News Update:
My new book, BLACK DIAMOND, was released on October 3, 2011.
Plans are in motion for the making of a major motion picture by Amber Entertainment, a production company located in Los Angeles and London, of my Legal thriller/mystery NEON DRAGON!
Lisa Scottoline, New York Times best-selling author of SAVE ME says; "From its characters who go straight to the heart, to its intruiging settings, to its plot with more jolting twiststhan a Boston street, BLACK DIAMOND takes you on a non-stop ride that keeps you gripping the wheel."
Jeremiah Healy, author of THE ONLY GOOD LAWYER and A STAIN ON THE ROBE says; "John F. Dobbyn simply leaps forward in scope and intensity with each new legal thriller he writes. The opening chapter of BLACK DIAMOND earns a master's degree in catch-your-breath excitement, and the compelling plot explores a criminal defense attorney's worst nightmare: a growing conflict of interest, within the lawyer's mind and heart, between the victim and the client accused of the crime. A terrific novel."
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ISBN-10: 1608090221
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"Dobbyn is a skillful writer who puts his expert knowledge of the legal system to work. Frame Up is the best kind of legal crime fiction, where the real stories come not from legal minutiae in the courtroom, but from human beings caught in the legal system's fuzzy moral contours."
Alafair Burke
Author of "212"
"If you enjoy gritty legal thrillers, you will love FRAME-UP, the second novel in John F. Dobbyn's series about young Boston lawyer Michael Knight. From the chilling first chapter to 'negotiations' with the Mob over the death penalty without benefit of the formal criminal justice system, the characters are drawn with depth and empathy, the action with crisp claps of interpersonal thunder. Settle back in your favorite chair for a polished book that will be compared to Dennis Lehane's MYSTIC RIVER."
Jeremiah Healy
Author of SPIRAL and THE ONLY GOOD LAWYER
"A poignant tale of brotherhood - torn and mended. A thrilling mix of foreign intrigue and Mafia mahem. A wonderful read. Don't miss it!"
Robin Hathaway
Author of Sleight of Hand
Frame-Up is a twisted tale of mafia gangsters and international intrigue providing an in-depth view of the criminal justice system.
The Big Thrill
This book is definitely a page turner reminding me of John Grisham’s legal thrillers and Robert Ludlum’s international crime thrillers.
Review the Book |
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978-1-933515-63-2
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Dobbyns is a talented writer, and this novel boasts subtle characterizations and a first-rate story.
Booklist
A fantastic legal thriller that will keep you on the edge of your chair throughout.
Bookpleasures
Here is another fast-paced legal thriller from John Dobbyn, a former law professor, whose writing is decidedly nonacademic.”
Lincoln Journal Star
Frame-Up is a terrific character driven legal thriller. Fans will relish John F. Dobbyns’ superb tale.
Harriet Klausner
Genre Go Round Reviews
Dobbyn writes with a skillful, unique deftness and I’ll be looking for more of his work.
Meanderings & Muses
An electrifying thriller. A murder mystery with a plot that is well-paced, replete with credible misdirection. Highly recommended.
Mysterious Reviews
“From the very first page, this legal thriller drags the reader into a world of lawyers and their mob-linked clients and keeps him there until the very last page.
Blogcritics
A picture perfect example of what a legal thriller should aspire to be, Frame-Up gives any Grisham book a run for its money.
Vicki Landes
Freelance Reviewer
Frame-Up brings a good plot, starts with violence, and has fast moving action throughout the length of the book. Characters are well-defined, and history is fed in carefully on an as needed basis.
Sacramento Book Review
A fast paced legal thriller complete with excitement at every turn. Well written, well executed.
Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine
Frame-Up is hard to put down.
Bookloons
This quick and intricate legal thriller will keep readers in suspense and wanting more.
Fresh Fiction
John F. Dobbyn serves up the well-written legal thriller, the thoughtfully tied up mystery, and the action adventure in unusual foreign locales.
Kicking Over My Traces Blog
Dobbyn has created a cast of engaging characters in this crime thriller. I would recommend this book to all mystery lovers.”
