First Chapter Review: Contempt of Court by Ken Malovos

Ken Malovos is on tour with Pump Up Your Book in the month of May with his legal thriller, Contempt of Court.

BLURB:  Sacramento trial lawyer, Mike Zorich, is finally coming to grips with the death of his wife from cancer five years ago. There is a new woman in his life. His son is making his way in the business world. His law practice is going well. And he has a new case that promises to be very demanding. Members of the Darnoff wine family are at odds with each other, amidst a divorce and partnership dissolution.

Then things go wrong. Mike becomes the target of some unexplained personal attacks. He is mugged on the bike trail and his house is ransacked. Is it someone connected to the Darnoff case? Is it an old client from his years in the Public Defender's Office? Is it some disgruntled witness from a trial? To top it off, Mike is held in contempt of court and remanded to jail. The attacks continue and only get worse. The authorities don't have a clue. Can Mike figure it all out before someone is killed?

COVER: Definitely captures the genre and ties into the title. I would expect something darker and edgier, but this works well.

FIRST CHAPTER: Mike Zorich is jogging on a bike trail when he is mugged by an unknown assailant. His keys and car are stolen; but most concerning is the fact the assailant knew he was a lawyer. When the police arrive, they tell Mike similar muggings have occurred lately, but none where the assailant is familiar with the victim.

KEEP READING:  I'm not ready to say I'm totally hooked on this novel, but Malovos does a nice job of setting the scene for all that will transpire. This chapter also ends on a climactic note that encourages the reader to continue. Some of the backstory and description could have been cut back to speed up the pace. All in all it looks like an interesting read.

Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 23, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1484159454
ISBN-13: 978-1484159453

The author paid me to promote his book through a virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.