“Con Law” by Mark Gimenez (Sphere)

Another great Texan political thriller from Gimenez

John Bookman – “Book” to his friends – is a tenured professor at the University of Texas School of Law. He’s thirty-five, handsome and unmarried. He teaches Constitutional Law, reduces senators to blithering fools on political talk shows, and is often mentioned as a future Supreme Court nominee.

But Book is also famous for something more unusual. He likes to take on lost causes and win. Consequently, when he arrives at the law school each Monday morning, hundreds of letters await him, letters from desperate Americans around the country seeking his help. Every now and then, one letter captures his attention and Book feels compelled to act.

In the first of a thrilling new series from the author of international bestsellers The Colour of Law and Accused, Book investigates a murder in the corrupt world of deepest, darkest Texas.

I’m a big fan of Gimenez’s novels. In the early years of his career, he was (too) often compared to John Grisham (another of my favourite authors – and I will admit that’s why I first tried Gimenez’s novels). Personally, I think he carved out an authorial identity all his own far quicker than some other critics. From The Perk onwards, at least, he has been producing some highly addictive, well-crafted thrillers. Con Law, the first in a new series featuring Book, is another excellent example of the author firing on all cylinders. I blitzed through this, and can’t wait for the next book.

“The Governor’s Wife” by Mark Gimenez (Sphere)

A Texas Political/Action Thriller

Have you ever wondered how one split-second decision could change your life for ever?

The Bonners are the most powerful couple in Texas. Bode Bonner is the Republican Governor and his wife, Lindsay, is always by his side. From the outside everything looks rosy.

But the Bonners are not happy. Bode is bored – he longs for more excitement in his life. Lindsay is at the end of her tether. She’s had enough of Bode’s womanising and of playing the dutiful wife. She is desperate to break free of her bland, wealthy lifestyle.

Then Lindsay makes an impulsive decision that helps save the life of a poor Hispanic boy. From that moment on, nothing will be the same for the Bonners. Everything is about to change...

I’m a fan of Gimenez’s thrillers. I’ve read a couple of his previous novels, and they struck me as well-paced and addictive thrillers. The Governor’s Wife is no different (I read it in three sittings), and has the quick plotting I remember from his past work. This latest book is a little unusual, though, in that around the half-way mark it seems to change its mind about what sub-genre of thriller it wants to be in… Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable read.

2010: A Retrospective – Thrillers

The top five thrillers published in 2010 that I’ve read

The year hasn’t been one filled with much thriller-reading for me. Those that I did read didn’t always excite my passion for the genre, and there were some disappointments. To make sure the notable ones are mentioned, however, here are the five that really stood out, in no particular order:

Matthew Reilly, Five Greatest Warriors (Orion)

Jesse Kellerman, The Executor (Sphere)

Joseph Finder, The Vanished (Headline)

Mark Gimenez, The Accused (Sphere)

John Grisham, The Confession (Century)

*     *     *

A (longer) post highlighting the top fantasy and science-fiction novels that I read in 2010 will follow very shortly…

“The Accused”, by Mark Gimenez (Sphere)

The hero from The Colour of Law returns for a most-personal court battle

“Scott, it’s Rebecca. I need you.”

After years of silence, Texan lawyer Scott Fenney receives a devastating phone call from his ex-wife. She has been accused of murdering her boyfriend, Trey – the man she left Scott for – and is being held in a police cell. Now she is begging Scott to defend her.

Scott is used to high-stakes cases, but this one is bigger than anything he has handled before. If Rebecca is found guilty, under Texan law she will be sentenced to death. He will have her blood on his hands. As he prepares to take the stand in the most dramatic courtroom appearance of his life, Scott is forced to question everything he believes to get to the truth - to save the life of the ex-wife he still loves...

This is the second novel by Texas-native Gimenez to feature A. Scott Fenney. It’s not necessary to have read The Colour of Law, as Gimenez fills in the blanks just enough with some short passages of re-cap; there’s not too much detail to bore readers (those familiar and unfamiliar with The Colour of Law), and not enough to ruin reading the first novel should you wish to go back and do so – something I’d recommend you do.

As with all Gimenez novels, the author manages to include plenty of social commentary in his novels: wrapped in the narrative of the legal case and Fenney’s daily life in Texas, he drops in comments about the rich-poor divide, the influence of money on American society, and also issues of race (related to money, politics and so forth). While his commentary is not arch or particularly in-depth (this isn’t a lecture), it adds a good element to his writing that helps create a better picture of the US and Texas in particular, as well as provide a little bit more intellectual depth to his stories – in this way, he really is “the next Grisham”, as The Times have dubbed him. The author’s clear affection and interest in his home comes across well, and you almost feel familiar and at home in the novel, even if – like myself – you’ve never been to Texas.

