Undue Influence

by Shelby Yastrow

When a devout Roman Catholic accountant at his firm dies leaving his eight-million-dollar estate to a local synagogue, Chicago attorney Philip Ogden must investigate shocking accusations and secrets involving the dead man's past

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great legal story. Very well written.

[Worth-Pinkham Memorial Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

****
A Catholic bachelor dies leaving an 8 million estate to a Synagogue. His attorney must piece together where the money came from, a stipulation in the will, and a second will. Lots of suspense.
Ginger

[Dale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedium followed by tedium. Did I mention the tedium?

Synopsis:

83-year old Benjamin Stillman dies and leaves $8 million to a local synagogue in his will. No big deal, except that no one can figure out where this bookkeeper for a brokerage house got $8 million.

Oh, and there's one other little fact: Stillman was not Jewish and had never even set foot in the synagogue.

A legal wrangle develops and everyone "lawyers up": the synagugue, the brokerage house, Stillman's doctors come up with another will leaving all of the money to their cancer treatment center and there's even a class-action lawsuit is filed by a sleazy lawyer looking to make a name for himself.

The Review:

Undue Influence was tedious... I

[Lora · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I wrote at the time, "It was a rather interesting story, only somewhat married by the cliffhanger endings for each chapter and cardboard characters (the dialogue for the black character was particularly lame)."

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent quick story.

[Robert Dahlen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit preachy from the Jewish standpoint.
Interesting story.
Good insights to the legal profession, the goods and the bads.