Second fabulous book by this author. The characters come to life and I didn't want the story to end. Excellent read. I look forward to reading more books written by Jane Haseldine.

As someone who was in the newspaper business for more than 16 years of my adult working life (and have continued since retirement on a freelance basis), any time I can get my hands on a story about someone else in the industry, I'll give it a serious look. Throw in a little mystery, a little murder, and by golly, bring it on. Such is the case here; lead character Julia Gooden is a successful crime reporter in Detroit, and murder makes headlines from the beginning.

Early on, I was reminded how much life in the Motor City mirrors that of Youngstown, Ohio, where, ironically, the newspaper for which I served as managing editor for 14 years is located. Youngstown, too, was decimated by steep declines in the steel and auto industries and continues to struggle to get back on its feet. Ah, I said - another "connection" to this book solidified.

This is the second in what I presume will be a continuing series (I also read and enjoyed the first, "The Last Time She Saw Him.". Here, Julia is separated from her husband, Assistant District Attorney David Tanner, but in part because they have two young sons, they're trying to get back together. Julia has been chasing a story about elusive gangster Nick Rossi, and now, he's finally going on trial in a case her husband is prosecuting. But as a key witness for the prosecution is escorted up the courthouse steps to testify, a bomb goes off - killing the witness as well as several innocent bystanders and putting David in the hospital.

After that incident, Julia's boss orders her off the case, but she vows to keep investigating on her own with help from Detroit Police Department Detective Raymond Navarro (not incidentally, her boyfriend prior to her husband). She turns to her sources and ferrets out information on Rossi - she's convinced he ordered the bombing - that lead her to dangerous places and people who would be happy to see her rubbed out of the picture. Along the way, there's plenty of action (some of which, IMHO, seemed a bit too tightly choreographed, almost to the point of unbelievability). A number of unexpected twists, though, kept things very interesting.

In hindsight, despite our career and Type A personality similarities, I realized I never totally warmed up to Julia herself. Mostly, I think, that's because she insisted on putting herself in situations any other person as intelligent as she is would have had sense enough to stay away from (especially when she's got young kids). On the other hand, there's her friend Navarro; without question, he's a keeper.

In all, the book is well written and entertaining, and I'll be watching for the next installment. My thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read an advance review copy.

An enjoyable fast paced thriller featuring a new feisty heroine: Julia Gooden is a reporter on a Detroit newspaper and she is covering the trial of Nick Rossi, a local gangster. Howver there is a slight problem as her estranged husband David is the prosecutor which leads to some conflict of interest as Julia tries to get inside information.
Julia has two young children and is helped at home by Helen her Polish housekeeper. David is trying to encourage her to have him back but Julia is still unsure after he walked out on her.
She is friends with two cops, Navarro and Russell who are investigating Rossi and give Julia insights into the case. It transpires that Navarro and Julia have had a relationship in the past and there is still a lot of romantic tension between them as the story moves along.
This is a fast moving plot with lots of action. Things get even more tense when David is injured in a courthouse bomb and Julia is desparate to investigate. However nobody in the book is as they seem- duplicity is the word and the title resonates as the novel progresses.
The characters are well drawn and likeable. Julia is a great heroine and not a shrinking violet. She likes to be where the action is!
I am a big fan of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series and Julia Gooden reminded me of her a lot.
The book was compelling with a lot happening so I read it vey quickly over the course of a couple of days. In fact I realised after a few chapters it was the second book in a series and I am now keen to read the first novel so I can fill in the blanks on Julia's background.
It seems she suffered a tragic childhood with an alcoholic mother and an older brother who went missing when he was only nine years old This has had a major effect on her life and she is constantly on edge in case something happens to her own children. I loved the way she switched from action woman to soft and maternal!
A great five star read. Perfect for fans of Laura Lippman, Sue Grafton and Sarah Paretsky!

