Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver

 Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver 437 pages

Anatomy of a Murder is a book that talks about a legal case from beginning to end, not unlike John Grisham's books.  It begins with Paul Biegler who is an attorney in Michigan's U.P. (upper peninsula) answering the phone in his law office after he comes back from a fishing trip.  On the other end is Laura Manion whose husband Lieutenant Frederic Manion is in jail after he shot the man who beat and raped her.  She asks that Biegler meet with her husband and take his case.  Biegler was once the District Attorney in Iron Bay but did not win a recent election to continue in that position.  He goes to talk with Lieutenant Manion to decide if he will take the case.  Once he makes the decision to take it, he enlists his secretary and his lawyer friend to help him in gathering information including visiting the location where the murder/killing took place.  What follows is a detailed view of meetings with his client and other potential witnesses, gathering evidence and finally the trial. 

I thought the book was well written and enjoyed reading an early legal story.  I had to make sure I remembered the time period the book was written in at times since there were some slurs and other situations that would not be appropriate in 2022.  I gave this four of five stars on Goodreads.

Hour of the Witch

 Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian 416 pages

The last time author Chris Bohjalian was in St. Louis, I was lucky enough to be first in line at his book signing. St. Louis was the first stop, if I remember correctly, of his book tour for “The Flight Attendant.” I was eager to start reading after his wonderful presentation, but since I had a chance, I chatted with him for a minute before he had to get to work. I had one important, burning question: “What’s next?”

 He told me that he was researching a book about Puritans in the 17^th century and the witch trials that rocked Massachusetts. He had become fascinated with that time period when he was in college. I was disappointed when it wasn’t the next book he released (which was “The Red Lotus,” another great read!). Maybe next year, I thought.

Not long ago, I began to see blurbs and advertisements for his latest adventure, “Hour of the Witch.” Here it was! I lucky enough get my hands on an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC). I was shocked it was even available because during the time of covid-19, as publishers cut way back on print copies. A writer of his stature doesn’t need ARCs to gain momentum. He writes and people, including me, buy his book. I don’t even have to know what it’s about. If Chris Bohjalian wrote, I’m probably gonna love it.

I am not a big fan of stories set in the 17^th century; they don’t grab me. But, boy, this one sure did. From its first sentence (“It was always possible that the Devil was present.”) to its last, I was enthralled with Mary Deerfield’s story.

The place is Boston; the year is 1662. Women have been hung after accusations they were practicing witchcraft. Young Mary Deerfield is a newlywed. Her husband, Thomas, is a powerful man, physically and politically. In public, Thomas was ever the attentive husband, but once the front door was closed, Thomas turned into her worse nightmare. He criticized her, he brutalized her in the marriage bed, and he tossed her around their cottage like she was fallen leaf. He was an expert at making up the lies he told whenever someone noticed her bruises. It was painful to read about Thomas’ cruelty and how he would laugh at Mary’s pain and fear.

Mary’s father was an importer. He recently received a shipment of three-tined forks, which were considered the Devil’s utensils. When she finds two of them planted near the cottage gate, she knows someone is trying to frame her as a witch. She is afraid it’s Thomas, or their servant firld. There isn’t much Mary can do legally to fight him.

Thomas’ drinking grows steady worse. When he stabs her in the hand, Mary knows it is time to divorce him.  Divorce is scandalous. It goes against all things God-like. It isn’t right.

The book is broken into two parts. The first is The Book of the Wife. This is where readers see their marriage and experience Mary’s fears and Thomas’s cruelties. The second is The Book of the Witch. Here is where Mary tries to gain a divorce and defend herself against the horrific accusations that are thrown at her.

I need to stop now, or I’m going to spill the beans about an ending that was as shocking as it was redeeming. And perfect. It was perfect!

I loved this story and could hardly put it down. I do have one question for Mr. Bohjalian: “As hard as it was to get used to reading the thee’s and thou’s that was the Puritans way of speaking, how hard was it to write in that style?” Maybe next time he’s in St. Louis, I’ll snag that first spot in line and have a chance to ask him.

