Friday, January 27, 2012

The LitigatorsThe Litigators by John Grisham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This is a legal mystery novel.

Book Summary

The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.

And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our boutique firm. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he’s suddenly unemployed, any job—even one with Finley & Figg—looks okay to him.

With their new associate on board, F&F is ready to tackle a really big case, a case that could make the partners rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. An extremely popular drug, Krayoxx, the number one cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, produced by Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, has recently come under fire after several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks. Wally smells money.

A little online research confirms Wally’s suspicions—a huge plaintiffs’ firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick. All Finley & Figg has to do is find a handful of people who have had heart attacks while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won’t even have to enter a courtroom!

It almost seems too good to be true.

And it is.

The Litigators is a tremendously entertaining romp, filled with the kind of courtroom strategies, theatrics, and suspense that have made John Grisham America’s favorite storyteller.

My Review

Talk about refreshing. Boy it’s nice to read a book from one of your favorite authors. John Grisham is a master at legal thrillers and this one didn’t disappoint. From the first page, I was hooked. I laughed and often while reading this story. I’ll have to go back and read again for some great quotes.

Unlike some of Grisham’s other novels, this one was light hearted but still maintained that epic educational experience of law being practiced that most of his stories have.

This story may have seemed a little predictable, but Grisham knows how to add and mingle side stories and twist to keep you guessing. I look forward to my annual dose of Grisham each year and I’m thoroughly happy to have read this one. (or listened to as the case was. For those who like audio books, I really enjoyed the narrator.) This was no exception.

Wally had to be my favorite character. He was a train wreck with big dreams and high hopes. You just had to love his jump in attitude and his never thinking before he speaks demeanor. His comic relief was exceptional with all the crazy things he said or did.

Up next is David. How can you not love him? His entrance into the story is one I think many of us can relate to on numerous levels. Clueless, he stumbles into a mess but never once gives up. His courage and loyalty are admirable.

Oscar, well, he’s Oscar. And you have to read to understand what I mean about it.

This is not a romance novel ladies, so don’t expect that. It was heart warming nonetheless and had a happily ever after if you can call it that. Basically, by the end all loose ends are tied and you are left satisfied with no questions. What more can you ask for?

Do I recommend, totally YES! And to everyone. There is nothing really totally inappropriate in this story.

If I had to pick a book boyfriend, it would be David. There are plenty of reasons, but if you read the story you will understand why.

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