I was very disappointed with Connelly. On Page 53, the character Marcus Mason admits that his company had surveillance equipment attached to a utility pole. He admits that his company used this equipment to monitor a former employee. He also admits that he used this equipment to listen in on conversations of Haller and Cisco. Mason just admitted to a Federal judge that they violated federal law by invading the right to privacy of both the former employee as well as Haller and Cisco. In addition, California is a two-party consent state for recording conversations, but there is no indication in this passage that Haller and/or Cisco agreed to be recorded. Haller should have hopped on both issues right then. Both federal and state laws were broken, but neither Haller nor the judge acted as one would expect.
Jump ahead to Page 93. The same judge states that she would be unsympathetic if it were revealed that either side obtained information through illegal means. Really, your honor?
At this point, I tossed the book into the Donations box. I expect better of any writer especially one of Connelly’s caliber. This sounds as if he took the same shortcut as Patterson by providing the framework then letting a lesser writer fill in the body. Very disappointed.
by OldestCrone