-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
Book Reviewed by:The setting of Roosevelt's first novel is a big law firm on Washington DC's K Street. K Street being the home for many of the most powerful Washington lobbyists (to the point that the part of K Street that passes through the downtown area has been referred to as the fourth branch of government!) As the story opens, the firm has two particularly challenging cases on, one a class action suit against a Texas chemical company, and the other a pro bono case assigned to eager young associate Mark Clayton. So far this sounds pretty much like many another legal thriller - but Roosevelt's is a little more thoughtful than most - combining enough twists and turns to keep thing interesting while also pondering some of the bigger questions about the law and the moral dangers to those who practice it.
Selected Reviews:
"If the first few pages of Roosevelt's
debut call to mind John Grisham, don't be
fooled. This isn't a plot-driven legal
thriller of the sort Grisham
writes.....Legal terms and concepts abound
so this isn't breezy reading;
thought-provoking is a much more accurate
description." - Booklist
"[An] outstanding debut...the book
transcends the legal thriller genre.....Most
of all it's the vividness and complexity of
the characters." - Publishers Weekly
starred review.
This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in July 2005, and has been updated for the
June 2006 edition.
Click here to go to this issue.
If you liked In The Shadow of The Law, try these:
by Richard North Patterson
Published 2004
A compelling story made even more intriguing by its detailed insight into the world of special-interest politics in Washington, D.C.
by Scott Turow
Published 2003
A supercharged, exquisitely suspenseful novel about a vicious triple murder and the man condemned to die for it.
L.A. Women by Ella Berman
Two ambitious writers in 1960s LA face betrayal when one writes a novel based on the other's life.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
