23 May 2022

I had the honour of attending an online meet and greet with Dervla McTiernan in April. This event left me extremely excited about both this book and the author, who has a truly inspiring story of her own.

Unfortunately, I had other commitments and was forced to wait before I could reach for this book, simply adding to my anticipation. I was worried that all the hype would leave me expecting too much. But oh boy, this book turned out to be everything it promised to be. I genuinely loved this book, it will most likely be my book of the month. (I doubt I will find another book to wow me in the same way before the end of May).

The Murder Rule looks at a relationship between a mother and her daughter, with one trying to put the past behind her and the other hunting for the truth. This book is both creative and hugely interesting. The author adds her experience as a lawyer to this gripping psychological tale and mixes legal facts with emotion to bring her characters to life.

Dervla McTiernan tells this story from Hannah’s point of view, while she includes extracts from Laura’s diary. This allows you to get to know Laura, while understanding who Hannah is. What Hannah is facing and what motivates her actions. I was concerned that this book might prove to be a little too “legal” based on the author’s background, but she managed to keep it simple and not overdo the legal jargon. This book includes interesting legal facts that had me visiting googling to learn more.

Hannah Rokeby is a third-year law student who transfers to the University of Virginia and volunteers at The Innocence Project. She is determined to get assigned to the Michael Dandridge case and will do whatever it takes to join the team.

They are convinced that Hannah is a hardworking, motivated student who is eager to make a difference. She says and does everything they expect from her. But what they do not know is that Hannah has her own agenda, she is determined to make sure that Michael is never released from prison, no matter what it takes.

As the mother of a third-year law student, I found it easy to relate to the character and found that I saw Hannah as my daughter at times. I was expecting a very different conclusion to this book and found the twists the author added simply brilliant. I loved that the legal facts included were not overpowering, yet interesting enough to send me to google to read more about The Innocence Project and The Murder Rule.

Some of Hannah’s behaviour is extremely questionable, which left me curious and kept me flicking pages. However, no matter what this young woman does, her actions feel justified, you are left supporting her bad actions even if you might not fully agree with them. Dervla McTiernan managed to wrap both the good and the bad into one character while leaving the reader loving her no matter what she did. Hannah’s relationship with her mother is not a healthy one and the more you read, the more likely you are to understand this woman and what drives her.

This book is a five-star read that has stolen my heart and will remain a favourite for a long time. I read a digital copy, but I cannot wait for this book to be available locally so that I can add a hard copy to my shelf. Yep, you guessed it – I love this book!

If you enjoy Ruth Ware and Tana French then you will not want to miss out on this interesting, gripping page-turner. I cannot recommend this book highly enough – please get a copy and read it!