The Alligator Man by James Sheehan

Morning, readers! Today I'm part of the TLC blog tour for James Sheehan's The Alligator Man.

When the former CEO of Dynatron is run down and left to become gator food, no one sheds that many tears. He ripped off his employees and walked away scott free with millions, which means lots of possible suspects. Kevin Wylie has recently lost his job working with one of Miami's top defense attorneys but it's allowed him time to reconnect with the father he hasn't seen in over two decades. It's also put him in the right place at the right time to defend the state's top suspect in what's now being referred to as the Alligator Man's murder. Billy, the suspected killer, is a long time friend of Kevin's father and unsurprisingly one of those who lost everything when Dynatron closed down. But did he kill the Alligator Man?

As a reader, I'm almost ashamed to say that I've become wary of legal thrillers. I like to think that I'll read just about anything out there - and it's true but after a long time early binge of John Grisham, I've found myself shying away from the subgenre. But it means missing out on authors like James Sheehan! Not this time, though. Prompted by recommendations (and Masterpiece's Silk, which I highly recommend!) I decided it was time to set aside my previous legal thriller issues and when the opportunity to jump on board this tour arose, I took it.

And boy am I glad!

Sheehan strikes a fine balance between the actual case in question and character development, which means that you've got a good grasp of Kevin and his relationships as well as the other supporting characters while still moving along with the mystery itself. The pacing is excellent and the suspense is finely tuned. Be warned, though, this is another one that will keep you up at night if you start too late in the day!

Yes, it's one of those books. The chapters are short enough that I found myself up late reading just one more chapter over and over and over. I was sucked in by the third chapter and continued to fall further down the rabbit hole as the book progressed. Sheehan did a masterful job of weaving the threads of the story together, making The Alligator Man an incredibly enticing read.

I should also add that The Alligator Man is a great intro to Sheehan's work. His previous books, The Mayor of Lexington Avenue, The Law of Second Chances, and The Lawyer's Lawyer, all feature the same central character while this latest is a stand alone.

Rating: 4/5

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on James Sheehan and his work, visit his website here. You can also like him on Facebook.