Anything Legal, Legal Thrillers, Legal Mysteries and More discussion

Please nominate for Book of the Month for February. We already have 2 sound and intriguing suggestions. Anyone else? Please suggest by Feb. 1, and i will set up a poll.

I'm somewhat new to the group, so this may have been covered in the past, but how about something from Sean Pratt's Joe Dillard series? It's been on to-read list for a while. I'd suggest starting with book 1, A crime of Passion.

How about something really classic, like an Ellery Queen? I haven't read one in years and it would be nice to see how they've dated.

For February we'll read

An Innocent Client, Book 1 of the Joe Dillard series by author Scott Pratt. Would anyone like to lead? S. D.? Brenda? Let's start Feb. 3.

Also, we'll read an Ellery Queen, as proposed by Storm. Any specific title? As a child/adolescent i loved the EQ mysteries, and the monthly mystery magazine.

GR Synopsis:
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An Innocent Client (Joe Dillard #1)
by Scott Pratt (Goodreads Author)
4.04 · Rating Details · 3,674 Ratings · 411 Reviews
A preacher is found brutally murdered in a Tennessee motel room.

A beautiful, mysterious young girl is accused.

In this Mystery Readers International finalist for "Best Debut Mystery," criminal defense lawyer Joe Dillard has become jaded over the years as he's tried to balance his career against his conscience. Savvy but cynical, Dillard wants to quit doing criminal defense, but he can't resist the chance to represent someone who might actually be innocent. His drug-addicted sister has just been released from prison and his mother is succumbing to Alzheimer's, but Dillard's commitment to the case never wavers despite the personal troubles and professional demands that threaten to destroy him.

"Pratt's richly developed characters are vivid and believable, especially the strong Southern women who fight their male-dominated culture from behind a facade of vulnerability in this brilliantly executed debut." -- Publisher's Weekly.

"It’s Scott Turow and Grisham... The opening chapter is maybe the most compelling I’ve read in a decade.” – Ken Bruen.

Smart and sophisticated, with a plot twist that will leave you shaking your head in wonder, "An Innocent Client" -- the first in the acclaimed Joe Dillard series -- will also leave you wanting more."

Anyone reading? I've been eager to get into this series as i have a little familiarity with the area. I lived not too far from Jonesborough, Tennessee, from 1993 to 1999, and for 19 months from 2004 2096.
The motel reminds me of a cheap one downtown (different name of course).
I'm impressed with the writing and characterization. Not a lot of plot so far, but whoa, some characters. For some reason, i keep thinking of Jefferson Bass' Body Farm series.

So protagonist Joe Dillard, criminal defense attorney, is approaching 40 and a midlife career crisis, quite understandably. He wishes, just once, for a client who really is innocent.

Mallory,

Wanting to make sure I read the right selection. Is it "A Crime of Passion" or "An Innocent Client?"

Have been away from the group for a while and trying to work my way back in, so please forgive me if I'm missing something obvious.

Thanks for all you do.

Nick

Welcome, Nick!

We are reading An Innocent Client, the first in the series; although I nominated A Crime of Passion for March read.

Please join in:)

[I corrected the error in my earlier post]

Thank you so very much!

Looking forward to participating.

Have a great Super Bowl Sunday!

Nick

Reading on:

We're provided with some background on Joe Dillard's famiky: his wife who is his paralegal; his sister Sarah, a long-term drug user; his mother, long-deceased father, and also long-deceased uncle. [I wonder if the uncle's drowning was accidental.]

We're also introduced to the gory killing, in a sleazy downtown motel, of an itinerant evangelist, who seems to have suffered from both Narcissism and sexual addiction. More and more i am reminded of a certain infamous Mississippi evangelist. So far, this is not a killing which exerts my compassion, nor does the sorry excuse for a State Bureau of Investigation agent, who seems to be a "there but for the grace of God goes he" mirror of the deceased traveling preacher ( Elmer Gantry he is not).

I like the way the author builds the character of Earlene, clubowner with a "heart of gold," and of her late lamented spouse. Anticipating more from ger, and on a potential showdown with the lamentable Agent Landers [hope they don't end up wed.]

Joe's wife Caroline considers him "the most conflicted person she's ever known." Even though his impetus to law was the result of his uncle's crimes against persons, Joe turned away from prosecution to criminal defense, for $$ So he's spent two decades getting criminals like his uncle off, even AFTER he discovers that, tragically, one of his clients was a stone cold killer, now set free. How does a person live with that knowledge??

Interesting start. He's made the main character intriguing.

The author is fully developing our protagonist well, and also some of the secondary characters, Erlene, the late Gus, and that sorry creature Landers. I'm interested to see how he will delineate the character of Angel, who for some reason has elicited my highest suspicion from first mention.

As a real-life aside, the actual Johnson City club, "The Mouse's Ear," was a sister club to Knoxville's, and burned (origins unknown) in Jan. 2013; the club billed itself as an "exotic sports bar."

Since Joe's decision to give up criminal defense law, he's experienced multiple changes. He accepts $250 million from a strip club owner to defend her protege on a death penalty charge (both case and defendant are rife for scandal). He is targeted by the victim's son. He goes law-and-order on his drug-addicted sister (whom a sleazy TBI agent later tries to suborn). Then Joe does a vigilante on the victim's son. All action.

This was a re-read for me. Initially I enjoyed the humor. The timing was unrealistic, even for a small town.
Many errors stuck out. Lawyers are required to put deposits into a holding account. Public aid would be available for the mother's care.
I found the characters unflawed. His wife runs a dance studio, but has time to go to paralegal school and work for him.
Earlene is the star, seemingly outwitting the authorities.

Thanks, Una. I see and acknowledge your conclusions. Btw, although Jonesborough is a small community, Johnson City is sizeable, and is the site of East Tennessee State University.

Una wrote: "This was a re-read for me. Initially I enjoyed the humor. The timing was unrealistic, even for a small town.
Many errors stuck out. Lawyers are required to put deposits into a holding account. Pub..."

Excellent points. For me, a read has to remain credible. This was still entertaining, but there were these stretched, problems.