Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham

Reviewed by Gerti

“Rogue Lawyer” is John Grisham’s newest offering, and while I love the author, I couldn’t help finding it derivative. Another author in the genre named Michael Connelly created a character called “The Lincoln Lawyer” who’s shtick is that his office is a Lincoln Continental. That’s similar to what Grisham has going on with his protagonist, Sebastian Rudd, a defense attorney driven around (at the start) in a customized black van. They are not the same, but they are very close.

Both protagonists are criminal defense attorneys who have problems with their ex-wives (both ladies also attorneys), and have a hard time seeing their children, who live with the women. Both men use the excuse of “someone has to defend them” to describe why they go to bat for serial killers, rapists, cop killers, etc. And they are right, of course. But taking those clients to court comes with a price, so both protagonists have to deal with flak from their families, as well as the general public. And they both sometimes fear for their lives.

In this book, Grisham has Rudd defend a guy whom everyone thinks is guilty because he has been framed by the cops, and another guy who is just guilty as hell. So guilty, even Rudd is afraid of him. The first client is Gardy, a punk kid accused of doing terrible things to a pair of sisters. Rudd goes the extra mile (of course breaking a few laws) to prove that Gardy’s not guilty, and then implicates the true pervert. In the process, Grisham shows how his super lawyer manipulates the legal system by making nice with the clerks who decide which judges get which cases, so Rudd can get his adjudicator of choice.

A second major storyline involves a small-time mobster named Link who is angry when Rudd can’t set him free. Of course, Link has killed a judge, and as Rudd explains to him, other judges don’t take kindly to that behavior. As a result, Link is on death row, but just hours before he’s supposed to get the needle, bombs go off, one every hour, at locations Link would naturally resent, like the courthouse where he was convicted, or the appeals court which refused to grant him a reversal. These events scare the folks at the US Supreme Court, but by that time, the prison riot has started. Link is one of the most interesting characters in the book, and I know it will please you when I say the state does not put him to death. You’ll have to read the book to see how Link escapes, though.

Several other major cases swirl into the plot, including one in which a man is put on trial for defending his home against cops who think he’s dealing drugs, and another where a cop’s daughter has been abducted by a sex trafficking group. Through it all, Rudd is the guy in the know, and that makes him an interesting fellow to read about, even if you’ll get the feeling you’ve read it all before. “Rogue Lawyer” is a fun read, easy to digest, but Connelly’s “Lincoln Lawyer” is more memorable, charming and original.

Killing Cupid a Jaine Austen mystery by Laura Levine

Review by Gerti

“Killing Cupid” is another funny mystery from the author of the Jaine Austen mysteries, Laura Levine. Unlike other authors who have gotten their literary inspiration from famed British novelist Jane Austen, Laura Levine’s only connection with the original author is the heroine’s name. This is not even a running joke in this book, as it was in Levine’s first novel, “This Pen for Hire.” Perhaps author Levine realized that not that many people who read mysteries know who Jane Austen is, or perhaps she feels the joke is no longer funny. It never was, but I forgive her because so many of her other jokes hit the mark.

Levine’s has been writing comedy for a long time. She wrote for such classic TV shows as “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Laverne and Shirley” and her skills are one display here, as heroine Jaine solves yet another murder, after being a suspect first. Her comic antics are laugh-out-loudable, but also plausible, which is what makes them so fun! These comic turns are what I really love about the book, and the series.

In “Killing Cupid”, Jaine is a freelance writer who gets the call of a lifetime. Famed matchmaker Joy Amoroso wants her to do some writing for “Dates of Joy,” Beverly Hill’s premier matchmaking firm. When she gets there, Jaine finds the place filled with employees who are malcontents and freaks, as Joy is a monster to work for. Not only that, but she cheats her clients, by getting models (male and female) to come in and leave their headshots, and then presenting them as clients so that other less endowed humans will sign up to date them, for big bucks. Jaine is supposed to be writing the bios for these beautiful people, and even though she finds the work less than ethical, she has a stack of bills to pay.

Some of the usual cast of characters makes an appearance in this novel, like Jaine’s nosey neighbor Lance Venable. Unlike in Levine’s first book where he is a nebbish with super hearing, he is presented as homosexual here, a trait which gets more pronounced in her book “Death of a Neighborhood Witch.”

I’m also tired of the frequent references to Jaine’s cat, Prozac, but I understand that is part of Levine’s schtick, just as Joanne Fluke‘s cat is an important character in all her Hannah Swensen food-related mysteries. Jaine’s parents also make frequent appearances through a series of e-mails from their retirement home in Tampa Vistas. This is like a Seinfeld episode, where Jerry’s crazy parents always have some antics going on. While a comic diversion, it seems to be filler for a book without enough action by the main characters.

In short, Levine’s comic talents and easy writing style make it a pleasure to go along for this kill ride. The twist ending will leave even savvy readers surprised.