What a great read! Hour of the Witch receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Gray Mountain

Gray Mountain by John Grisham    368 pages

When up and coming lawyer, Samantha Kofer's career hits a snag during the recession and she is put on an indefinite furlough she finds herself accepting an internship with a legal aide firm in Brady, Virginia, oh yes and she is doing it for FREE.  While she misses New York and her lifestyle there, she finds a deep satisfaction in helping the poor of Appalachia fight their legal battles.   A good story with lots of heart wrenching characters in very real situations.   Good book, I highly recommend it to middleschoolers on up.

  - Shirley J.

The Rooster Bar

The Rooster Bar  by John Grisham   352 pages

John Grisham is another guilty pleasure, my go-to source for all things legal Seriously, I’m sure those with legitimate legal experience might roll their eyes, but in addition to being fast-paced, entertaining and easy to understand, Grisham’s books have given me a rudimentary understanding of: basic concepts of law and legal procedure, relationships between law and politics, the various disciplines of law, key social and political issues confronting individuals and corporations, and behind-the-scene corruption, favoritism, dogmatism and power games of America’s politicians, lawmakers, judges, and lawyers (although I guess I could just read the news.) All that having been said, The Rooster Bar is probably my least favorite of Grisham's efforts. 

Mark, Todd, and Zola came to law school to change the world, to make it a better place. But now, as third-year students, these close friends realize they have been duped. They all borrowed heavily to attend a third-tier for-profit law school so mediocre that its graduates rarely pass the bar exam, let alone get good jobs. And when they learn that their school is one of a chain owned by a shady New York hedge-fund operator who also happens to own a bank specializing in student loans, the three know they have been caught up in The Great Law School Scam.

But maybe there's a way out. Maybe there's a way to escape their crushing debt, expose the bank and the scam, and make a few bucks in the process. But to do so, they would first have to quit school. And leaving law school a few short months before graduation would be completely crazy, right? Well, yes and no . . .

I appreciate the timely topic that tackles the trap of high-end college degrees, where students incur gigantic student loan debt at sub-par schools only to find their chances of  landing a decent paying gig are very long odds. Some people might struggle with the questionable ethics of the struggling soon-to-be-graduates, but I found their desperation and initiative to be more honest, and consider the ending to be a cop-out. If you’ve never read John Grisham, do not start with this book.

Posted by: Regina C.  

The Rooster Bar

The Rooster Bar by John Grisham   352 pages 

"Mark, Todd, and Zola came to law school to change the world, to make it a better place." * 

"But now, as third-year students, these close friends realize they have been duped. They all borrowed heavily to attend a third-tier, for-profit law school so mediocre that its graduates rarely pass the bar exam, let alone get good jobs. And when they learn that their school is one of a chain owned by a shady New York hedge-fund operator who also happens to own a bank specializing in student loans, the three know they have been caught up in The Great Law School Scam.  But maybe there's a way out. Maybe there’s a way to escape their crushing debt, expose the bank and the scam, and make a few bucks in the process. But to do so, they would first have to quit school. And leaving law school a few short months before graduation would be completely crazy, right? Well, yes and no . . "

So, I used the summary from Goodreads --- and I added an asterisk at the first sentence because . . . while Zola definitely gives the impression that she is going to law school to make the world a better place, Mark and Todd come off as two guys who thought it would be cool, but they don't have much of a plan.  What they do have in common is the aforementioned crushing debt of law school that they need to start paying back right after graduation, even though none of them have jobs.  They also don't have good job prospects because their law school is a for-profit school that will accept anyone (even if they are poor students).

Their "way out" is to basically ambulance-chase and practice some law without a license.  What could go wrong? Actually, a lot.  By the end of the book, the three of them have redeemed themselves but the book's ending is a little too clean for reality.  However, I don't mind that --- Grisham writes legal thrillers. Without a little thrill, it wouldn't be Grisham.

A Fine Line

A Fine Line by Gianrico Carofiglio  288 pages

I was excited to find this book, mainly because the setting is Italy. I don’t come across many fictional works that have been translated from its primary language of Italian. Howard Curtis, the translator, and as far as I can tell, did a wonderful job.

This book is a prime example of me getting caught up in one of the books aspect. Too late did I realize that A Fine Line is the fifth, and most, recent book in the Guido Guerrieri series. Guerrieri is everything that most defense attorneys in American literature are not: timid and courteous. The Financial Times said it best: “Where Phillip Marlowe would be knocking back bourbon and listening to the snap of a fist on jaw, Guerrieri prefers Sicilian wine and Leonard Cohen.”

