The Only Pure Thing

Patrick Hyde
Beckham Publications (2007)
ISBN 0931761611
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (8/06)

“The Only Pure Thing” introduces DC attorney Stuart Clay.  He has to represent Cleveland Barnes who is a homeless man that is found wearing the bloody shoes of a recently decapitated man.  That man’s head was found sitting on top of a parking meter and his shoeless body was found nearby.   Clay is determined to prove the innocence of Barnes. His investigation takes him through some of the seamier sides of town and provides him with some interesting experiences, especially when he has to interview a hooker. 

Clay believes that the mob is involved with this murder.  Cleveland Barnes, the accused, is a mentally ill homeless man.  He is not unpopular among the homeless.  He seems rather benign.  Barnes believes that he recognizes Clay from an experience they supposedly shared in the 1800’s.

When Clay’s investigation results in him being severely beaten and drugged, the case gets more intense.  Then, someone close to him and involved with the case is murdered.   He works harder than ever on trying to free Barnes.  He gets beaten and drugged again.  He refuses to admit defeat.   Making this case more interesting is that the opposing attorney is his ex-fiancé and the arresting officer is one of his best friends.  The personal aspects of these situations introduce some interesting dilemmas into the case. 

The author’s more than 25 years of experience as an attorney really gave him a lot of background information to make this mystery very real and believable.  His descriptive scenes are also very realistic.  When Clay was being attacked, it seemed so painfully realistic; I was cringing in my seat.  He also adds some quirky details to the case that make it even more interesting.  There is an explosive twist at the end that totally surprised me.  I cannot wait to read the next book in this series to see what Hyde has in store for Clay.  I think that Patrick Hyde will become an author whose name will be easily recognized and appear frequently on the bestsellers lists. 

“The Only Pure Thing” is a great book for fans of legal thrillers.  You will absolutely love this story.  Readers groups will have some lively discussions about this case.

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