseph Finder is always a lock for an entertaining, rip-roaring thriller of suspense, and that is certainly the case here. That said, Judgment does require readers to suspend their disbelief a tad more than normal ... Once all the players are revealed, Finder puts the gas pedal to the floor and never lets up for a second, delivering a nail-biting final act that’s everything his fans expect and more. Touching on a Russian conspiracy and the #MeToo movement, Judgment is as relevant as it is thrilling, and Joseph Finder shows once again that he knows how to keep readers off balance and guessing until the very end.
... Finder works overtime to draw sympathy to a protagonist who creates her own problems with the dumb things she does and the obvious dangers she walks into ... Coming from an author known for his intense plots, Finder's latest is a rather mild work of suspense—readable but not all that suspenseful or compelling.
