The Jezebel Remedy

by Martin Clark

Martin Clark—who has set, according to the Winston-Salem Journal, “the new standard by which other works of legal fiction should be judged”—now delivers his finest novel yet.
 
Lisa and Joe Stone, married for twenty years and partners in their small law firm in Henry County, Virginia, handle less-than-glamorous cases, whether domestic disputes, personal injury settlements, or never-ending complaints from their cantankerous client Lettie VanSandt (“eccentric” by some accounts, “certifiable” by others).  When Lettie dies in a freakish fire, the Stones think it’s certainly possible that she was cooking meth in her trailer. But details soon emerge that lead them to question how “accidental” her demise actually was, and settling her peculiar estate becomes endlessly complicated.

Before long, the Stones find themselves entangled in a corporate conspiracy that will require all their legal skills—not to mention some difficult ethical choices—for them to survive.   Meanwhile, Lisa is desperately trying to shield Joe from a secret, dreadful error that she would give anything to erase, even as his career—and her own—hangs in the balance. In The Jezebel Remedy , Clark gives us a stunning portrait of a marriage, an intricate tour of the legal system, and a relentlessly entertaining story that is full of inventions, shocks, and understanding. 

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Legal, Thriller, Audiobook, Crime, Book Club

400 pages, Hardcover

First published June 9, 2015

About the author

Entertainment Weekly called Martin Clark “hands down, our finest legal-thriller writer.” The New York Times stated that he is “the thinking man’s John Grisham.” The Winston-Salem Journal declared that he has set “the new standard by which other works of legal fiction should be judged,” and David Baldacci praised him as “a truly original writer.” A retired circuit court judge from Patrick County, Virginia, Martin is a cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Davidson College and attended law school at the University of Virginia. When he was appointed to the bench in 1992 at age thirty-two, he became one of the youngest judges in the history of the commonwealth. His novels have appeared on numerous bestseller lists, and the audio version of The Substitution Order was a number one national bestseller. Additionally, his novels have been chosen as a New York Times Notable Book, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, a Washington Post Book World Best Book of the Year, a Bookmarks Magazine Best Book of the Year, a Boston Globe Best Book of the Year, a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, a finalist for the Stephen Crane First Fiction Award, and the winner of the Library of Virginia’s People’s Choice Award in 2009, 2016 and 2020. Martin received the Patrick County Outstanding Community Service Award in 2016 and the Virginia State Bar’s Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Award in 2018. His wife, Deana, is a photographer, and they live on a farm with dogs, cats, chickens, guinea fowl and three donkeys.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Married couple Joe and Lisa Stone are partners in a small law firm in Virginia. Married for twenty years, they have no children but dote on their pooch Brownie. 🐶 Most of the law firm's work is routine with the big exception of their client, Lettie VanSandt.





Lettie is an ill-tempered, eccentric woman with a small income; a bunch of tattoos; a large, gold, front tooth; various piercings; frazzled hair; an assortment of thrift-store clothes; a home full of cats and dogs; and a penchant for inventing useless things.





Joe has a soft spot for Lettie however, and acts as her (largely unpaid) attorney as she sues everyone in sight, constantly changes her will, files patent applications, and sets up loopy trusts she can't fund.

As the story opens, Lisa is vaguely dissatisfied with her marriage and embarks on a liaison with Brett Brooks, a handsome, suave, fellow attorney. This includes an illicit trip to the Bahamas which proves to have troublesome consequences later on.



Meanwhile, shortly after making a will that gives the bulk of her assets to her son Neal, Lettie's body is found in an exploded meth lab.



Before she died Lettie changed her will once more, and a handwritten version is found that leaves her estate to attorney Joe Stone.



The police believe Lettie was a druggie who died as the result of a drug-cooking accident, but Joe can't believe Lettie used meth. In any case, Joe's a nice guy and renounces his claim to Lettie's assets (which he believes are minimal), giving everything to Neal 👨‍.

