South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)

A school shooting in Miami jumpstarts Grippando’s complex ‘Twenty’

- Correspond­ent

By Oline H. Cogdill

‘Twenty’ by James Grippando. Harper, 384 pages, $27.99

James Grippando’s reputation for calibratin­g his novels about Miami defense attorney Jack Swyteck to current events continues with “Twenty.” This 17th novel may be his most timely and controvers­ial.

While including his trademarks of high suspense and character studies, Grippando also takes a massive chance by opening “Twenty” with a school shooting.

A gunman attacks the school where Jack’s daughter Righley attends kindergart­en, and his wife, FBI agent Andie Henning, is there. She’s off-duty to attend a parents’ event, and isn’t carrying a weapon. There’s little she can do but make her way to Righley’s classroom and try to protect the children as best she can.

The harrowing scene is chilling, but isn’t sensationa­lized. While compassion­ate and mindful of the victims, Grippando skillfully leads the plot into a story about terrorism, capital punishment, rumors and parenting.

The community — as well as Jack and Andie — are stunned when 18-yearold Xavier Khoury, the son of a prominent Miami couple, confesses. A brilliant, likable student,

Xavier would appear to be an unlikely candidate: His mother, Molly, is

“WASPY enough to be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.” But his father, Amir, is Muslim. Though he was born in a Fort Lauderdale hospital, Amir’s background has always made him an outsider to the other parents at the upscale school.

With the prosecutio­n pushing for the death penalty, Jack reluctantl­y agrees to represent Xavier and seek multiple life sentences following a conversati­on with the father of a victim. The parent tells Jack that life sentences with no chance of parole would spare families years, if not decades, of endless court battles.

The case pits Jack and

Andie against the school and its high-powered attorneys, makes them the brunt of vicious rumors and affects Andie’s job with the FBI.

Grippando leads

“Twenty” through a complex plot that maintains its sense of realism until the surprising finale. Jump-starting a story with a school shooting is a risky move, but Grippando handles it well as he builds a plot and solid suspense in another direction.

Oline H. Cogdill can be reached at olinecog@aol. com.

 ??  ?? Join James Grippando in a discussion about his novel “Twenty”with Sun Sentinel reviewer Oline H. Cogdill as part of the Palm Beach Library’s Writers LIVE! 2021 at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 12. Registrati­on is free but reservatio­ns required. To register, visit pbclibrary.org/ writers-live-2021. A Zoom invitation will be sent to participan­ts.
James Grippando is the author of 17 novels about Miami defense attorney Jack Swyteck.
Join James Grippando in a discussion about his novel “Twenty”with Sun Sentinel reviewer Oline H. Cogdill as part of the Palm Beach Library’s Writers LIVE! 2021 at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 12. Registrati­on is free but reservatio­ns required. To register, visit pbclibrary.org/ writers-live-2021. A Zoom invitation will be sent to participan­ts. James Grippando is the author of 17 novels about Miami defense attorney Jack Swyteck.
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