I
have chosen Rogue Lawyer because
Sebastian Rudd is such a great character. In a departure from my usual method
of recommendation for Maxine I am putting up my post about Sebastian rather
than the post in which I reviewed the book.
Maxine
loved many types of books. Browsing in Petrona
reminded me of how many great posts she had in the blog. Among those posts is
her review of Grisham’s book, The
Litigators. She enjoyed the book and liked many, not all, of Grisham’s
books.
I
believe she would have found Sebastian as brilliant a character as I found him
when I raced through the book. In particular, I think Maxine would have
appreciated his passion for fighting for the individual in the courts of the
United States.
I
think of you often Maxine.
****
Sebastian Rudd in Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham – I am confident I have just read the next Grisham book to be made into a Hollywood feature film. Sebastian Rudd is a larger than life criminal lawyer swashbuckling his way through the criminal and occasionally civil courts of an unnamed 1,000,000 inhabitant mid-America city.
Rudd is fearless. He challenges the police, opposing counsel, witnesses, judges and clients. Anyone looking for a fight he will make it a brawl.
He despises the tactics and actions of overly aggressive and unethical district attorneys and police.
Rudd has a brutally wicked wit that he rarely restrains in and out of court.
Rudd is as far from the grey clad lawyers occupying the towers of corporate law in Manhattan as possible in America.
He is the second American fictional lawyer to function from a rolling office. Where Michael Connelly’s lawyer, Mickey Haller, practises criminal law in Los Angeles from the back seat of a Lincoln it is a custom equipped van for Rudd. While Haller chose mobility Rudd was forced out of his office by a firebomb.
Rudd has a compelling driver in Partner, a physically imposing black man who, after being successfully defended by Rudd, has taken on the challenge of protecting and assisting the hyper-aggressive defence counsel.
Rudd has a monastic home life in a high rise tower. It is harder for a disgruntled _______ (pick any of the above he has confronted) to attack him in such a residence.
To while away the sleepless hours he regularly endures Rudd has a full size pool table occupying his den / living room and plays games against himself.
While he has little time in his hectic life for the ladies he is the father of a 7 year old boy, Sketcher, who is surprisingly normal despite his father’s chaotic life and his mother’s tumultuous lesbian relationship.
Rudd is really the type of daring courtroom lawyer all litigators wish we could be if we did not care about consequences. He is dancing on the edge every day.
And, by the way, he is a part owner of an upcoming professional cage fighter looking to reach the upper echelons of mixed martial arts. Rudd wears a brilliant yellow jacket and cap as one of the fighter’s handlers.
What leading male actor in Hollywood would not leap at the opportunity to play Rudd in the movies? Grisham thinks Rogue Lawyer and Rudd would be better suited to being a T.V. series. It has been a decade since one of his books has become a movie. Grisham, in a CBS interview, provided encouraging news that he hopes Rudd will return in future books as he has lots of adventures to tell readers.
My next post will actually discuss the type of cases undertaken by Rudd.
Oh, Bill, this is an excellent post and a rich discussion of Rudd's character. I am sure Maxine would have thoroughly enjoyed both the post and the book.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the kind words. I believe Maxine would have had lots to say about Sebastian.
DeleteI read this over on Petrona Remembered, and commented there. Great review Bill.
ReplyDeleteMoira: Thanks for dropping by. I am on my way to Petrona Remembered.
DeleteI think Maxine would have enjoyed this book, as well as Sycamore Row and Gray Mountain. I'm still waiting for a sequel to Gray Mountain ... too many loose ends left hanging in mid-air.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Rogue Lawyer and think that Grisham made a lot of political points about an innocent homeless man being found guilty of murder by public opinion, about a merciless SWAT squad's murder of a middle-aged woman. The part about the prison escape left me laughing.
But I think the part about the cage fighting and the Latino characters was a bit insensitive. And I don't usually say this about Grisham, writer of A Time to Kill and Sycamore Row.
I would argue this point with Grisham. There was humor but I think that part was at the sake of impoverished Latinos who are desperate to earn a living to help their families survive.
That said, I like Grisham's books and have read many of them.
Any ideas for legal mysteries for lazy summer reading days, books which I can just sink into.
Kathy D.: Thanks for the comment. You always have an interesting perspective. On legal fiction see my next post later today or tomorrow on a book involving a work of fiction with real life lawyers and other real life characters that is sent in Ne York City!
ReplyDelete