The Accused is, in many ways, predominantly a study in character. Fenney has to contend with everything life throws at him: two young daughters (one adopted), mounting bills, financial constraints, braces, single parenthood, Ford Stevens (his former employer) trying to lure him back with tempting offers that would solve all his problems for the price of his soul… It’s clear to see that Fenney’s got a full plate. When Rebecca calls, however, his life only becomes more complicated.

The novel offers up some pretty interesting characters – Fenney's support team is a diverse bunch, and it’s impossible not to immediately like the world-weary Galveston District Attorney, Rex, who’s trying to train his shoe-in (political patronage & legacy) replacement in what the law’s really about. Not all of the characters are likeable – Rebecca comes across as spoiled and ‘hipster-tortured’, talking about how “the walls had been closing in” on her, when Scott had been doing fabulously, giving her everything she ever wanted (particularly shoes), so I never learned to sympathise with her. In a way, this made Scott’s devotion to her difficult to swallow all the time, but it certainly helped bolster his image as a latter-day saint (the Galveston assistant DA makes a quip about this early on, and plenty of disbelieving comments are voiced when people hear he’s defending the ex-wife who publicly cheated on him). Of course, a celebrity murder trial brings with it other obstacles Scott must deal with: a pitbull-with-lipstick reporter, with few scruples; a politically ambitious judge, interested in little more than the exposure she’ll get from allowing total TV access to cable news (another character I instantly disliked); angry golfers and their WAGS; the mob and a drug cartel. Oddly, some of the more decent and interesting people he meets are these latter career criminals…

There are echoes of the ongoing Tiger Woods scandal: the beloved, all-American golf hero (and murder victim), Trey, is unveiled as not at all as wholesome as the media would have us believe. There is a mention of Tiger’s ill-advised texting of a mistress, so The Accused was written after the story broke, and it certainly makes this a timely release, allowing Gimenez to write some commentary on the cult of celebrity and the sheer amount of money sloshing about in professional sport in the US.

Despite the occasional minor lapse into schmaltz or over-emoting, The Accused is an engaging and character-led legal thriller. Gimenez’s dialogue and prose are as fluid and natural as we’ve come to expect, and the pacing of the plot will keep pulling you along. When we’re finally brought into the court-room, the author actually makes it gripping and tense, even though we’ve been following Scott and his team’s investigation every step of the way. The Accused, therefore, offers the reader everything they could want from a thriller, and is a very satisfying read.

If you haven’t yet discovered Mark Gimenez, then you should really make it your next thriller priority.

For Fans Of: John Grisham, Kyle Mills, John Sandford, James Patterson, Scott Turow, Steve Martini

“The Perk”, by Mark Gimenez (Sphere)

Yet another cracking thriller from the author many hail as “the next Grisham”

Beck Hardin has recently lost his wife to cancer. With two young children to look after, his life as a top-billing Chicago lawyer is almost impossible, and a change needs to be made. Having fled small-town Texas long ago, swearing never to go back, Hardin reneges on this promise, and moves his family to Fredericksburg.

Years ago, sixteen-year-old Heidi was murdered. Beloved daughter of a friend of Beck’s father, Beck is asked to look into the case and attempt to find out who the killer is, before the statute of limitations runs out. Given his experience as a lawyer, he is also pushed into becoming the town judge, only to find himself at odds with the wealthy white landowners who take a few too many liberties when “taking care” of their Mexican workers.

Mark Gimenez’s books just keep getting better and better. He is particularly fond of evocative and (mostly) long tracts of description – be it atmospheric or of a particular location, and is able to convey to the reader perfectly what his protagonists are witnessing or experiencing. While some might find his taste for exposition infuriating or long-winded, with each novel the author has been able to tighten things up. This is especially true for The Common Lawyer, in which Gimenez has managed to achieve the maximum mix of plot and exposition. In The Perk, there’s a slight dip to the pacing of the novel, but overall it still rattles along, Gimenez’s expertly-composed prose drawing you on until the very last page.

As with all of his novels, Gimenez uses his story to comment on certain aspects of American culture. In The Perk, it is about (as the name suggests) the “perks” enjoyed by the rich and famous. Not only that, but also the culture of celebrity and the lengths to which people will go to achieve it for themselves.

