Joseph Finder

Juliana Brody is a Massachusetts Superior Court judge whose husband, Duncan, is a tenured professor. As a child, Juliana grew up too soon, since her mother drank excessively and her father was emotionally distant. Ever the dutiful older sister, she took it upon herself to keep a watchful eye on her brother, Calvin, whose transformation into an enraged and self-destructive young adult horrified her. A serious transgression comes back to haunt Judge Brody while she is presiding over a civil suit involving Rachel Meyers, formerly the general counsel for Wheelz, a Boston-based ride-hailing company. Rachel, the plaintiff, refuses to settle, since she wants the public to know that her sleazy boss, CEO Devin Allerdyce, made "demeaning comments" and "unwanted sexual advances" to her on numerous occasions. When she refused to give in to his demands, Allerdyce fired her.

In Joseph Finder's "Judgment," Juliana becomes the _target of a potentially ruinous blackmail scheme. If she rules in favor of the defendant, then an unnamed adversary is threatening to publicize a compromising video that could undo everything that she has worked so hard to achieve. Although most people would cave under such enormous pressure, Juliana fights back. She seeks assistance from, among others, her close friend and mentor, Martha Connolly, who urges Juliana to hire a skilled and tenacious private investigator, Phil Hersh. Furthermore, Brody risks her life and the well-being of her family when she uncovers a pattern of financial malfeasance, widespread corruption, and violence, all orchestrated by a shadowy mastermind.

"Judgment" is a "ripped-from-the-headlines" tale of unbridled greed, lust, and interference by a foreign government in America's political, judicial, and economic institutions. On the home front, Juliana desperately tries to save her faltering marriage and worries about her rebellious sixteen-year-old son, Jake. In addition, she wrestles with her conscience when she is tempted to break the law that she has sworn to uphold. Still, Judge Brody recklessly forges ahead, like a female David trying to defeat a fearsome Goliath. "Judgment" is an occasionally diverting and fast-paced thriller that features a strong heroine who is smart, courageous, and resolute. However, the final chapters are so far-fetched—Juliana devises an outlandish scheme that no one in her right mind would attempt to carry out—that the novel ultimately veers off into the realm of fantasy.… (more)

Juliana Brody is a Massachusetts Superior Court judge whose husband, Duncan, is a tenured professor. As a child, Juliana grew up too soon, since her mother drank excessively and her father was emotionally distant. Ever the dutiful older sister, she took it upon herself to keep a watchful eye on her brother, Calvin, whose transformation into an enraged and self-destructive young adult horrified her. A serious transgression comes back to haunt Judge Brody while she is presiding over a civil suit involving Rachel Meyers, formerly the general counsel for Wheelz, a Boston-based ride-hailing company. Rachel, the plaintiff, refuses to settle, since she wants the public to know that her sleazy boss, CEO Devin Allerdyce, made "demeaning comments" and "unwanted sexual advances" to her on numerous occasions. When she refused to give in to his demands, Allerdyce fired her.

In Joseph Finder's "Judgment," Juliana becomes the _target of a potentially ruinous blackmail scheme. If she rules in favor of the defendant, then an unnamed adversary is threatening to publicize a compromising video that could undo everything that she has worked so hard to achieve. Although most people would cave under such enormous pressure, Juliana fights back. She seeks assistance from, among others, her close friend and mentor, Martha Connolly, who urges Juliana to hire a skilled and tenacious private investigator, Phil Hersh. Furthermore, Brody risks her life and the well-being of her family when she uncovers a pattern of financial malfeasance, widespread corruption, and violence, all orchestrated by a shadowy mastermind.

"Judgment" is a "ripped-from-the-headlines" tale of unbridled greed, lust, and interference by a foreign government in America's political, judicial, and economic institutions. On the home front, Juliana desperately tries to save her faltering marriage and worries about her rebellious sixteen-year-old son, Jake. In addition, she wrestles with her conscience when she is tempted to break the law that she has sworn to uphold. Still, Judge Brody recklessly forges ahead, like a female David trying to defeat a fearsome Goliath. "Judgment" is an occasionally diverting and fast-paced thriller that features a strong heroine who is smart, courageous, and resolute. However, the final chapters are so far-fetched—Juliana devises an outlandish scheme that no one in her right mind would attempt to carry out—that the novel ultimately veers off into the realm of fantasy.… (more)

Mike Tanner is not thriving, personally or professionally. His wife, Sarah, has moved out and may soon file for divorce. Mike's niche coffee business, "Tanner Roast," is losing major accounts to a cutthroat competitor. As if these problems were not enough to give him indigestion, Mike grabs the wrong laptop while moving through airport security. "The Switch," by Joseph Finder, is a thriller about an Everyman caught up in a situation that could cost him his life.

When reading books of this type, its helps to suspend one's disbelief. What are the odds that a powerful legislator would be stupid enough to keep highly classified information on her personal laptop and leave a Post-It note containing her password stuck to the computer? We're talking career suicide here. The author, of course, is channeling a former Democratic nominee for president who landed in hot water for using a private email server to conduct official business. Will Abbott, Robbins' chief of staff, is blindly loyal to his boss and hopes to occupy the White House if and when Robbins is elected president. In his desperation to retrieve the laptop, Abbott sets in motion illegal and dangerous schemes to achieve his goal.

Joseph Finder avoids some of the more common pitfalls that frequently trip up action-adventure writers. The author imbues his hero, Mike, with street smarts, but does not insult us by transforming him into a superhero. Clearly in over his head, Mike scrambles to stay ahead of his pursuers. He does not have an arsenal of weapons or an army of bodyguards to protect him, so he stays alive by using his powers of reasoning, negotiation, and when all else fails, hiding. Abbott, a new dad who adores his wife and child, is no Neanderthal. He is an intelligent individual who, in an effort to correct a disastrous mistake, makes a bad situation worse. In this entertaining and briskly-paced novel, Joseph Finder tackles such themes as the intrusive specter of electronic surveillance on private citizens. "The Switch" should appeal to fans of "ripped-from-the headlines" political thrillers.… (more)