For this week's entry for "K" in The Alphabet in Crime Fiction meme hosted by Kerrie Smith at her blog, Mysteries in Paradise, I am posting a review.
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7.
- 373.) In the Shadow of the Law by
Kermit Roosevelt – Morgan Siler is a prospering mega-law firm in Washington. New
associate, Mark Clayton, is overwhelmed with requests from the partners. He is
drawn into dealing with a pro bono death penalty appeal that has no chance of
success. Scorched earth litigator, Harold Fineman, calls on him to assist in
the defence of a class action arising out of a dreadful explosion at a chemical
storage plant in rural Texas which killed dozens of people. The firm history is
told through the current
managing partner, Peter Morgan, a cool and calculating
patrician. An associate, Katja Phillips, floats through the firm. An associate,
Walker Elliott, a former Supreme Court clerk illustrates the challenges of
those who see the pure principles that guide the law but struggle with judges
bending them as they try to achieve a just result. The author manages to make a
difficult topic – securitzation of assets – understandable. The pace of the
book picks up as Clayton copes with trying to save a death row inmate and with
the document review of huge numbers of corporate documents in the class action.
I wish the author would follow the firm in a series of novels but it appears to
stand alone. Excellent. Hardcover (Jan. 25/07)
****
I connect with the book as a lawyer whose work has also included criminal defence and class actions. I would not want to be on the defence side of the class action described in the book.
For this week's entry for "K" in The Alphabet in Crime Fiction meme hosted by Kerrie Smith at her blog, Mysteries in Paradise, I am posting a review.
Bill - This sounds like a very interesting sort of 'ensemble cast' kind of novel. That can make for a powerful character study. And class action suits like that can really raise the tension in a story. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. The author is also a university professor. I hope he will return to writing legal fiction.
ReplyDeleteI have this book, unread. Really glad to hear that you liked it, it will motivate me to move it up in my reading. Great review, Bill.
ReplyDeleteTracyK: Thanks for the comment. Do you plan reading? I try to balance planning to read books with just picking up a book and reading it.
ReplyDeleteBill, That is a good question, about planning reading. I prefer to read more spontaneously, but this year I had so many challenge commitments that it feels like I cannot deviate too much. However, I buy too many books and some get buried or ignored.
ReplyDeleteTracyK: Thanks for replying. I do my best not to make reading a form of work to be done.
ReplyDelete