THE LITIGATORS

by John Grisham

One morning David Zinc, a young, highly paid and overworked attorney, realizes he's tired; tired of the rat race of his high powered job and envisioning the bleak future in front of him.  He just can't face another day.  Despite imminent deadlines and to the astonishment of some of his co-workers, he literally dives into the elevator at his office building and leaves, heading for the nearest bar.  David isn't even a drinker but he spends the day getting plastered and finds himself at the offices of Oscar Finley and Wally Figg, a pair of ambulance chasers in a seedy section of Chicago.

Finley and Figg are barely eking out a living and what little they bring in, Wally manages to spend chasing rainbows and searching for that big lawsuit in the sky.  Putting David to work as his assistant, Wally thinks he's really found it this time.  It appears that people are dying of heart attacks after taking a drug to reduce their cholesterol.  Pounding the streets to find new victims of the drug, Wally ties the firm's wagon to a class action lawsuit that's bigger than anything the firm has ever dealt with before.

Happier than he's been in years, David, meanwhile, is trying to bring in work of his own before his dwindling savings disappear.  He's also come across a case that could have larger implications, but Finley and Figg won't even consider it, hoping that any settlement from the cholesterol drug case will make them financially vibrant.

This is the old John Grisham who kept us riveted to our books and it's a pleasure that he's back.  He's injected tension, mystery, great characters and courtroom drama into THE LITIGATORS, along with a heavy and healthy dose of humor, which makes his newest book a fun and delightful read.

Don't miss this one, it's definitely worth the money!

ISBN 978-0-385-53513-7
Pub. Date:  October 2011
400 pages
Hardcover and eBook

THE FIFTH WITNESS - A Lincoln Lawyer Novel

by Michael Connelly - available in harcover and eBook

Mickey Haller is using his car for an office, defending clients against foreclosure in this tough economy.  One of Haller's clients, Lisa Trammel, has been staging protests against the bank that's foreclosing on her home.  When the banker is found murdered, Lisa is the perfect suspect and Haller ratchets up his practice to deal with her defense.

Connelly still has Haller working with one of his ex-wives, who's seriously involved with his investigator.   He's added Jennifer Aronson to Haller's team, a bright-eyed, newbie lawyer who is the perfect foil for the cynical Haller. 

Lisa is a very difficult and unlikeable client who not only changes her story every time she speaks, but also creates even more difficulties for Haller when she hires a third-rate Hollywood agent.  Haller's life is complicated further by his relationship with his other ex-wife, Maggie, who's a prosecutor and friendly with the woman prosecuting this case.

Connelly deftly weaves the ongoing mortgage crisis into his new courtroom thriller.  I'm a fan of Connelly's, and I've read all of his books, but I have to admit that I'm more than a little tired of courtroom procedurals.  While THE FIFTH WITNESS is well written, the formula is old and worn. 

ISBN 978-0-316-06935-9
421 pages

THE CONFESSION

by John Grisham -available in bookstores or eBook

Almost everyone on Death Row proclaims their innocence and Donte Drumm is no exception.  Drumm is a young black man who is only days away from being executed for the rape and murder of a young white woman nine years earlier in Sloan, Texas.  Convinced of his innocence, Drumm's legal team is working around the clock appealing his case.

Rev. Keith Schroeder receives a visit from recent parolee Travis Boyette who is living in a halfway house near his church.  Seriously ill, Mr. Boyette confesses to the heinous crime in Texas and he has the physical evidence to prove it.  Convinced that Drumm is innocent, Schroeder tracks down Boyette and drives him to Texas to meet with Drumm's legal team. 

I've been a longtime fan of Grisham's novels, despite the fact that he seemed to be coasting in recent years.  THE CONFESSION is not only a well written story, it's also a serious look at the criminal justice system and a social commentary about the death penalty.  Grisham will have you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

BREACH OF TRUST

by David Ellis - to be released February 2011

BREACH OF TRUST is a continuation of the story begun in THE HIDDEN MAN.  Jason Kolarich is remarried with a new family having recovered the the deaths of his first wife and daughter in a tragic accident.  Previously a prosecutor, Jason finds himself embroiled in the affairs of the same Chicago politicos, but this time as a defense attorney.

One of his contacts in THE HIDDEN MAN was murdered and Jason feels responsible.  While doing his own investigation, he is quickly coerced by U.S. Attorney Chris Moody and the FBI to work undercover to expose local government corruption.   Kolarich finally agrees, but only on his own terms and is soon running from the same people he's trying to ensnare.

BREACH OF TRUST is a stand-alone book; you don't need to have read THE HIDDEN MAN first but you might like to.  David Ellis has written another good, solid legal thriller.