The Pardon – James Grippando

Rebelling against his conservative politician father, Jack Swyteck became a defence lawyer. The night before his execution, Jack is shown definitive proof that émigré Raul Fernandez is not guilty of the murder he was convicted of. Desperate to save Raul, Jack goes to his father – governor of Florida, Harry Swyteck has the power to pardon Raul. But Jack has no evidence, and Harry’s in the middle of a campaign about being tough on crime, so Raul’s execution goes ahead.
Two years later, and Jack has successfully defended Eddy Goss when he was able to exclude the videotaped confession by arguing that police pleas the murdered girl be given a decent, Christian burial, were illegal duress. As Jack leaves the courthouse he is drenched with blood – Florida sees him as being equally culpable.
In the days that follow, both Jack and Harry are caught up in a web of revenge for the death of innocent Raul, as each step binds them tighter and tighter – as his relationship with girlfriend Cindy crumbles, Jack is framed for Goss’s murder. When the evidence Jack was shown two years earlier is revealed to Harry, his actions opens him up to charges of a cover-up, becomes the victim of blackmail, and he is also implicated in the killing. But who is behind it, and why are they avenging Raul’s death?
Although the plot as tight and had the required twists, I didn’t feel fully engaged with either protagonist – each time they were given a choice between honesty and trouble, or lies and evasion, they chose the later, miring themselves deeper. Jack in particular makes a series of stupid decisions that affect his relationship, the consequences of which were predictable and telegraphed. I also found some of the writing a little too purple, pulling me out of the story - Goss, for example, is described as standing "rigidly, his furor-filled eyes locked in an intense stare-down."
The novel's title, by the way, refers not just to the unsuccessful plea for Raul's pardoning, but also to the last lines of the book, when father and son have finally reconciled after almost a lifetime of estrangement: "He'd finally earned the governor's pardon. And the governor had earned his." A happily ever after ending in all respects. I did enjoy the book enough to finish it despite this lack of engagement, but I don’t think I want to read the sequel. - Alex