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“This debut novel by law professor Dobbyn marks the first long-form appearance of legal eagles Michael Knight and Lex Devlin, who’ve starred in several of the author’s short stories... Dobbyn, who knows his characters like the back of his hand, is an engaging writer, and readers who have followed the adventures of Knight and Devlin in short stories will give a small cheer that they’ve finally made the leap to the hardcover novel.”
Booklist
The first Devlin and Knight mystery
This explosive first novel by veteran short story mystery writer Dobbyn brings to life the legal detective team of Michael Knight and Lex Devlin, who have been featured in a dozen short stories in such magazines as Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen ‘s Mystery Magazine. Amid the flash and din of Boston’s raucous Chinese New Year’s celebration an elderly man named Chen An-Yong is shot while watching the parade from his Tyler Street window. Anthony Bradley, the young son of an African-American judge is standing across the street at the time and is immediately arrested for the crime.
Michael Knight is a young lawyer who’s going places, but even he is surprised when Judge Bradley asks him to defend his son in such a high profile and politically delicate case. Luckily, Knight finds he has powerful support when a senior partner at his firm, the legendary Lex Devlin, gets involved. Once the foremost criminal defense attorney in Boston, Devlin has mysteriously withdrawn from defense work in recent years. As Knight and Devlin investigate the incident and prepare their client’s defense, the older lawyer’s passion and ability come to the fore, forcing Knight to wonder about and delve into the murky allegations that eclipsed his mentor’s career.
But before he can defend the young Bradley, Knight is forced to enter into the shadow world of gangland Chinatown, where Triads and Tongs rule through fear and intimidation. From the halls of Harvard to the streets of Chinatowns in Boston and Toronto, Knight doggedly pursues an investigation that involves drugs, prostitution, human trafficking and, ultimately, a corruption scandal that could bring down the most powerful people in Boston.
"Fans of the film True Believer will best appreciate law professor Dobbyn’s debut..."
Publishers Weekly |
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“If you like full-speed ahead legal thrillers, you will love Neon Dragon. John F. Dobbyn has created an extraordinary hero in former prosecutor Michael Knight, an up-from-the-streets kid with two Harvard degrees behind his shingle. The dialogue exchanges crackle, and the humor is truly funny. Run—don’t walk to buy this terrific first novel.”
Jeremiah Healy
Author of Juror Number Eleven and The Only Good Lawyer
“Neon Dragon lit up my evening. This legal thriller had everything; people I cared for, suspense that kept me on edge, and the rich background of Boston’s Chinatown. A notable debut.”
Robin Hathaway
Author of Sleight of Hand
In Boston Michael Knight works as a third year associate attorney at Bilson, Dawes, Leftbridge & Sykes law firm. Thus he is shocked when African-American judge Amos Bradley, expected to be named to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court soon, asks him to represent his son Anthony, who is accused of killing sexagenarian Mr. Chen An-Young during a New Year's parade. The shooting has angered the Chinese-American community as Mr. Chen was a well respected grandfather.
Knight visits the incarcerated Anthony at the Suffolk County prison where he finds his client articulate and grateful. Anthony insists he is guilty of only agreeing to go with his friend Terry Blocher to attend the Chinese New Year gala. At the office, attorney Alexis "Lex" Devlin offers to help Michael with the case; Alexis was the top gun until a decade ago when a jury-tampering charge forced Lex into "hiding". The case looks hopeless on the surface, but with Knight following clues that take him into nasty neighborhoods, he believes he can prove his client's innocence that is if he stays alive long enough.
The protagonist knew nothing about government corruption or Chinese organized gangs in spite of being in the prosecutor's office for four years before he joined his current firm and grew up in the city. Knight is a terrific protagonist who, with his mentor, makes for a delightful Bostonian joy ride. The story line is fast-paced and includes some fun references to Beantown literary sleuths. However, it is the courtroom that makes this a fine legal thriller as fans of the sub-genre will enjoy the teaming of Michael and Lex.
Harriet Klausner
John F. Dobbyn is a Professor of Law at Villanova Law School and the author of numerous legal books and short fiction. A native of Boston, he received his J.D. from Boston College Law School and LL.M. from Harvard Law School. He practiced law at Burns & Levinson in Boston before going into teaching. This is his first novel.
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