Hannah sneaks out of the apartment she share with her mother. She flies to Charlottesville, VA and immediately finds a spot on a coveted investigative board, the Innocence Project. My senses were automatically on alert. I wondered why the clandestine escape and what was she really searching. Alternative chapters harken back to her mother, Laura’s diary. One way or another Hannah is determined to flush out the truth.
It’s a legal thriller that will keep readers captivated. I discerned what some of the answers were before they were divulged in the reading. I also liked the setting Of Charlottesville, an area steeped in history.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A smartly constructed thriller showing how perceptions and truth are two completely different things. 

THE MURDER RULE takes the typical legal thriller and turns it on its head to create a deeply impactful, psychological, and affecting tale. McTiernan effortlessly weaves together the past and the present to show how Hannah arrives at where she is at the beginning of the book. 

In the beginning, the reader has no choice but to believe our two narrators, Hannah and Laura through her diary. However, as the story unfolds, inconsistencies, falsehood, and questions seep into the perceived truths in these pages. This push and pull with the duplicity and facts is what makes this book so good. The way the author crafts this mystery is smart and only made better through the eyes of the flawed character of Hannah. Her balance of emotion and rational thought is what makes her so interesting.  

There is beauty in learning a mystery through the eyes of the main characters. With Hannah, she is sure that she knows what is going on. There is no doubt in her mind that the path she is on to derail the appeal of a convicted man on death row is the right thing to do. Or is it? It is this questioning and uncertainty that permeates Hannah’s and the reader’s minds which propels the narrative forward. 

At the end of the day, McTiernan wrote a book where the layers of secrets, lies, and tension build to a crescendo exposing all the truths the reader has been dying to find out. This is the first book I have read by the author, but I know it will not be the last. What a read.

I really liked the basic premise of this book. Hannah, a young law student, finagles her way into The Innocence Project: a program that helps people who are awaiting trial for crimes they didn’t commit. But Hannah doesn’t really want to help The Innocence Project’s clients. She’s going to sabotage her fellow law students and lead their client to death.
Although I liked the premise, the execution wasn’t so great. There were some plot holes along the way that didn’t make sense, and the characters actions didn’t match what they were supposed to be feeling. Finally, the overall tone seemed more like a young adult novel than an adult book.

Hannah isn't what she says she is. Yes, she is a law student but she hasn't been honest about her reason for pushing her way onto an innocence project effort to free Michael Dandridge, who was convicted of a vicious rape and murder. No, she's determined to sink the case because Dandridge ruined her mother Laura's life. This ping pongs between the present and Laura's diaries. While this has a certain appeal, it's unrealistic in oh so many ways. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Fans of legal thrillers will recognize the flaws but like me might keep reading to see what happens.

Family Drama? The case of a wrongly accused man sitting in jail for a crime they may not have committed?? I love the now and then story telling which utilizes journal entries as the way to tell the "Then" portion.

Hannah is a dedicated volunteer of the Innocence Project. A organization that strives to release innocent men from Prison. BUT there is one prisonor that Hannah doesn't want to see released...

Legal thriller, family drama, makes up this fast pace page turner of a novel.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

This book had me hooked from the very first chapter. I loved how it went between both Hannah's perspective as well as Laura's journal entries, both helping the reader piece together what was happening. Really entertaining read that kept me guessing!!

I’d rate this a 4.5 stars. The murder rule looks at those people that are put in prison and may be innocent. The story begins when our protagonist is searching for her fathers killer. He has been picked up by the Innocence Project. So she joins the Project to make sure her father receives justice and that his killer remains in jail. Pretty self explanatory…. Until it isn’t. I highly recommend this twisty ride. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read!

Hannah's mother, Laura, has been spiraling downward ever since an eventful summer in 1994 when she was 19 and working as a housecleaner for the wealthy and privileged. Hannah is now in law school and essentially blackmails her way into a position at the Innocence Project, a group of law students working to overturn what they consider to be wrongful convictions. She has learned that the group is focusing on the case of the man who caused so much trauma when he mother was a teenager, and unbeknownst to the rest of the team, is determined to sabotage any efforts to secure his release.

