Twenty
by James Grippando
Published June 5, 2021

This is the 17th book in this series and I am new to the table. I personally did not feel compelled to finish the book. I had difficulty getting into the story and chacters. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

3 star

This novel featuring main character Jack Swyteck is more personal, as the plot revolves around a school shooting, at which both his daughter, Righley, and his wife, FBI agent Andie Henning, are present. In the aftermath, Jack struggles to maintain his professionalism after he is asked to defend the alleged shooter.

Twenty explored two hot button issues: racial bias and school shootings. Having read all of the previous Jack Swyteck novels, I knew the direction this novel would take. I was a bit disappointed with the plot, especially regarding Andie. The writing seemed to direct the story, instead of the characters. As a seasoned, trained FBI agent, Andie's reaction to the situation did not seem to ring true. The fact that she did not try to call her superior for guidance was also a misstep in my opinion. The dramatized action moved the story along, but the plot had gaps in which the characters fall into during many points. This formulaic approach did not allow the characters free movement through the story and, as a result, Twenty missed the mark for me.

Disclaimer: I was given an opportunity to receive an Advanced Reader's Copy of Twenty, via NetGalley and the publisher, Harper. The choice to review this novel was entirely my own.

This is the 17th in James Grippando's excellent series starring lawyer Jack Swyteck and his wife, FBI agent Andie Henning. They have a daughter, Righley, in kindergarten. As the novel opens with Jack at his office, Righley's school sends an emergency text. Florida has had yet another school shooting, one with 20 casualties.

A reluctant Jack ends up as counsel to the teen who admits to the shootings. Sound straightforward? As matters progress, Jack is told that 'you're smack-dab in the middle of something much bigger than you can imagine.' The crescendo of a conclusion involves a nail-biting hostage situation, when 20 comes up again.

Don't miss this one!

I’m sorry I didn’t receive Twenty from the publisher before it publication date because it really belongs on the Library Reads list. From the beginning, Twenty was a book that sucked me in and I didn’t put it down until I finished. I’ve not read many of Grippando’s book but now completely understand why he’s such a hit with our patrons that I always need to order multiple copies. Right after Jack, a lawyer, and Andie, his FBI agent wife drop their daughter Righley at school there is a shooting. Andie is still there witnessing the horror, and although their daughter is safe 13 others have lost their lives. To bring it even closer to home the shooter is Andie’s best friends son. When Molly asks Jack to represent her son to keep him from the death chamber both Jack and Andie immediately decline, until one of the dead girls parents, and his best friend, among others convince him to rethink his decision.
A roller coaster of a ride, I really like the way Grippando has created his characters, and his writing. I’ve just become a fan.

Grippando's Strongest Novel

The best way to start off the new year is to pour yourself into the new Jack Swyteck novel from James Grippando. Twenty is arguably the best in the series, which I've been a fan of for many years.
Imagine taking your young child to elementary school and walking smack dab into a school shooting. That's how Jack's FBI wife Andie and young daughter start their day.
Thirteen students and teachers are gunned down by a lone shooter with seven more in critical condition. Andie and her daughter survive.
The shooter is soon revealed to be an eighteen year old student at the school, at least that what he claims. The young man has a Muslim father and an American mom.
Attorney Jack Swyteck agrees to consult with the silent alleged shooter and learns nothing. He's soon forced to take on the case. Andie is put through hell by the school board, parents and FBI.
But did the young man really kill nearly 20 people? Or is this an elaborate cover up for something far bigger?
Grippando grips the reader and never lets them go with wall to wall tension from start to finish. Twenty is a killer read, highly recommended.

I was concerned that I would not know what was going on with all of the characters here. This book is the latest in a well established series. I was also afraid that the subject matter would turn me off. School shootings are tricky. You have to do them right and, being a teacher and having been in lockdowns and lockouts multiple times in my career, I am sensitive to how these are handled. This was handled well.

The school shooting was the catalyst to a study of terrorism, xenophobia, racism, religious persecution, sexism...you name it. A defense attorney being married to an FBI agent can't be easy on a good day. On the day your daughter's school is shot up? Even worse.

