St. Martin's Minotaur 2010
Awards
Winner of the 2009 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award
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One Man's Paradise
Hotshot New York criminal defense lawyer Kevin Corvelli was rolling. He had all the right connections to get way ahead. Guilty? Innocent? It didn’t matter so long as he won, got in the papers, and got paid. That's until he loses -- and loses big -- when a client, who was convicted and then killed in jail, is later proven innocent. The media has a field day plastering Corvelli's face all over Manhattan, so Corvelli, disgraced and in a professional free-fall, bolts for Hawaii.
Committed to being a lawyer if only because of the knee-buckling debts he accumulated becoming one in the first place, he sets up shop in paradise and swears to handle only misdemeanors this time around -- no felonies, no murders, no media attention, no high stakes, no real responsibility. But his first case turns out to be exactly that: law student Joseph Gianforte, Jr., is accused of chasing his ex-girlfriend to Hawaii and killing her. He's innocent, same as Corvelli’s last case, only this time Corvelli knows it, and with that knowledge comes the chilling realization that the killer is still out there with plenty of incentive to make sure that any proof of Gianforte's innocence doesn’t go any further than the three of them.
Douglas Corleone's One Man's Paradise, the winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition, is a gripping story of failure and the search for redemption, and it marks the stellar debut of an exciting new crime-writing voice.
Booklist:
This novel won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award, and it's no wonder. Former defense lawyer Corleone has created a crafty and memorable character and placed him in a suspenseful and layered story. Kevin Corvelli was a defense lawyer in New York until his apathy toward his clients led to the conviction of an innocent man, who was later murdered in prison. Now Kevin is living in Hawaii, still working as a lawyer but doing so purely to pay off his staggering student loan. "I don't like my clients," he tells us, "and I don't care if they like me." But when a law student is accused of murdering his former girlfriend, Kevin discovers that he actually does give a damn whether this particular client is guilty or innocent. This is a solid, well-written legal thriller with quite interesting ethical undercurrents. Kevin's journey begins at personal and professional apathy and ends at some form of redemption. Perhaps the author plans to continue Kevin's transformation in subsequent novels: a sequel to this fine debut would seem almost mandatory.
Honolulu Weekly:
This is a strong book, one with the ring of authenticity. Corvelli -- and by extension, author Corleone -- may be new to this, but he knows it, and he's a quick study. That Hawaii is one of the United States and yet not part of "America" is among the book's many thoughtful motifs, and its ear for the lilt and cadence of local speech is right on. As a crime novel, One Man's Paradise is inventive and active and the twists keep on coming, which is what we’re looking for in crime fiction. That, and a protagnist to believe in, and it's on this front that the book fully delivers -- Kevin Corvelli is tough, quick-witted and funny. He's also just soft enough for us to root for -- mainland mores, alligator shoes and all.
Buried Under Books:
Paradise is a very good first novel. Corleone is walking in some pretty big footsteps (Koryta leaps to mind) but he certainly has the potential to keep up. One Man's Paradise is another man's good read.
Debut Authors Blog:
This is a quick, fun read that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you begging for more. John Grisham better watch his back because Douglas Corleone has the potential to be a great name in the legal thriller genre.
ReviewingTheEvidence.com:
Paradise won the 2009 Minotaur Books/MWA First Crime Novel Contest. It's a very fine first novel. Corleone has a bright future ahead of him. One Man's Paradise really is a winner.
HawaiiBookBlog.com:
Questionable characters, murder, money and sex are all great components of a riveting crime novel and Corleone expertly weaves them all into a paradise setting, an undeniable formula of captivating suspense.