I have really enjoyed the Cormac Reilly books by this author, so I was looking forward to reading this book. It came as a surprise and was a disappointment to realize that this story is not set in Ireland, but in the United States. I was also disappointed to learn that it is a legal/psychological thriller, and not a mystery or police procedural that I've come to expect from Ms. McTiernan.

This timeline of the book alternates between the present day and 1994, represented by Laura's diary entries scattered throughout the story. The book is slow to start, and at least for me, slow to go much of anywhere at all. I didn't like Hannah at the beginning, and that opinion didn't change much as the book progressed. She is a very manipulative character, focus-driven (not in a good way!) and I found her to be just plain unlikeable.

While I have enjoyed some legal thrillers over the years, this one seemed to contain too much law – too many details about issues that weren't relevant to the case at hand. I was very surprised to see how much work in a case as important as this was turned over not only to law students – not actual lawyers – but to law student *volunteers. If I were the Michael, I don't think I'd be very happy about that.

There were lots of twists and turns in the story, with plenty of red herrings that left me often wondering what was really going on. As slow as the book was for me, the ending seemed rushed. It was a surprise, with nothing really as it seemed, but almost a little *too hard to believe. While this may appeal to many other readers, it just wasn't for me, so I'll cross my fingers and hope the author returns to Ireland and Cormac soon.

Hannah, a 3rd year law student, decides to join the Innocence Project and works her way in on a specific case, one of a man wrongly convicted and serving a life sentence for murder. Everyone thinks she's part of the team to exonerate him. In reality she's there to make sure he never sees the light of day. The Murder Rule is a great legal thriller that hooks you from the beginning and refuses to let go. Great twists I didn't see coming, great characters and a thrilling story line makes this a must read!

Started out strong, and had some good twists, but I found the last 25% of the book to be unrealistic. It has good characterization of the lead characters, an interesting plot and well written prose. I’ll definitely look into reading some other of the author’s books.. I appreciate the receipt of the advanced copy, #netgalley, #harpercollins and #bookclubgirls.

Enjoyed this thriller. It was not my first by this author but it was a different story that enthralled me. I wanted to keep reading and that is always a good thing. Thank you to the Early Reads Program, for allowing me to read this one.

The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan tell the story of Hannah who sets out with a cause to sabotage a case on death row. Wow! What a great legal thriller! I loved Hannah’s character and her development during the story. The author had a great pace of giving out information leading up to the climax. It kept me wanting to read this book. I will recommend this book. Thank you for allowing me to review this book.

WOW, I hadn't read any Dervla McTiernan before, but I will read this author again and again.

Really enjoyed the twists and turns this one took on our way to the truth.

The Innocence Project is on a mission to exonerate a man they believe is serving a jail sentence for a crime he did not commit..
Hannah is on a mission of her own.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book. The alternating storyline between Hannah's present day at the Innocence Project, and Hannah's moms' past diary entries makes for a compulsive narrative. I did feel the pacing slowed a bit on the second half of the book, when the diary entry chapters ended.

Family drama and secrets unfold. Mysteries are uncovered and somewhere in the midst of it all the truth comes out.

While a few plot lines were predictable, there were twists that I didn't see coming. I recommend for those that like legal thrillers.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

Out May 10, 2022 [Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 4/5 stars

Everyone thinks Hannah is a third-year law student dedicated to helping secure the release of a wrongfully convicted man as part of her volunteer work with the Innocence Project. In reality, her goal is to make sure he never gets out of prison.

I was already a big fan of Dervla McTiernan, so when I heard she was writing a book set in the U.S. and featuring a law student, I was extremely excited. Fortunately, the book itself didn’t disappoint! I sped through it in just over 24 hours (a compliment in itself) and was thoroughly pulled in by the plot, the characters, and the various twists.

