The Innocence Game by Michael Harvey

Taut Thriller - Until the End

Published in May of 2013 by Alfred A. Knopf

I have read three of Michael Harvey's five books. I read two in his Michael Kelly series. One of them was gritty and solid. I was disappointed in another one when it went over the top with a man-made plague devastating Chicago. But, when I saw this one was not a book in the Michael Kelly series I jumped on it because I think this author has real potential. Just to let you know, Michael Kelly is in this book, he just is not the main character.

The book is based on a real-life class at the Northwestern Medill School of Journalism that re-investigates criminal cases in which they believe that the defendant was wrongly convicted. Three students are brought in to this summer's program and they change the parameters a bit. Rather than re-opening a case, they decide to solve an unsolved murder. Once they start digging they start to be pressured from all sides - their professor is against it, the police are using very dirty tricks and it looks like there is a cover-up in the works when key evidence goes missing or gets stolen.

This one seemed to be a solid mystery thriller until the end. The final reveal of the conspiracy was so over the top that it just ruined the book for me.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: The Innocence Game by Michael Harvey. 

Reviewed on May 16, 2013.