A few days later Dr. Stephen Downs - a brilliant but unstable scientist who was fired from Benecorp Pharmaceutical Company - shows up in Joe's office. His story: Lettie invented a skin healing cream called Wound Velvet (WV) and sent it to Benecorp for evaluation. The cream didn't heal anything but Benecorp discovered it was valuable for something else and was determined to acquire it. To get it, Benecorp apparently made a deal with Lettie's son Neal.



This sets up the rest of the story. Joe and Lisa - convinced that Benecorp tried to take advantage of Lettie and maybe even killed her - attempt to wrest WV from the firm's unsavory clutches. The pharmaceutical company, however, has a crafty, manipulative director who will do anything to retain control of WV 😣. This includes lying, inventing evidence, manipulating the system, harassing Dr. Downs, and crushing the Stones' law firm.



As part of its legal proceedings, Benecorp claims that Lisa and Joe extorted money from them. Part of their 'evidence' includes photos that apparently show Lisa collecting a pay-off from a Bahamian bank when she visited the island 🌴. So, to add to her other troubles, Lisa fears that Joe will learn of her dalliance with Brett.



The legal shenanigans in the story, as Benecorp tries to ruin Joe and Lisa, are fascinating and infuriating. They're also plausible, which is no surprise since the book's author is a judge.

The tale is full of interesting characters including: M.J. - Lisa's loyal friend who collects inappropriate boyfriends and comes through in a pinch; Neal - Lettie's nervous, timid son who's craftier than he seems; Seth Garrison - Benecorp's rich but nasty president; lawyers on both sides of the aisle; Brownie - a sweet dog; and of course Lettie. I had to laugh when Lettie tried to sue her neighbors for coaxing songbirds away from her yard by buying birdseed - which she couldn't afford. I had to wonder if the author (in his job as a judge) had actually seen cases like this.



I enjoyed the book but feel like it had a very slow start. For me, the first part of the book concentrated too much on Joe's annoying habits, Lisa's affair, how Lisa came to know M.J., Lisa and Joe's farm, and so on. Once the action got started, however, the story was a compelling page turner with plenty of drama.

I'd recommend this book to fans of mystery/legal thrillers.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Tooter · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 Stars. Another winner by Martin Clark!

[Lareynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Clark's last book, The Legal Limit, and I'm a fan of his writing in general. I bought a reviewer's copy and it was money well spent. This is an AMAZING book. It keeps a lot of balls in the air, keeps a lot going on, but everything holds together and moves along perfectly. First, the Jezebel Remedy is about marriage and temptation and what we should expect of a spouse after twenty years together. The author gets so many details correct, and the main characters Joe and Lisa are likable, believable, and you can understand their motives and issues. Second, this is a great courtroom/whodunit mystery, and it doesn't seem farfetched like so many other legal thrillers. Obviously, Mr. Clark has a lot of experience with the legal system and that shows up in the writing and the plot. There are other interesting themes that weave in as well, but everything, every plot thread meets in the end, and you never see it coming but you also don't doubt it for even a second. It's a triple-barrel finish that is awesome. This is simply another great novel---the rare page turner that is also funny, occasionally sad, real, well written and thought-provoking.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martin Clark, a circuit judge, has written several legal thrillers and been compared to John Gresham. This, the first of his books I've read, reminds me more of Scott Turow in its density of plot and assuredness of dialogue. While I enjoy Gresham's work, and love his formula of some small guy going after the bigger fish, I find his writing not as rich as Turow's, but based on this novel, Clark delivers on many levels. Joe and Lisa Stone have been marriage and law partners for almost 20 years taking on small town cases and handling their clients with respect no matter how eccentric. By not including children or weird intrusive family members to the story, Clark's decision to have this couple facing their own relationship is a sound one, and this is one of the strengths of the novel. The townspeople, friends and colleagues are individual in their own right, well portrayed and believable. But, as in the case of Lisa's best friend MJ, they form a three dimensional background for the central plot without requiring any further offshoot on their own. The death of one of their most obstreperous clients sets the action, with a battle with Big Pharma by the conclusion, and a potential crisis in the marriage.