I could appreciate the levels of detail and intrigue of this book. It made me want to go back and start at the beginning of the series. Don't worry, though. It isn't necessary and works great as a standalone.

Although the storyline isn't a subject in that interested in, the author's voice made it intetesting. A good read for me and a great read if you like the subject matter
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Jack Swytek, a defense lawyer from Florida who has been featured in many Grippando books, receives notice that there has been a shooting at his daughter's school. His wife, an FBI agent, is at the school at an event for parents when the shooting occurs. She and her daughter Righley survive, but Andie is shocked when the son of her good Molly Khoury confesses to the shooting. A parent of a student killed at the school persuades Jake to take Xavier Khoury's case to avoid a prolonged trial. The conclusion is a bit unbelievable and this book is not Grippando's best.

This is the first book that I have read by James Grippando. I really enjoyed it. Quick, fast paced. I recommended this author to my husband. I will definitely be reading more of his books! Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC.

This is a book that you won’t want to put down. Great plot, plenty of action and twists. The book is part of a series but can easily read as a stand alone. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I've only read 1 or 2 books previously by this author but I was pleasantly surprised with this story. it kept me entertained as well as waiting for what was going to happen. Once I got involved in the story it was hard to put down - you wanted/needed to see what was going to happen next.

If you are a fan of Grippando and his Jack Swyteck character, then this book is for you. With a contemporary topic of a school shooting, Jack must defend Amir, the young Muslim man who is accused of the shooting. Jack’s wife, Annie a FBI agent, happens to be in the school at the time of the shooting. Families of the victims and the shooter add to the depth of the plot as Jack exposes family secrets to find the truth.

Not long ago, I read Dave Cullen’s fabulous Parkland and it reinforced not only my horror about school shootings but my complete lack of understanding about the shooters. And although on one level I know they are not all the same, in my brain they all seem to coalesce into a group of people who are all mentally ill in one way or another.
So I wasn’t sure how well I might enjoy a fictional exploration of a school shooting. In the past, I had read and enjoyed both Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes and Laurie King’s Lockdown, but those were familiar authors whose books I had liked in general, and I couldn’t recall reading any of James Grippando’s books. And reading about this title, Jack Swyteck wasn’t a guy I felt like I knew (despite this being #17 in Grippando’s Jack Swyteck series). Thanks to Harper and NetGalley, I received a copy of Grippando’s Twenty in return for this honest review, so I jumped in when I read the synopsis.
Jack Swyteck, the protagonist, lives in Florida with his FBI Agent wife Andie Henning and their daughter Righley, who is a student in the kindergarten class at the posh Riverside Day School. Andie has just walked Righley to her classroom and moved on to the rec room on campus when she hears fire alarms followed by loud “popping” noises and screams. Andie knows she is SUPPOSED to stay locked down inside the rec center, but her concern for Righley takes over, and she can’t overcome her desire to get them both to safety. The story of the actual shooting is brief, and the question as to who did the shooting and why takes the focus of the book.
A handgun is found on campus and when the news goes viral that it is registered to a Muslim man named Amir Khoury, things sort of unwind in various ways. First, Al Qaeda takes credit for the shooting, then Andie is blamed for not taking action to stop the shooter (FBI agent, yes but by law prohibited from carrying her gun on campus), then all kinds of anti-Muslim fervor breaks out. A senior class member named Xavier Khoury confesses to the shooting, and his mother Lilly is Andie’s friend (one of the few parents at the ritzy school who had welcomed Andie). With her son facing charges of multiple murders, Lilly turns to Andie’s husband Jack Swyteck for help -- and he just happens to be a criminal defense attorney.
Although it might seem a bit too convenient that all these pieces fit so neatly, it really works. Issues of bigotry (both race and class), friendship, marital relationships, and political implications are explored as Jack digs into the Khoury family’s secrets.
Well done. Four stars. And I will look at more Mr. Grippando’s books, starting with one or more in the Jack Swyteck series.

Another absolutely amazing Jack Swyteck book by James Grippando! I think this is the best yet. The latest in the Jack and Andie series had me hooked from the first page. Cannot wait to recommend this book to all Grippando fans. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.