The Impossible Mock Orange Trial

Ted Born #1

by Thad G. Long

Ted Born and a young untested associate were called upon to defend a tough – seemingly impossible - lawsuit in one of the most challenging county courts in the United States. The facts looked bad: the client was a tire manufacturer of a tire that blew out, followed by a vehicular crash resulting in a child’s death, a brain injury for another child and other serious injuries. The dead and injured were all African American residents of a county where juries were all or mostly African Americans, with a history of rendering verdicts in generally millions of dollars in favor of local residents against big out-of-state corporations, even in minor cases. The case leads through a labyrinth of mystery and intrigue no one could have imagined as the trial date of a BIG one looms.

This tense and high-octane drama explosively confronts the meaning of justice in the context or right-and-wrong, corporate and personal responsibilities, sympathy and objectivity, racial relations, and our judicial system as a means of resolving countervailing positions with their heavy emotional baggage. It dissects the moral character of jurors thrust, through no choice of their own, into a web of competing angels and demons that vie to influence their verdict – with an unexpected twist at the end that rocks all precedents.

614 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2020

About the author

Thad Long is a versatile attorney, with decades of practice handling difficult trials and other matters for defendants and plaintiffs in a changing litigious environment. His recent novel, The Impossible Mock Orange Trial, has garnered 5-Star ratings from a wide field of readers. In a sequel novel, The Vow: Ted Born’s Last Trial, to be released shortly, Ted Born, attempting to fulfill his commitments to a wealthy philanthropist client, finds himself the defendant in litigation in which the client’s family members seek to take over the philanthropist’s financial affairs and sue Born for resisting their efforts wrongly for personal gain – threatening Born with financial ruin and destruction of his personal and professional reputation in the concluding years of Born’s law practice. It is a thoughtful study of the challenge of protecting older persons from the consequences of their own mental and physical decline. Mr. Long took his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and his law degree from the University of Virginia where he served as Comments & Projects Editor of the Virginia Law Review and was tapped for Order of the Coif, the Raven Society and Omicron Delta Kappa. He has consistently been listed in Best Lawyers in America for more than thirty years, recognizing him in an extraordinary nine different areas of expertise, and is an elected Life Member of the prestigious American Law Institute. He has also recently been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis’ Who’s Who in America.

Reviews

[Beverly Carrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earned every star

Loved every bit of it. Halfway through the thought came to me , this is why you love reading , what more can I say.

[Dave Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way too many details.

Couldn't make more than 15% of the story. Way too much information about tires. A good editor should have told the author that he would bore the reader to death.

[Sou Hi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very intriguing fiction about the courtroom. Even though there are no detectives or criminals here, the book still has me on the edge of my seat all the time. The racism issue is also properly addressed. This will be a good choice for those who are interested in lawsuits and morals.

Please see my full review here if you are interested https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...

[Dylan Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unpredictable

The Impossible Mock Orange Trial by Thad G. Long is a truly captivating courtroom drama that are sure to please fans of legal thrillers.

The story follows Ted Born, an attorney for the defense, as he defends his clients against an impossible murder case involving a rare Mock Orange tree. With the help of his legal team and the old-fashioned detective work of a reclusive flower enthusiast, Ted must uncover the mysterious death of Mock Orange tree to prove his clients innocent.

The plot is unpredictable, filled with unexpected twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seat. The fast-paced narrative moves swiftly and the characters are vivid, engaging, and have depth. Each character has their own complexities and motivations, and as the story progresses, their actions and motives become increasingly clear.

The novel is ultimately a gripping thriller that manages to keep readers invested throughout. It's a gripping read that keeps you engaged, and one that will leave you wanting more. Thad G Long has done an excellent job of creating an entertaining story with compelling characters that keep you hooked. Highly recommended

[Davis Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

An attorney friend of mine recommended this book to me, and I really enjoyed reading it. Despite being a bit longer than I expected, the book read quickly. At times, the author waxed a bit too poetic for my taste, but you can't fault him for trying. The characters were a bit flat, but they featured less prominently than the case itself. If you are interested in trial law, I'd give this one a shot.

[Blake Newman · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

This book is basically a tire supply chain guide to manufacturing. Horrible.

It also is extremely distasteful in the discussions that surround race and the legal system. It lacks tact, sincerity, and honest representation. The characters are harmfully depicted and it was hard to read because of this.

[Mary Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

this jury trial had an extraordinary set of jurors

I could not read the entire book; being a secretary in the field (mostly on the defense side of civil suits), the body of the story was too nerve-wracking, the verdict both heart-breaking and triumphant. Would that the practice and application of law be so scalpel precise in real life!

[Dakota Layfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting and mysterious

The Impossible Mock Orange Trail book was quite interesting but some parts threw me off. Although it had a great introduction and climax. I love crime and mystery themed books it really keeps the reader on their toes. I recommend this book to anyone that may be interested in mystery and action stories

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tough book to rate because it had a great story, but the author put in TOO MANY DETAILS, so it was a V E R Y SLOW read. However, the characters were likeable and the plot seemed very realistic. I came to appreciate how much information trial lawyers much go through and how careful they have to be in preparing for and presenting their case in a trial.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic read

It was more a story about doing the right thing and showing honesty in the dealings against all odds. Ted Born through this trial forged a deep friendship with the African-American attorney Dave Thompson.
Whatever the outcome of the trial both men realized they had a lot in common.