[Delany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guy, Martin Fillmore Clark, is one of my very favorite writers. I'm a retired lawyer and often find it difficult or exasperating to read novels featuring lawyers and legal situations when written by those who never practiced law -- they get too many of the details wrong, and they just don't quite "get it." And not all lawyers/judges can do a good job at it, but Clark is just excellent. He doesn't just get the details right -- he understands what it feels like to practice law. It's just a delight to read his novels.

[Maureen · Rating 1 out of 5]

70+ pages in and I feel like my IQ has gone down by an equal 70 points. Oh this is some really bad writing.

I couldn't figure out how I had missed a much-lauded, legal thriller writer's other books. I hadn't. Clark's other "legal thriller, The Legal Limit was written under the nameMartin Fillmore Clarkand it was passably okay, definitely neither great nor the discovery of a great, new literary talent.

This outing is an abomination. Nonsensical, with neither a plot nor any discernable grammar skills. On the bright side, it is a library book so back it goes!

[Lauren Ricciardella · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won an early copy from the Goodreads giveaway, and was excited to dive into the story. Two chapters later and I'm done with this book. The best way I can describe this novel is by giving you an example of the structure of a typical sentence. One sentence- twelve commas, ten 'ands'. There were so many commas! Combining barely related topics into one sentence with multiple commas does not make pleasurable reading. This book needs a good editor. I had a hard time following the story because of the poor writing. Bummed.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Martin Clark's writing. I previously read The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living. The Jezebel Remedy is a mystery involving a husband and wife attorney practice in rural Virginia. Their best client is a misanthropic old lady who lives in her trailer with innumerable cats and dogs. Lettie wants her will rewritten about every week and has sued everyone in sight. She is a regular caller to 911. Then, a few days after her last visit, she is found dead in her shed, the apparent victim of cooking methamphetamine. Then a known mentally unbalanced biochemist reports to the lawyers that he thinks Lettie was murdered for one of her home remedy formulas.
Excellent writing, intelligent story, great characters. Do yourself a favor and read Clark's books. A new one is due out in 2019.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Improbable plot and I loathed Lisa. 2.5 stars

[Kathryn in FL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin Clark delivers a thorough legal thriller that doesn't get overly focused on the details of a typical lawsuit (I recently got scammed by an auto insurance co. after 5 year battle, which included severe, permanent injuries sustained in an auto accident). This story is a realistic presentation of the people involved displaying flexible morality to score a win. I have been stunned by the commonness that exists among lawyers and corporate big wigs, it would seem no one is above lying, falsifying evidence or manipulating facts. Clark has obviously seen this consistent character trait in his courtroom. The story flows somewhat rapidly and there is a lot of activity as we observe the situation through Lisa Stone's eyes, wife and partner with Joe Stone, at Stone and Stone, a small town law firm that gets caught in the middle of a firestorm over a patent issue.

The story works because everyone lies. Joe Stone is an easy going guy, well liked, considered as the ethical cornerstone of law in his region. He displays immense patience with town lunatic, Lettie VanSandt, who files frivolous lawsuits like some people go grocery shopping. When Lettie hits the big time, it is to late for her to receive her payday because she has died during a house fire. This is when things go topsy-turvy for the Stones and their practice. Add to this serious indiscretion by Lisa, her action may inadvertently cause their case to be lost, and in turn cause their whole world to be destroyed. Additionally, when push comes to shove even Joe uses semantics to fudge the truth when talking to the big corporation.

