A Fool's Gold: A Story of Ancient Spanish Treasure, Two Pounds of Pot, and the Young Lawyer Almost Left Holding the Bag

by Bill Merritt

A fantastically eccentric true crime caper that does for coastal Oregon what Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil did for Savannah .

Just a few months out of law school, Bill Merritt takes a job working for a slightly shady but charismatic lawyer named Thaddeus Silk. Only months later, Thaddeus drops dead of a heart attack, and Bill is left to pick up the pieces of his chaotic and poorly managed practice. Before he can even start to make sense of the mess that was Thaddeus's legal life, the police are knocking at his door, and Bill is being accused of fencing stolen treasure. Enter Abby Birdsong and Grady Jackson, two clients of Thaddeus's whose files are among the boxes and papers and bourbon bottles that litter his office. Drug charges had been brought against Abby for carrying two pounds of pot in her bag; and Grady seeks a permit from the state of Oregon to dig for treasure on a local beach. Bill takes on both of their cases, which, on the face of it, aren't related. When the two cases collide in ways that seem too fantastic to be true, Bill finds himself caught in the middle.

How Thaddeus and Bill, Abby and Grady, assorted law enforcement officials and colorful hangers-on overlap and interconnect took Bill another nineteen years to puzzle out. The result is an intricate and original legal yarn with a cast of provincial misfits so peculiar and charming it reads like fiction.

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 24, 2006

Reviews

[Cymiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is there really ancient Spanish treasure on the beaches of Oregon? This is quite the wild tale......

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

If a book can get a good laugh out of me, and this one does, then I'm a fan. Bill, a newbie lawyer, works for Thaddeus Silk, an attorney who is both shady and colorful, and who is dead from the start of the story. Bill has to pick up the pieces of Silk's chaotic law practice. One client, Abby Birdsong, has an affinity for pot and has been arrested with 2 1/3 pounds of the stuff. Intent to sell. Another client, Grady Jackson, is at war with the State of Oregon over rights to dig for treasure on government land. Grady might be crazy; he is definitely eccentric - and rich. He has been funding various court cases for years. A lawyer's dream? Bill Merritt tells a tale of this small Oregon community and the very interesting folk who live there. Who knew court proceedings could be such fun?

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had to describe this book in one word it would be average. Merritt's writing could be described as noir pulp. His often repeated fabrications and descriptions over and over became tiring. I'm not a prude, but I felt he swore when it was unwarranted. I did like Grady's story. I got the impression that it was the author's intent that his book would be made into a movie. If it was turned into a movie, I wouldn't bother buying a ticket.

[geonap · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting book with a TON of Oregon references (from cities, to rivers, to history). It has a host of completely zany characters which really make the book come to life. This was recommended to me from (ironically) from one of the librarian lists in Utah. There's intrigue, treasure hunting, and even some drug conspiracy! Great book, enjoy!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, light read. True story of a lawyer who "inherits" the practice of another shyster lawyer and with it his zany clients. The stories of his two largest clients begin to intersect and Merritt begins to wonder if his conspiracy loving client is as crazy as he thought.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book set in my part of the world, physically, if not experientially... Drugs, treasure hunting, lawyers, not something I do. Although I guess you could call geocaching (a hobby of mine) a form of mild treasure hunting. Anyway, the book was worth reading.

[Catherine Mustread]

Hard to tell from the reviews whether this is fiction or non.... Sounds interesting though!

[Vikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of ancient treasure, two pounds of pot, and the young lawyer almost left holding the bag. It was so good and funny. I would like to read Bill Merritt again.

[Aubrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hands down one of the funniest, most enjoyable books I've ever read from any genre.

[Earl · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun story, but the conclusions at the end all occurred in the last dozen or so pages. Seemed rushed and made the rest of the book seem a tad disjointed.