Reading SEEDS OF DOUBT was a terrific way to round off my mystery reading experience for 2004.The fourth book by lawyer-turned-author Stephanie Kane is one of the outstanding mysteries of the year. It's more than a mystery. It's a fully realized novel, full of victims and perpetrators. It is spearheaded by one of the best crime-fiction protagonists in a long while, dyslexic and vertigo-challenged lawyer Jackie  Flowers...
Flowers is alternately tough and soft-hearted and never stops questioning herself -- surely the most appealing of all traits in a main character. Her defense of Rachel causes her to revisit her past in a most disturbing way.
                                                                                            - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

 

"Our readers, adults and teens, have found Kane's other Jackie Flowers books, BLIND SPOT and EXTREME INDIFFERENCE to be compelling, not only because Jackie is a successful dyslexic, but because the stories, like this one, turn us inside out and upside down and make us see things in a new way. Hello, dyslexia."
                                                                                             - Virginia Clammer
                                                                                                New York Branch of
                                                                                                International Dyslexia Assoc.

 

Kane deftly creates multi-layered characters and peppers the story with crisp and witty dialogue. The investigation  prior  to trial, the courtroom scenes and the antics of counsel are realistic and accurate as told only by someone who has  been there.  It is refreshing indeed to read a novel with a complex mystery plot containing significant social issues that are examined with compassion and understanding.  Together with such likeable characters, a sustained and mounting tension exploding into an unexpected conclusion, this book is a keeper.                                                        
                                                                                            - Thea Davis
                                                                                              The Mystery Reader

 

"Deftly written"                                                                     - Chicago Sun

"The best thing about Kane's books is that Jackie's dyslexia is no mere gimmick:  the condition colors her life and courtroom work and makes her searches for truth and justice harder and more compelling.... Insightful moments like this mark Flowers as more than just another shrewd criminal defense lawyer.  Kane deserves to join the ranks of the big-time legal-thriller eagles."
                                                                                             - Publishers Weekly

 

"The Kane books are highly intelligent, deeply compassionate, lush with descriptions of Colorado's unique natural splendors, creepy in the best possible ways, touched with humor, and packed with genuine adventure  expanded by the range of Jackie's fears and phobias....  Kane brings the courtroom drama of legal procedures together with the danger and complexity of a good murder mystery.  Above all, Stephanie Kane brings us  Jackie Flowers,  our own personal heroine whose learning disabilities both threaten her success and power her remarkable  achievements, and whose fortitude is a genuine inspiration."
                                                                                              - Jane Browning
                                                                                                LDA Newsbriefs 
                                                                                                Learning Disabilities
                                                                                                Association of America

 

"The storyline is sure to keep readers guessing and on the edge of their seats. The narrative is peppered with diary entries, police reports, and news articles, which gives a wonderful extra perspective. Kane manages a wonderful balance of suspense, realistic dialogue, humour, and well-placed revelations."
                                                                                               -Tania Hutchison
                                                                                                 I Love a Good Mystery

 

"For sheer good reading, fast pacing, mucho action, and a plot that turns back on itself at every corner, you can't  go wrong with Seeds of Doubt. "
                                                                                               - May Ann Smyth
                                                                                                 BookLoons Reviews

 

" There is no beating lawyer-novelist Stephanie Kane (or any compromise done) in sheer readability & nail-biting suspense....  Stunning psycho-legal suspense that rivals the best of James Patterson or Richard North Patterson's legal thrillers."
                                                     - Naraya Radhakrishnan
                                                                                               Rebecca's Reads

" Jackie Flowers is a persistent attorney with foibles of her own, including dyslexia and a fear of heights which may hinder her during the course of this case.  It also makes her quite likeable, easy to relate with, and most importantly, it makes her human, a characteristic I find quite often lacking in stories containing lawyers....  Stephanie Kane has the legal genre nailed down. "
                                                                                             - Shannon Surly,
                                                                                               DorothyL

 