At one point, I wanted to give this a five for originality and the realism incorporated into the story. However, Lisa's character is not the most likeable person. She runs the gamut of emotions about her bad choice and at times is almost flippant about it's impact. Her actions include getting her best friend to commit perjury on her behalf is extreme. However, it is a side of human nature that many people in American society would probably chose. What bothered me is that she has no consequences after the fact. Similarly, Joe rationalizes his decision to fib because he rarely charged Lettie in her legal cases (most attorney's would rather have dental work than assist for free). Additionally, everything got wrapped up in a tidy bow at the end, thus making a fairly realistic story end on an improbable note.

This would make a good vacation read. The story takes you by the hand and leads you through tedious lifestyles in a small town to encounters with a huge drug corporation, its bigger than life CEO (think Branson or Madoff) and its panoply of players with increasing intensity as the story unfolds.

Thank you to Amazon Vine for providing this book in exchange for a honest review.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Want to hook your reader early? Having your opening sentence contain thirteen - THIRTEEN - commas is not going to do it. Nor will having three words in a row being followed by commas help either. The writing is pretty terrible, which allows it to go hand in hand with the irritating protagonist. The super-brilliant lawyer who is so super-hot she stuns men just by showing up is arch, superior, smug, and vacillates between whining about how boring her marriage is to having hot sex with her husband in the back of her car. Oh, poor gorgeous uber-lawyer. What crosses you have to bear.

I'd like my protagonist to be either interesting or likeable, and Lisa is neither. I made it 70 pages before I felt I'd been more then fair, but I should have trusted my instincts after the joke of a first sentence. Yet another judge/lawyer mistaking legal knowledge for writing ability. Bleh.

[Suzanne Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I heard about this one, but man, was I glad to finish it! Not appealing to me in the slightest. Not even remotely plausible as far as the plot is concerned. The characters? Mehhh. All of it just seemed to drag on and on. I wanted to walk away so many times but there is that thing in me, that dedication to the author that prevents me from doing it.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, set in Virginia and centered around two attorneys--who have been married for 20 years, an eccentric client who likes to sue anyone and anything, and a shady pharmaceutical company. It is a page turned and will keep you guessing until almost the very end!

[Cheryl Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I much prefer this legal thriller writer over John Grishom. The first book I read by Martin Clark was a bit slow, and jumped around in the story too much, but this story was well paced, well written, and a pleasure to read.

[wally · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd from clark for me, just finished, three oh seven pee em, afternoon of the 3rd of january 2018, kindle, library loaner, good read, four stars, i really liked it.

[Sandra Heinzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! We are reading it for my at-work book club. It was written by a Virginia judge (Martin Clark) and takes place in Henry County, VA. It mentions many places I know and real people I've heard of or know. It is a legal thriller, and even includes a Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board hearing - which is very pertinent because I work for the Virginia State Bar in the Disciplinary Section and clerk those hearings!

You can read the synopsis of the book yourself, but I found it a lot of fun because it was written by a Virginian, a signed copy was given to our department to read, and I liked the story. It was a thriller and had many twists and turns and covered different themes (law, crime, adultery, lies, animals, inventions, subterfuge, etc.) The discussion should be very interesting!

I recommend this book. Oh, I listened to it on Audible and the narration was wonderful (I also read parts of the book that I wanted to reread).

[Ed Tarkington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the kind of book I usually pick up, but I enjoyed its clever dialogue and unique approach to the legal thriller genre. Martin Clark has a razor-sharp wit and a gift for fashioning quirky characters and building suspense without resorting to formulaic violence and cliched plot devices. It ain't Dostoevsky, but it's a highly intelligent, frequently very funny, consistently suspenseful page-turner--a great beach or travel book for folks looking for a good story that respects the reader's intelligence.

[Liz Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new to me author I chose from a "Southern stories" shelf at a Greenville, SC bookstore was a real surprise and delight. A well-told and original legal thriller by an author whose style is right up my alley. Highly recommend it.

