The Murder Rule – Dervla McTiernan

No one is innocent in this story.

First Rule: Make them like you.

Second Rule: Make them need you.

Third Rule: Make them pay.

They think I’m a young, idealistic law student, that I’m passionate about reforming a corrupt and brutal system.

They think I’m working hard to impress them.

They think I’m here to save an innocent man on death row.

They’re wrong. I’m going to bury him.

Book Info: 299 pages. Publisher: HarperCollins. Publication Date: 12 May 2022

My Thoughts:

If you follow my blog/reviews you will know I recently read What Happened To Nina? and loved it so much it went straight into my Top Ten Books of 2024. So I was really delighted to see Dervla had written another standalone thriller The Murder Rule in 2022.

The blurb above doesn’t really give much away. Without spoiling the book for you, it’s about a young law student named Hannah Rokeby. She transfers to the University of Virginia and joins The Innocence Party. The Innocence Party is a group of students and lecturers. They are dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted criminals. They investigate old cases and find new evidence. This helps to free those who have been falsely imprisoned.

One particular case which is in the headlines is Michael Dandridge. He is a man on death row. The Innocence Party are working 24/7 to find new evidence and clear his name. However, Hannah has a hidden agenda. She will do anything she can to hamper their investigation. She wants to stop any attempt to free him.

The story alternates between Hannah in the present and past diary entries from her mother’s journal. Slowly the story reveals a dark and twisted family history, a dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship and some dangerous secrets.

There are plenty of twists and surprises in this story which kept me guessing throughout. With themes of justice and vendettas, family and loyalty and redemption The Murder Rule is a thought-provoking read.

Rating: 4 out of 5.