This is a thriller that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat with your heart pounding all the way through. Julia Gooden is a newspaper reporter in Detroit, covering a trial of an organized crime figure in which her husband is the prosecuting attorney when tragedy strikes the courtroom, killing a key witness and injuring her husband David making Julia more determined than ever to get the whole story. I learned a lot about the life of a newspaper reporter and how important it is not to be "scooped " and to have the right contacts and informants. The plot is riveting, the characters believable and what is most interesting to me about this book is that the City of Detroit is a key character, with all its flaws. This was an amazing book and I highly recommend it.

This appeared on my shelf but I did not request it and in fact was not impressed by the first book in this series.

This book is so bad I couldn't get beyond the first page, which was filled with sophomoric stereotypes. It starts with "a group of aged fifty-something women".. What? Is the author older than 15? Then the depiction of these women can only be stated as something entirely in the puerile imagination of a child, depicting these AGED women as likely recent divorces, hooting and whistling at some man. The next paragraph is so awful I cannot even begin to cite what was said, as it depicted these AGED women making gross sexual signals and then 2 paragraphs later they stop their sexual badgering as they "wordlessly concede that they've been bested by a thoroughbred".

Who in the hell would want to read any further?

I would give it no stars if I could.

Another entertaining mystery featuring the likable characters of Julia Goodwin and her trusty police friends Navarro and Russell. Duplicity sums it up as just about everyone in the story is leading double lives.

I read the first book in the Julia Gooden mystery series, and I am so glad I had the chance to also read the second book in this series. Crime Reporter Julia Gooden keeps you hooked right from the beginning of the story. There is never a dull moment. There is a lot of twists and turns as Julia and Detective Raymond Navarro solve the case of a crime boss and how her lawyer husband is involved with him and his crimes. Highly recommend for all mystery lovers! Can't wait for the next installment in this series!

Firstly I would like to sincerely thank Jane Haseldine for sending me a proof copy of this book for me to read and review.

Duplicity is a excellent title for this gripping story,there are more lies and back stabbing going on than you will find in any political campaign in any country around the world.

After the heart pounding events that happened in The Last Time She Saw Him Detroit newspaper reporter Julia Gooden is trying to rekindle her relashionship with her husband Assistant District Attorney David Tanner.David is about to bring Nick Rossi a man with very powerful connections to trial for crimes including drug trafficking,illegal gambling and bribery.The trial has only just begun when a bomb explodes in the court house claiming many victims and leaving David critically wounded.Julia is certain that Rossi orchestrated the bombing and with the help of Detective Raymond Navarro she starts following a trail that will not only endanger her life but also the lives of everyone that she cares about.

Julia Gooden is a very complex character,she is very stubborn but also can be very emotional and vurnerable at times.She is still very overprotective of her two sons Wills and Logan but that is understandable considering the mysterious and still unsolved disappearance of her brother Ben thirty years ago.Julia and Navarro used to be in a relationship until Julia walked out and left him, despite this they are still very close but the events in this story will test the strength of their friendship and push it too breaking point.

The descriptions of the devastation and terror after the bonb blast are breath taking and shocking and there is also a couple of other action scenes that had me at the edge of my comfy reading chair totally gripped by the danger and heart pounding action that was unfolding in front of my eyes.

The characters are well thought out and believable,there is twists and shocking revelations and not one page comes across as unnecessary to the story.Although this is the second book of a series and despite the continuing mystery of Ben's disappearance the book can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.It is a very well written and gripping thriller that I enjoyed just as much as The Last Time She Saw Him and I look forward to finding out what is going to happen in book 3.

Julia Goodwin is a woman trying to do it all. She’s a mother, a wife, and a reporter. Her marriage to ADA David Tanner is faltering , and she’s doing her best to try to get things back on track, but David is consumed by his current case. He’s working on bringing Nick Rossi to trial for drug trafficking and a host of other nasty things when a bomb goes off in the courthouse killing several people. David is critically injured and Julia, who believes Rossi is to blame works with Detroit detective Raymond Navarro to bring him down. Gritty and intense, Julia is a compelling protagonist