[Sharon Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Being a native of Patrick County, I was curious about the author’s writing. After reading The Jezebel Remedy, I’ll definitely be reading more of Martin Clark’s books.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Legal Thriller with at Least One Eccentric Character

Lisa and Joe Stone are law partners. They have an easy life practicing law in a Virginia small town, no children, but a lovable dog, Brownie. After twenty years, Lisa is becoming restless. She loves Joe, but what's exciting about small town legal work. In addition, Joe is such a push over, he takes on eccentric clients for little pay, like Lettie VanStandt. Lettie is constantly making wills, trusts and corporations. She also fancies herself as someone able to communicate with animals and is constantly developing potionpotions.

Lisa tries not to mind Joe's habits, but she's restless which leads to dabbling in an affair with a colleague, Brett Brooks. Nothing serious happens, but now Lisa is ridden with guilt. Her guilt becomes worse when Lettie is murdered and Joe, cited in her new will as her heir, becomes involved with murder and shady drug company deals.

Everyone in this plot lies, except Joe. He's the perfect guy to be setup because he's so honest. I enjoyed the plot, but found the amount of time devoted to the domestic arrangements of the Stones distracting. The plot doesn't really start until about a third of the way through the book when Lettie is murdered and Lisa and Joe are caught up in the investigation.

I found the characters more interesting in the opening chapters. As the novel progressed, I found myself not liking Lisa very much. I thought the affair with Brett was contrived to give an additional plot line to the story and to give Lisa a reason for being involved.

I thought the ending was equally contrived. As a legal thriller, I found it difficult to believe the way the court, and particularly the bar association behaved. It's not a bad read, if you enjoy legal drama, but I can't recommend it as one of the best.

I reviewed this book for the Amazon Vine Program.

[Skostal]

Critics say Clark, “who set the new standard by which other works of legal fiction should be judged,” has produced his finest novel yet. Married law partners Lisa and Joe Stone must figure out why Lettie VanSandt, a cantankerous client described as eccentric and certifiable, has died in a freakish fire in her trailer. Meth seems obvious, but in trying to settle her estate, a corporate conspiracy emerges. The small-town lawyers take up what proves to be a very challenging case.
A well-paced thriller with LOL moments typical of a couple married several decades, the book explores both ethical and personal quandaries. For example, Joe tolerates Lettie’s weekly changes to her will, but Lisa despises her. This is but one of the conflicts for the couple, at least one of which threatens their marriage. Clark, a Virginia circuit court judge, has made on the “notable” list of the New York Times, among other accolades, and with this book new readers will see why.

[Juniper · Rating 2 out of 5]

somewhere underneath all the hubbub is a pretty good novel, but it just didn't quite get there. i feel like clark just tried to do too much with this story. i previously enjoyed The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living: A Novel, so hoped for the same bit of entertainment with the jezebel remedy. clark's sense of humour fell flat for me in TJR - at some points it was uncomfortable in seeming to (inappropriately) play up cultural stereotypes. i was also disappointed in the ending - it was tidy and avoided the big fallout from lisa's adultery. some interesting characters kept me reading, but i really wavered between wanting to quit the book and just being curious for how it all came together. a bit messy and a bit silly (not always good-silly), and more than a bit disappointing, unfortunately. (sorry!)

[Lisa Dickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alas, with the right editors at the helm, this could be an exciting four-star book. Our author has five books in print and some solid story-writing skill. This plot has the potential to be exciting on screen. Sadly this book - as published - is a long yawn. Riddled with run-on sentences from the very first (94 words, 13 commas) to the very last (124 words, 14 commas), the writing distances the readers rather than drawing them in. While the author's writing tells rather than shows much of the time, I stuck with it to the end. The effort felt tedious and like drudgery at times. That I persevered is testament to both my stubbornness and the interesting plot. Many would not read this to the end, I venture. With a more urgent, pared-down writing approach (think Deaver's October List, or Kuhn's Intern's Handbook) this could be a blockbuster instead of a bust.

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me state that this book was part of the free give away program from the publishers Alfred A. Knopf through Goodreads.

It didn't take long for me to know the book was not a good one for me.