"Well-crafted prose and strong character development are hallmarks of Kane's latest Jackie Flowers novels."
                                                                                             - Booklist

 

"[Seeds of Doubt's] greatest attribute is its ever-escalating suspense, as clues from the old murder unearth the culprit of the present-day crime."
                                                                                             - Romantic Times  

 

"A fast-paced, satisfying ride that succeeds in raising some interesting questions... The novel's climax is heart- stopping, and its conclusion just right."
                                                                                             - The Denver Post

 

Kane makes the truth elusive and keeps the lies and liars shifting as Jackie struggles to find her footing among the detritus of past and present crimes. But the best thing about Kane's story is Jackie herself -- her uncertainties and fears ring true, her victories come dear.  Kane documents her struggle with dyslexia, all the little things that make life -- and the practice of law -- more difficult.  SEEDS OF DOUBT should delight legal mystery buffs and anyone who enjoys a Colorado setting.
                                                                                             - Rocky Mountain News

 

Dyslexic defense lawyer Jackie Flowers returns in Stephanie Kane's Seeds of Doubt, and it looks like this engaging series will have the momentum to last. Kane, a former attorney, writes with increased confidence, and her plucky alter-ego has grown both stronger and more vulnerable with each successive outing.... One thing that stands out about this series is Kane's handling of Flowers' disability. That Flowers can't read, and basically bluffed her way through the U.S. education system, is incorporated believably into the goings-on.

                                                                                           - San Francisco Chronicle

 

Many believe that a host of things can be attributed to a bad childhood, but Kane's third novel (after last year's Extreme Indifference) starring dyslexic defense attorney Jackie Flowers probes deeper waters by examining whether seemingly unforgivable mistakes can truly be overcome. Kane's parallel life as a defense attorney informs the legal thriller backbone of the story, but the exploration of childhood sins, whether monstrous or incidental, gives Seeds of Doubt its emotional heft.
                                                                                           - The Baltimore Sun

 

"A stylish mystery that presents some thought-provoking legal issues."
                                                                                             - Boulder Daily Camera

 

A well-woven tale of past haunting present, with sorrowful and suspenseful twists in tow... Kane is able to make her readers care about the characters and creates a silent yet persistent desire for the victims to be vindicated. If she keeps down this path, Kane may very well become the next great crime novelist.
                                                                                           - Intermountain Jewish News

 

Kane writes a sturdy, lucid prose.  Her descriptions of Denver and rural Colorado are precise and often picturesque.  Her narration is swift.  Furthermore, she writes sparkling dialogue, particularly the witty and caustic exchanges between Jackie and her assistant, Pilar Perez.  In the end, it's the carefully drawn character of Jackie herself that  gives Kane's stories a special glow.
                                                                                           - Durango Herald

 

Kane writes with a directness and fluidity that makes her novel's twists and turns enjoyable to read.  Her characters are sufficiently complex that they have the ability to continually surprise us as readers, and events that would otherwise seem improbable become real in the pages of her novel.  Although Seeds of Doubt forces its reader to doubt whether Rachel Boyd is guilty of the crime of which she is accused, it leaves little doubt that Stephanie Kane has arrived as a writer of legal thrillers.
                                                                                           - The Champion
                                                                                             National Association of
                                                                                             Criminal Defense Lawyers

 

In her best book yet, Kane brings us to the very end of this mystery wondering what the heck is going to happen.  Then, it ends perfectly.
                                                                                           - The Docket
                                                                                             Denver Bar Association

 

The writing is strong and authentic, the picture of Denver striking, and the story of the death of a child kidnapped from a banker's home and the suspicion that falls upon the banker's sister Rachel, just out of prison after serving 30 years for the "thrill murder of a young playmate" unnerving. Dyslexic Jackie, who struggles for everything, does battle for Rachel and gets a major surprise.
                                                                                           - BOOKNEWS                                                                                                             from The Poisoned Pen

 

"With powerful action and strong characters, the verdict beyond a shadow of adoubt is that Ms. Kane has provided another superb read."
                                                                                             - Harriet Klausner