While I felt like there may have been a few glosses on the law, legal world, or criminal law and procedure that weren’t perfectly realistic/accurate, this is a novel and not a legal treatise, and I appreciated the overall high level of accuracy—I was definitely getting a few law school flashbacks as I read! The pacing of the novel was also really well done, with just enough information fed quickly enough to keep me interested without spilling all the secrets too early, and a conclusion that gave just the right amount of closure without seeming too neat. In short, the recipe for a solid and compelling legal thriller.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: legal thrillers; buried family secrets; explorations of justice.

CW: Murder; sexual assault; physical violence/abuse; alcoholism.

Hannah is a law student, raised by single mom Laura. Laura has led a hard life of off and on alcohol binges. Hannah finds Laura's old diary from just before she became pregnant with Hannah.
The story is told in the then and now format. Then is in the form of Laura's diary and now is told from Hannah's viewpoint. Hannah has managed to transfer schools with the purpose of joining the Innocence Project. Her reasoning is not like all the other volunteers, however. The others want to free Michael, as they believe in his innocence. Hannah wants to keep him in prison.

I liked the format and the characters. Maybe a little dramatic at times but all in all a good book.

This is my first book by Dervla McTiernan. I would absolutely read more books by this author.

Thanks to Scene of the Crime, William Morrow for the arc via netgalley.

**This stand-alone is not your typical McTiernan!

Having spent her life taking care of her alcoholic mother, Hannah Rokeby, discovers her mother's old diary and finds out that a man named Michael Dandridge is the source of her mother's issues. Hannah decides to take matters into her own hands when she discovers that Dandridge, a convicted felon, is being represented by the Innocence Project and might end up a free man. As a law student, Hannah transfers colleges for the sole purpose of joining the Innocence Project, but what the team doesn't know is that Hannah is only there to sabotage them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Willliam Morrow & Co and the author for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of this book. The book will publish May 10, 2022.
Hannah leaves Maine and her mom, Laura, behind to join the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia Law School for very personal reasons. A group of lawyers are working to set Michael Dandridge free after he was convicted of the brutal rape and murder of a young mother.
Hannah first read about Michael’s case in Vanity Fair and then she stumbled across her mom’s diary in which Laura details meeting Mike and his ultra-wealthy friend, Tom. In Laura’s diary, she details why she’s been running from Mike since that summer they met.
Starting off in alternating timelines with Laura’s diary entries (from 1994) interspersed with Hannah joining the Innocence Project and getting assigned to this particular case. As she maneuvers through the investigation, Hannah finds it increasingly more difficult to keep her story straight. I doubt she would be assigned to a high-profile case like that within mere days of joining the team but it makes for a good storyline.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it’s her first stand-alone thriller (she is the author of the Cormac Reilly Series). This book is based on the true story of a young law student who uncovered evidence at the Innocence Project exonerating a man who had been in prison for 26 years.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. A mother hoped to keep her secret from her daughter for as long as she can. Her daughter has other ideas. This book captured my attention from the start.

I really enjoyed this engaging thriller. The psychological element was the most interesting part, especially the narrator/main character who is very sympathetic but her outlook/POV is unreliable. I particularly enjoyed seeing The Innocent Project (which I admire very much) seen through her eyes as a bunch of misguided, gullible do-gooders... but events begin to change her mind. I love stories where relatable characters act as imposters or ruthlessly manipúlate others to gain their own ends. In this story, the MC is out to avenge her mom, who was driven to alcoholism by the abuse of a man long ago. I saw “the twist” coming, but I still loved it. The final courtroom part is pure My Cousin Vinny, and that is a compliment!

My only criticism: it’s hard to put my finger on why, but the USA portrayed in this novel did not seem real to me. It was like the Hollywood version. It felt like: okay, in the South they drink sweet tea, and that was the end of the worldbuilding. Part of it was the portrayal of the Innocent Project. They are getting the convictions of innocent people reversed and no one ever talks about racism? All the characters appear to be white except for one Latina law student. That seemed so unrealistic to me. I saw that the Irish author lives in Australia, so maybe that’s the reason. Anyway this book was great so this is a pretty minor quibble.

I gratefully received an advance readers copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.