Book Summary and Reviews of The Jezebel Remedy by Martin Clark

The Jezebel Remedy by Martin Clark

The Jezebel Remedy

A novel

by Martin Clark

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  • Published:
  • Jun 2015, 400 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Martin Clark—who has set, according to the Winston-Salem Journal, "the new standard by which other works of legal fiction should be judged"—now delivers his finest novel yet.

Lisa and Joe Stone, married for twenty years and partners in their small law firm in Henry County, Virginia, handle less-than-glamorous cases, whether domestic disputes, personal injury settlements, or never-ending complaints from their cantankerous client Lettie VanSandt ("eccentric" by some accounts, "certifiable" by others).  When Lettie dies in a freakish fire, the Stones think it's certainly possible that she was cooking meth in her trailer.

But details soon emerge that lead them to question how "accidental" her demise actually was, and settling her peculiar estate becomes endlessly complicated.

Before long, the Stones find themselves entangled in a corporate conspiracy that will require all their legal skills—not to mention some difficult ethical choices—for them to survive. Meanwhile, Lisa is desperately trying to shield Joe from a secret, dreadful error that she would give anything to erase, even as his career—and her own—hangs in the balance. In The Jezebel Remedy, Clark gives us a stunning portrait of a marriage, an intricate tour of the legal system, and a relentlessly entertaining story that is full of inventions, shocks, and understanding.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. Joe and Lisa are both respected lawyers in Henry County, yet they each have their own style of practicing law. How would you describe Lisa's style as compared with Joe's?
  2. Several times throughout the novel, the Stones are stopped by local townspeople who thank them for their services and advocacy in the court system. How would you describe the Stones' law practice? Their practice's philosophy?
  3. How would you describe the Stones' partnership—both in the legal sense and in their marital life? Are they able to preserve the boundary between their working life and their home life? How is this complicated by the Lettie VanSandt case?
  4. Trace the roots of Lisa's marital dissatisfaction. What caused her to cheat on Joe?...
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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Fast-paced and delightfully unpredictable... Not only do the frequent plot twists keep the reader glued to the page, but Clark's depiction of life in rural Virginia and the depth and sensitivity of his character portrayals make the book memorable for much more than its clever legal machinations." - Library Journal

"The central plot is thin, the subplots sap the novel's momentum, the resolution depends less on legal wrangling than luck, and the dialogue lacks Clark's previous punch. " - Publishers Weekly

"Its snappy repartee, shrewd regional observations, and quirky characterizations help one understand why Clark's been compared to the likes of Elmore Leonard and, especially, Carl Hiaasen." - Kirkus Reviews

This information about The Jezebel Remedy was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Martin Clark

Martin Clark is a Virginia circuit court judge. His past novels have been chosen as a New York Times Notable Book, a Washington Post Book World Best Book of the Year, a Bookmarks Magazine Best Book of the Year, a finalist for the Stephen Crane First Fiction Award, and a Book-of-the-Month Club selection. His last novel, The Legal Limit, was the winner of the Library of Virginia's People's Choice Award and was called "a model of how to write a literary legal thriller" by The Oregonian. He lives in Patrick County, Virginia, with his wife, Deana. Follow Martin at www.martinclark.com

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