His novels are gripping, intense thrillers. Guaranteed to keep you up well into the night, The Perk is an exceptionally well crafted novel, populated by a cast of characters that are realistically-drawn and appealing. For example, the actor/killer (he remains unnamed for most of the novel), comes across as blissfully narcissistic and self-involved, his internal monologue always about him and what things mean for him, how he can retain his glitzy life, while never taking into account anyone else or the costs of his actions.

As always, thought-provoking, intelligent, and addictive. Highly recommended.

Also try: Stuart Woods, John Grisham, Scott Turow, James Sheehan

“The Common Lawyer”, by Mark Gimenez (Sphere)

A laid-back lawyer, a job too good to be true, and a desperate father. A recipe for trouble…

Andy Prescott deals with traffic tickets, and is perhaps the most laid-back lawyer in Texas. For $100, he’ll get you off any ticket. If he can’t, he’ll pay your fine. He’s never had to pay a fine. Andy lives in Austin, in the SoCo region south of the river – it’s hip, bohemian, grunge-chic, and not rich. His life seems idyllic – trail-biking, hanging with his friends at Guero’s, and checking out all the beautiful women. Not a care in the world, he lives for the adrenaline rush he gets from riding, and works just to pay the bills.

Then Russell Reeves, Austin’s resident billionaire philanthropist, steps into Andy’s office (just a room above a tattoo parlor), and offers him a job on retainer that seems too good to be true; offering more money than Andy’s ever seen, for some very easy legal work. Andy’s life starts to change in ways that would make anyone happy – money, women, a new loft in downtown Austin, the trail bike of his dreams, and still not a care in the world (except an objection to the higher taxes).

But, Reeves’s only son, Zach, is dying of a rare strain of leukemia. The billionaire is a desperate man, pouring billions into the search for a cure, but so far has come up empty. A break might have surfaced in his search to save his son, and Reeves will do anything and pay any price to pursue this miracle cure, even if it skirts the borders of legality, or if it puts Andy’s life in danger.

The Common Lawyer is a great novel, but it does not follow the usual path of a page-turning thriller. For a start, the ‘thriller’ elements don’t really kick in for about 90 pages. The brief prologue aside, the bulk of the first third reads like a guidebook to Austin – far from being boring, however, it is clear that the author has great affection for the city, and it helps to set the scene and the mood of his story’s location (not to mention make you want to relocate there).

The pacing for the story is good, but it is not lightning-fast like James Patterson’s novels. Like John Grisham, Gimenez allows the story to build gently, increasing the tension at a more natural pace, slowly revealing pieces of the overall story to draw the reader in. Unlike many authors, Gimenez is not afraid of describing scenes – often, thriller authors can come across allergic to any exposition, which helps the pace of a novel, but can sometimes make them seem incomplete. The Common Lawyer does not suffer from this, though some people might not be happy that it takes a while to get going.

Gimenez’s writing is very clear, well paced and plotted. You almost don’t notice that nothing much has happened to begin with, as you are drawn along by the narrative and Gimenez’s prose. The author manages to include some social commentary about wealth and how it changes us and life, as well as comments about Texas gun-law and -culture. It’s clear the author’s not fond of some of the things money can do, but the novel never becomes preachy, and is peppered with funny asides. Overall, the plot is interesting, raises plenty of moral and ethical questions about how far people are willing to go to save a loved one.

At first, I must admit to not being entirely taken with Andy. For the first couple of chapters, he came across like a smart-ass frat boy, almost too cool with his fist-pounds and “dude” utterances (ironic given he is supposed to have never bothered with fraternities at college). When we meet his family and friends, however, we realise he is more than just a lonely 29-year old, living in a city of beautiful women, but a conscientious member of the SoCo community. He really grows on you, as the novel progresses. Reeves, on the other hand, is difficult to dislike from the get-go. Incredibly generous, but also a desperate father, his actions and rationalisations may not be entirely moral or ethical, but they are certainly understandable, and often admirable, so it’s difficult to root against him.

The Common Lawyer is an addictive, compulsive read. With an interesting, flawed protagonist who matures as the novel progresses, a cast of well-drawn and diverse characters, and a great plot (not to mention the unexpected twist at the end), this is a must-read novel.

Highly recommended, The Common Lawyer will keep you reading into the night.

By the same author: The Colour of Law (2006), The Abduction (2007), The Perk (2008)

For fans of: John Grisham, Scott Turow, Richard North Patterson, James Sheehan, David Ellis, John Hart