Xpress Review
A lawsuit against a toy company becomes a gut-wrenching journey for attorney David Sloan. With an intriguing premise and plenty of in- and out-of-the courtroom action, Dugoni's legal thriller will satisfy fans of the genre

Xpress Reviews, 5/14/10Seattle Mystery Book Store Customer Review
Robert Dugoni's books have always been very good, in my opinion, and I've enjoyed them tremendously. I like his protagonist, David Sloane, and I admire the way Dugoni has led him to change and grow, leaving his sense of justice and honor intact.

Bodily Harm (Touchstone, $25.00, signing May 28th, noon) takes a leap beyond everything he's done so far, including Wrongful Death (Simon & Schuster, $7.99) which I thought was one of the more masterful novels I've ever read. It is disturbing and amazing and heartbreaking and incredibly hopeful all at once.

In this latest installment in the series, Sloane has just won a malpractice suit against a doctor in the death of a small boy. Sloane isn't entirely comfortable with the verdict; something about the case is nagging at him. So when a young man comes up to Sloane and admits that he was responsible for the boy's death, Sloane is compelled to investigate. What happens then will change his life forever.

In Bodily Harm, Robert Dugoni has opened up his heart and poured it out on the page. This is a strong, powerful and compelling book, and the honesty in it sometimes makes it difficult to read, but there's no way you can stop. It never mires down but keeps racing forward, taking you along with David Sloane down a dark and dangerous path. It's as much a testament to what people will do for love as it is an action-packed thriller, with twists along the way that will keep you guessing.

Robert Dugoni's Bodily Harm has just vaulted its way onto my Best Of The Year list, and I believe it will for you too.

Fran, Customer ReviewLibrary Journal Review
Attorney David Sloane (The Jury Master, Wrongful Death) is on the verge of winning a huge medical malpractice judgment against a pediatrician whose patient died. But as Sloane heads into court, a crazed young man, Kyle Horgan, thrusts a folder into his hands claiming he's the one who killed the child. Perplexed, Sloane finds in the folder a design for a toy that is in preproduction testing. He also becomes the target of an ex-CIA agent turned assassin and suffers a devastating personal loss that leaves him with vengeance on his mind. Horgan disappears, the toy company stonewalls Sloane trying to protect its potential moneymaker, and then another child dies, probably from the same toy. 

Verdict An intriguing premise incorporated with lots of action makes this a real page turner, but the courtroom is where the heart of this story lies. The combination of legal, corporate, and even some political thrills will appeal to fans of Richard North Patterson and Joseph Finder.

Stacy Alesi, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., Boca Raton, FL

Providence Journal
Robert Dugoni does so many things well in his terrific Bodily Harm that it's hard to know where to start. Blending the best of Scott Turow and John Grisham with a hefty measure of the cutting-edge Michael Crichton thrillers Disclosure and Airframe, Dugoni¼s latest is a smooth, cross-genre hybrid that works on every level. 

David Sloane, the Rambo of lawyers, is struggling to balance his mega-successful professional career with his not nearly as successful personal life. Fresh off another courtroom triumph, Sloane is about to dedicate himself more to his wife Tina and stepson Jake, when his world explodes in a maelstrom of violence and corporate shenanigans. 

His surgeon told Sloane he was lucky to be alive. Jenkins knew Sloane didn't feel that way. 

With his life literally coming apart, Sloane sets his sights on an evil toy manufacturer with strong ties to a high-tech Chinese assembly line that may or not be responsible for the deaths of several young children. Little, it turns out, is what both he and us thought it be originally. Good thing Sloane has partner, ex-CIA operative Charles Jenkins, on his side in a struggle for both revenge and redemption. 

In that respect, Bodily Harm most resembles Word of Honor, still Nelson DeMille's masterwork. No Turow or Grisham tale ever had this kind of depth, color and breathless plotting, and the result brands Dugoni as the undisputed king of the legal thriller.

Reviewed by Jon Land Booklist Starred Review 
Dugoni has been knocking on the legal-thriller door for a while, and his latest firmly establishes him in the top echelon of the genre. Tense and shocking from the beginning to the surprising end, this is Dugoni s best book yet. Prior knowledge of his other David Sloane novels is not necessary, but they will be eagerly sought out by new readers who finish this one.
Jeff Ayers, May 1, 2010

 

The third Sloane legal thriller (see Jury Master and Wrongful Death) is an enjoyable tale that is superb...[and] fast-paced regardless of which subplot takes center stage, readers will appreciate Robert Dugoni's latest suspense filled novel. 
- The Mystery Gazette, April 21, 2010

 

[Dugoni's] following fast in John Grisham's footsteps 
- Seattle City Arts Magazine, April 27, 2010 The Book Frog Blog 

Robert Dugoni...has become a true master of the legal thriller. His pacing is perfect, fast enough to keep the reader on the edge of the seat, but still thoughtful and intelligent. His characters are well-developed... believable and sympathetic, and we read breathlessly as the several different plotlines--including Sloane's moving personal story--come together for a satisfying resolution. 

 

"Smart and savvy with more muscle than the average legal thriller... Dugoni has put the thrills back in the genre." 
Nelson DeMille

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