Its the story of Lisa and Joe Stone; a couple of married lawyers in Virginia; who have been married for twenty years. Lisa is getting bored and looks for an affair to lighten things up. She is not a sympathetic character at all. Joe is a loveable steady guy and not unattractive; she's just bored.

Then a client; Lettie; dies and they decided to take a big corporation to court for one of Letties formulas. The book finally got interesting at about page 339 (out of 382 pages).

I am sorry this is not a John Grisham comparison.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read anything by this author before, and I did like it, but I didn't love it. It was painfully slow in parts, but the real problem was Lisa Stone, one of the main characters. I just could not like her and could not justify her actions. She was so annoying that it spoiled some of my enjoyment of the plot. In fact, even the title implied that there was a remedy or cure for the person she was. A "Jezebel Remedy," in fact. Balderdash. The main story, one of shady dealings and underhanded double dealings, was rather incredible in the real sense of the word. Not a bad premise, but a bit over the top. On the plus side, it did end well enough to leave the loose ends tied up and the reader, if not satisfied, at least with no questions. I probably won't pick up the next one.

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very excited to find a book set in my hometown of Martinsville, VA, and a crime thriller at that! Sadly, it seems the book was set in "Martinsville." It was obvious from the early going that the author who sets his storied in the state of Virginia didn't take any time to get to know the city or the people who live there. His central characters were unsympathetic and uninteresting (I really didn't care that the wife was bored with her self-described perfect husband and was flirting with an affair). And, the author was working really hard to paint everyone else in the city and surrounding Henry County as largely uneducated redneck hillbillies. Sorry. An outsider cannot make those comments - you haven't earned the right.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa and Joe Stone are lawyers who have their own small firm and happen to be married to each other. Problem is, Lisa is getting a bit bored. Joe is great and all but his dated expressions "googly moogly" and such are getting a little tiresome. Her eye begins to wander. My husband of almost 24 years read this first and kept saying, "I don't know if I want you to read this." But Lisa isn't the only woman causing problems in this Virginia-set tale. There's also his client Lettie, who believes in suing everyone who has ever looked at her cross-eyed. If she isn't suing other people, she is inventing wild concoctions. It appears that one of those inventions has grabbed the attention of big pharma. Mayhem ensues and it is a fun ride.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may be better read than heard, as mispronunciations and some sloppy characterizations obscure the "snappy repartee" and the humor the reviews mention. It's a story about "hired guns and a secret formula" according to one character, and that pretty much covers it. Likable, nice-guy lawyer couple, Lisa and Joe Stone, get involved in a way-too-complicated case involving said formula. Tricky legal strategies employed by the Stones and corporate skullduggery on the part of a drug company; both sides really too elaborately planned and played out for my taste. Strong sense of place in small town southern Virginia, lots of legal details (author is a circuit court judge), upbeat tone, regional jargon, compelling pace.

[Chaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall kept my interest. Written very brightly, with plenty of humor and intelligence. Action is pretty quick, with some detours.

Detractions:

The protagonist is unlikable. I'm sorry, there's no way around this one. I started out loving her -- spunky, intelligent, caustic. I wanted to love her all the way through, but it's not possible, due to her very deliberate actions against her marriage. And all the rationalizing (they didn't go all the way, etc) doesn't take away the fact that she cheated. Period.

The reappearance of Lettie at the end was too fortuitous a deus ex machina to enjoy the resolution. I felt cheated out of a great courtroom climax.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast-paced "trip" through Southside Virginia, and I enjoyed meeting the characters along the way, including Lettie, M.J. Gold and the other small town folks one encounters. (A reader from Virginia's legal community will recognize many of the judges and lawyers who serve as the basis for some of these individuals.) Compared to previous books by the author, I think he did a better job of pulling things together and, despite the growing tension and the many twists and turns, kept the narrative focused so the reader is invested until the end. I look forward to the next book by Martin Clark.