 

"Kane masterfully yo-yos the tension between the past and the present, between pervasive suspicion and speculative reality.  The denouement is taut, terrifying and a true surprise."
                                                                                             - Terry D'Auray
                                                                                               The Agony Column

 

Stephanie Kane has written an excellent crime novel.  The story grabs your attention from the very beginning.  The author has a way of holding you captive until you finish this book.  You are in for a surprise ending -- something you won't expect.  Be sure to add this novel to your reading list.
                                                                                            - Nancy Eaton              
                                                                                             bestsellersworld.com

 

"A chilling tale by talented author Stephanie Kane guaranteed to give you goose bumps as it did me. A story that will have you looking at people with new eyes, wondering...   Highly recommended to keep you reading. ”
                                                                                            - Murder & Mayhem Bookclub

 

This is easily one of the better legal thriller series our there today.  Jackie, highly engaging, is so wonderfully human it's difficult not to root for her.  And the brisk and perfect plotting of this latest, with its surprising twists and turns, offers an additional reason to read this suspenseful and intelligently drawn tale.  Definitely recommended, this is one author who just keeps getting better.
                                                                                           - Stephanie Padilla
                                                                                             newmysteryreader.com

 

SEEDS OF DOUBT is a very intense story, one that keeps the suspense going. Throughout the book, Kane manages to allow just enough of what happened in the past to leak out and cause suspicion about the crime.
                                                                                           - Robyn Glazer, I Love a Mystery

 

Fans of crime novels who like their stories "ripped from the headlines" will no doubt find SEEDS OF DOUBT fascinating reading.  The author's experience as a criminal defense lawyer brings a sense of realism to the story that readers will find compelling.  I'm surprised a Hollywood company hasn't snatched up the rights to this series in order to make a television series out of Jackie Flowers and her cases!
                                                                                           - Cherie Jung
                                                                                             overmydeadbody.com

 

SEEDS OF DOUBT is an excellent psychological murder mystery and at times a nail-biting read.... New revelations come like waves at the beginning of a storm, and as each problem is resolved, we find more to come, making this a suspenseful and enjoyable read.
                                                                                           - Ginger Stratton                                                                                                             reviewingtheevidence.com

 

"Ms. Kane has beautifully created a main character who is both inspirational and real...  She has a genuine interest in portraying the challenges of disabilities in an accurate and authentic forum, while entertaining the audience with a superbly written crime mystery."
                                                                                             - The Marylander
                                                                                               (LDA of Maryland)

 

Seeds of Doubt, a new mystery novel by Stephanie Kane, is refreshing for being just that -- not a thinly- disguised screenplay. This is a classicly constructed story with lies and secrets revealed leading to a can't-put-it-down climax. The ending is true to the characters. Jackie Flowers, criminal defense attorney, is dyslexic. Her coping strategies, combined with some phobias, give her a unique approach to her job. Rachel, the client, paroled after serving thirty years for the murder of another child, is accused of repeating her crime. But of course there are loose ends and dangling threads, logical gaps and ambiguous evidence enough to make a great mystery begging to be solved.... This is not Agatha Christie -- Kane's people have a lot going on inside, much of it not pretty. I can highly recommend this book.

                                                                                           - The GRAM
                                                                                              LDA of California

 

Jackie Flowers is a true to life representation of what people with LD do everyday:  lead successful and and  productive lives....  Seeds of Doubt not only gives a wonderful insight into the life of some with LD, but also gives  voice to the questions that most adults ask of themselves at some point in their life.
                                                                                           - Ted May
                                                                                             Director, University of Denver
                                                                                             Learning Effectiveness Program

What I appreciate about Stephanie Kane's stories is her ability to be able to relate to someone with a learning disability and yet bring out the strengths more than their weaknesses. I found it hard to put this book down once I started reading it.

                                                                                           - Laura Walth,
                                                                                             The Dyslexic Reader
                                                                                             (Davis Dyslexia Assoc Intl.)