He talks to himself and the punching bag hanging in the middle of his living room (he’s been boxing for decades and seems to be something of a hoarder). It’s that quality that makes dialogue hard to follow.; I never could figure out who he was talking to.

The basis of the plot is simple: Judge Pierluigi Larocca is the subject of corruption charges. He’s been accused of being bribed. Helping Guerrieri is a private

I think this is one of those series that has to be read in order. I had a hard time trying to figure out who was who. Of the 100 pages that I did read, the plot was hard to decipher and only made up about 20 of those 100 pages. The rest is bogged down in the law and the Italian legal system that is dry as dirt. I’m not even sure how private detective Annapaloa Doria, a motorcycle-riding bisexual, really fit into the story, other than the one time she help Guerrieri out by beating up a bunch of hoodlums with a baseball bat that she stores on her bike.

Needless to say, Gianrico Carofiglio’s A Fine Line wound up in the DNF (did not finish) pile.

This work receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Killer Pursuit

Killer Pursuit by Jeff Gunhus   350 pages

I discovered author Jeff Gunhus’ work in 2015 when I read his Night Chill and The Torment of Rachel Adams. Night Chill scared me so bad that I didn’t sleep for three days and still haven’t worked up the courage to read its sequel, Night Terror.

But now he’s turned to a new genre, the political thriller. In Killer Pursuit, the second in the Allison McNeil series, Gunhus takes on serial killers, FBI agents, and prostitutes in Washington, D.C.

High society call-girl, Catherine Fews, is brutally murdered in her Georgetown home. While Catherine is being dismembered, Allison is about to gun down another bad guy.

The D.C. detectives who are investigating Catherine’s death find not one, but two, cameras hidden in her bedroom walls. One is a traditional, security-like camera that has had its memory erased. The other is a highly sophisticated device that “is connected to the Internet through an encrypted connection…and no one knows who’s on the other end.” Hence the FBI’s involvement.

As the news of Catherine’s death travels through the city, many high profile politicians start to sweat, especially the man most likely to be the next President of the United States.

Because of the nature of the crime, the FBI Director asks Allison to run an off-the-record investigation. Seems this case is similar to the one in the first book, Killer Within, which justifies Allison’s probe. I haven’t read the first book. When Gunhus refers to that case, he does an excellent job in supplying the details the reader needs.

Killer Pursuit is a good read, not a great read, which is why I give it 4 out of 5 stars. It had a strong plot (the killer was a surprise). The writing was good, the pacing was excellent. The dialogue was natural and flowed well, and the characters were well-developed. However, there just wasn’t’ anything to set the novel apart from the hundreds that are already out there. 

The Word

The Word by Hubert Crouch             391 pages

The Word is a second novel in the Jace Forman series. I haven’t read the first one; I didn’t find it necessary to have read it to enjoy this book.

The story opens with Ezekiel Shaw and his band of followers from the Brimstone Bible Church (BBC) are picketing the funeral of Second Lieutenant Lauren Hanson, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. The BBC believes in literal interpretation of God’s word. They can be compared to the Westboro Baptist Church. Other than the need to tighten the sentences (too many prepositional phrases), the scenes are vivid and distributing. It’s not surprising that her parents, after hiring Forman’s firm, to sue the BBC, reacted the way they did.

In a secondary plot, cub reporter Leah Rosen is doing her best to dig up the dirty truth about Cal Connors, one of Texas’ most prominent men. It has the same problem the major plot line does. However, Crouch intersperses the chapters well enough so that the high tension of the major plot  allows the readers to take a breath.

There is also a third plot line that pits Connors, his daughter, and his most reliable pharmaceutical witness against the system. Again, the same sentence structure problems. This part was rather buried and did little to enhance the major and secondary plot lines…and it’s the one that’s not resolved, which irritated me somewhat.

It was difficult to keep all the characters straight in the beginning once I was passed reading about the BBC and Jace.

Not surprisingly, as Crouch is an attorney, the courtroom drama is excellent. I even learned something about juries for federal cases: they don’t have to have twelve jurors, only eight.

All-in-all, The Word is a great read; I had trouble putting it down. 

I give The Word four out of five stars.